6: Nigerian Pidgin English

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Background

Bight of Biafra

Lake Chad

Nige r D

e l t a

Gul f of Guinea

Bight of Benin

FEDERAL CAPITALTERRITORY

BENUE

Porto-Novo

N'Djamena

Léré

Diffa

Banyo

Foumban

Goure

Ngaoundéré

Magaria

Buea

Cotonou

Bamenda

Bohicon

Parakou

Guider

Bol

Kandi

Bosso

Kontcha

Dosso

Mokolo

Yoko

Gaya

Maradi

Pala

Ndali

Léré

Diffa

Banyo

Foumban

Goure

Ngaoundéré

Magaria

Buea

Cotonou

Bamenda

Bohicon

Parakou

Guider

Bol

Kandi

Bosso

Kontcha

Dosso

Mokolo

Yoko

Gaya

Maradi

Pala

Ndali

Léré

Diffa

Banyo

Foumban

Goure

Ngaoundéré

Magaria

Buea

Cotonou

Bamenda

Bohicon

Parakou

Guider

Bol

Kandi

Bosso

Kontcha

Dosso

Mokolo

Yoko

Gaya

Maradi

Pala

Ndali

Léré

Diffa

Banyo

Foumban

Goure

Ngaoundéré

Magaria

Buea

Cotonou

Bamenda

Bohicon

Parakou

Guider

Bol

Kandi

Bosso

Kontcha

Dosso

Mokolo

Yoko

Gaya

Maradi

Pala

NdaliKajama

Lau

Potiskum

Gboko

Katsina AlaOndo

Azare

Koko

YelwaYelwaYelwa

Numan

Damasak

Auchi

Gembu

Kari

Wudil

Sapele

Wurno

Daura

Nkambe

Mubi

Gumel

Ogoja

Owo

Hadejia

Warri

Kamba

Illela

Gombi

Abong

Baro

Nguru

Wawa

Wukari

Baga

Takum

Kanfanchan

Funtua

KauraNamoda

Oron

Kisi

Iwo

Damboa

Chibok

Ankpa

Badeggi

Sabon Benin Gwari

Ilaro

IbiIseyin

Dikwa

Oturkpo

Bida

Dan Gulbi

Shaki

Tungo

Bajoga

Oyo

BamaBama

Biliri

Kwolla

Kontagora

Amper

Ganye

Biu

Ore

Pankshin

Ikom

Birni Nkonni

Bali

Gummi

BackiBacki

Léré

Diffa

Banyo

Foumban

GoureZinder

Ngaoundéré

Magaria

Buea

Cotonou

Bamenda

Bohicon

Parakou

Guider

Bol

Kandi

Bosso

Kontcha

Dosso

Mokolo

Yoko

Gaya

Maradi

Pala

Ndali

Léré

Diffa

Banyo

Foumban

Goure

Ngaoundéré

Magaria

Buea

Cotonou

Bamenda

Bohicon

Parakou

Guider

Bol

Kandi

Bosso

Kontcha

Dosso

Mokolo

Yoko

Gaya

Maradi

Pala

Ndali

Léré

Diffa

Banyo

Foumban

Goure

Ngaoundéré

Magaria

Buea

Cotonou

Bamenda

Bohicon

Parakou

Guider

Bol

Kandi

Bosso

Kontcha

Dosso

Mokolo

Yoko

Gaya

Maradi

Pala

Ndali

Léré

Diffa

Banyo

Foumban

Gouré

Ngaoundéré

Magaria

Buea

Cotonou

Bamenda

Bohicon

Parakou

Guider

Bol

Kandi

Mora

Bosso

Kontcha

Dosso

Mokolo

Yoko

Gaya

Maradi

Pala

Ndali

Limani

Umuahia

Jalingo

Garoua

Ilorin

Uyo

Maroua

Akure

Gombe

Ado-Ekiti

Gusau

Lokoja

Lafia

Enugu Abakaliki

Awka

Douala

Makurdi

Sokoto

Bafoussam

Jos

Abeokuta

Katsina

Owerri

PortHarcourt

Dutse

Yenagoa

Benin City

Damaturu

Calabar

Asaba

Birnin Kebbi

Kumba

Yola

Ikeja

Bauchi

Nikongsamba

Minna

Onitsha

Osogbo

Kaduna

Ogbomosho

Kano

Ibadan

Aba

Ife

Maiduguri

Zaria

Lagos Porto-Novo

N'Djamena

Abuja

Bight of Biafra

Lake Bamendjing

Yedsera

m

Lake Chad

Sanaga

KainjReservoir

Nig

er

Mbam

Nige r D

e l t a

Kaduna

Quémé

Gon

gola

Hadejia

Sokoto

Zamfara

Komadugu

Gulbin Ka

Niger

Sokoto

Niger

Gul f of Guinea

Benue

Bight of Benin

Bénoué

Komadugu G

ana

KATSINA

DELTA

KOGI

KANO

ENUGU

OYO

JIGAWA

EBONYI

PLATEAU

YOBE

IMO

NASARAWA

RIVERS

TARABA

BAYELSA

BENUE

CROSS RIVERABIA

FEDERAL CAPITALTERRITORY

NIGER

BORNO

AKWA IBOM

OSUN

KEBBI

LAGOS

OGUN

KADUNA

SOKOTO

EKITI

ONDO

BAUCHI

AN

AM

BRA

EDO

ADAMAWA

ZAMFARA

GOMBE

KWARA

C H A D

N I G E R

B E N I N

CHAD

C.A

.R.C A M E R O O N

0

15050

50

200 km100

100 mi

0

National capitalState capitalTown, villageMajor airportInternational boundaryState boundaryHighwayMain roadRailroad

NIGERIA

Department of Field SupportCartographic Section

Map No. 4228 Rev. 1 UNITED NATIONSAugust 2014

The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.

NIGERIA

Source: United Nations Cartographic Section -

http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/nigeria.pdf

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Background

I Long pre-colonial historyI From mid-19th century onward: British ruleI 1960 independenceI Some democracy, Civil war (1967–1970), Military juntasI 1999 Return to democracyI 201 million inhabitants on 924 000 km2, 215/km2

Cf. Germany: 83 million on 357,000 km2, 232/km2I 250 ethnic groups (three largest: Hausa, Igbo, and

Yoruba), > 500 languages, wide variety of cultures

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Language in Nigeria

By Ulamm - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2983770

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English in Nigeria

I English widely used for education, business, and officialpurposes.

I Small minority (part of the urban elite) with English as afirst language

I Widely refered to as the official language of NigeriaI Nigerian Pidgin: more common in urban centersI Cline/unclear distinctions between Nigerian English and

Nigerian Pidgin English

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Phonology

I reduced number of vowels, e.g.I short raised front vowel /æ/ replaced by low /a/:

hand, carry, datI central raised /2/ falls together with low back /O/:

month, done, body, brodersI diphthongs with mid-high onsets generally

monophthongized:/eI/ → /e/ day, Lagos, /@U/, /oU/ → /o/ load, local

I no dental fricatives:D → /d/ dere, di, dose; /T/ → /t/ month, thousand

Cf. Schneider (2011, 141–149)

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Phonology

I tone produces minimal pairsI yes-no questions signalled by intonation

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Syntax and morphology

I wey invariant relative pronoun

(1) Dr. Obari Gomba wey be lecturer for Department ofEnglish Studies,

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Definiteness and number

(2) a. À si mòto.I saw cars/the car/the cars/a car/some cars.

b. À si mòto dèm.I saw cars/the cars/some cars.

c. À si dì mòto.I saw the car/the cars.

d. À si dì mòto dèm.I saw the cars.

e. À si won mòto.I saw a car.

= (4a-e) in Faraclas (2013, 179) [c. corrected]

I optional marking of definiteness/number on the noun

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Pronominal system

subject object

1sg mi/à mi2sg yu yu3sg im/ì im/àm1pl wi wi2pl ùnà ùnà3pl dem dem

Table: Personal pronouns in Nigerian Pidgin (from Table 3 in Faraclas2013, 180)

I Benue-Kwa second person plural form ùnà

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Negation

I negation: invariant no in front of the verb phrase

(3) À no bay nyam.“I didnt buy yams.”

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Tense/aspect markingI temporal/aspectual relations expressed by preverbal

markers:I go for futureI don for completiveI dey for ongoing actions

(4) You don read Sozaboy by Ken Saro Wiwa or ThePalm-Wine Drinkard by Amos Tutuola.

(5) a. À gò go tawn. I will/would go to town.b. À dè go. I go/am going.c. À don go (finish). I have gone/went.d. A gri go. I agree to go.From Table 4. Tense-Aspect-Mood Markers, Faraclas(2013, 181)

(6) Yù gò don dè chop finish.You will have been finished eatingCf. (j), Faraclas (2013, 181)

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Copula

I copula:I identity copulaI locative/existential copulaI copula highlighter

be, de/dey, na

(7) Di story na about how . . .

(8) Di story na about one man, Mene from Dukana villageand how di Biafra war affect im and im family.

(9) Nàhl

AuduAudu

werel

deloc.cop

haws,house

noneg

bìident.cop

mì.me

It is Audus who is at home, it is not I (who am at home).= 11 in Faraclas 2013, 182

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Various other things

I for with wide range of meaningsI wetin ‘what’ < what thingI say as a complementizer (including indirect speech)I reduplication to express intensificationI serial verb constructions

(10) a. À manij tek nayf kot yu.I managed to cut you with a knife.

b. À bay nayf giv yù.I bought you a knife.

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Faraclas, N. (2013). Nigerian pidgin. In S. M. Michaelis,P. Maurer, M. Haspelmath, and M. Huber (Eds.), The surveyof pidgin and creole languages. Vol. I: English-based andDutch-based languages, pp. 176–184. Oxford: OxfordUniversity Press.

Schneider, E. W. (2011). English around the world. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.

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