Sociolinguistic Motivations for the Use of Nigerian Pidgin English in Nigeria

Abstract

English pidginisation is a process by which pidgin English develops through the contact of English with other languages. While structural English pidginisation refers to the simplification in using the English, sociolinguistic English pidginisation is the process by which the English is transformed by society. Although the sociolinguistic pidginisation of English is observed to have received considerable attention as much that of structural pidginisation, the need for reinvestigating it, in addition to finding out how Nigerians use the pidgin for survival, becomes necessary. Using a qualitative research design, this study investigates the social motivations for the use of Nigerian Pidgin English among Nigerians and examines how such usage influences their social and economic experiences. Ten participants, comprising males and females, purposively selected from diverse social and educational backgrounds, were interviewed. Results for the first objective reveal that nine social factors including low educational attainment, accommodation familiarity and solidarity motivate Nigerians to use Nigerian English pidgin in the Nigerian context. For the second objective, results indicate that using the Nigerian pidgin English positively shapes the living conditions of Nigerians by enabling them to trade favourably and campaign for votes in politics. Regardless of the increasing negative attitudes formed towards NPE and the low status it continues to attract, it remains the most effective means for bringing together in conversation people from different backgrounds in Nigeria. As a language of survival, a Nigerian hardly avoids involving in a compelling circumstances to use the NPE.