The Nigerian Pidgin Language By Obed Boafo Associated Press

Widely spoken on the streets of Lagos, Abuja, and among the over 200 ethnic groups in Nigeria, is the Pidgin Language.

Used as an alternative lingua franca apart from Standard English, the Pidgin language is by far, the most popular street language in West Africa’s most populous country.

Its acceptance stretches into other West African countries like Ghana, Sierra Leone and Cameroon.

Also referred to as ‘Broken English’, Pidgin has grown from being just any other language, into an alternative means of verbal communication in Nigeria.

While some prefer to see it as Standard English turned upside down, another school of thought traces its roots to the years of colonial rule. It is also believed Pidgin is a collection of left over languages used in that era.

With time, it has become an easy-to-learn form of language for trading.

Wazobia FM, one of Nigeria’s popular radio stations broadcasts only in Pidgin, a move that has seen its listenership grow sharply over the years.

The Wazobia example is replicated across the booming music and filmmaking industries in Nigeria. A thing about the Pidgin language that makes it popular is his flexibility and how it is able to switch into other accepted forms of standard communication easily, without losing its texture and meaning.

For instance, you can fittingly say “How Una Dey”, to mean, “How are you doing”, and it will still suffice and be understood.

Originally treated with some disdain and scorn by persons who thought it could affect the way people spoke English, Pidgin has morphed into an accepted language even in mainstream business world.

At the work place in most of Nigeria’s formal commercial and business hubs, it is used interchangeably to get messages across. Although it doesn't find its way onto commercial documents, it manages to serve a lot of verbal communication purposes.

Gbemi Michael, a Nigerian business executive who shuttles in and out of Nigeria from Ghana tells me “Pidgin is fun is to use.” “It makes conversations a lot fun and less stressful.”

Michael’s explanation of “fun … and “less stressful”, is shared by the many people around West Africa who speak Pidgin. For most, it has everything to do with freeing one’s self from trying to adjust to the use of “big grammar”.

“It is the use of big grammar that worries most people,” he says. “So to play safe, most opt for Pidgin.”

For the millions who are able to use Pidgin, in both formal and informal conversations, it means just one thing – they are able to demystify the Queens language.