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| Pidgin - West African lingua franca | Pidgin - West African lingua franca |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The BBC is launching 11 new language services and one of them is English-based Pidgin, which is one of the most widely spoken languages across West Africa, even though it is not officially recognised. | |
| What is Pidgin? | What is Pidgin? |
| The Oxford English Dictionary definition of Pidgin is: A language containing lexical and other features from two or more languages, characteristically with simplified grammar and a smaller vocabulary than the languages from which it is derived, used for communication between people not having a common language; a lingua franca. | The Oxford English Dictionary definition of Pidgin is: A language containing lexical and other features from two or more languages, characteristically with simplified grammar and a smaller vocabulary than the languages from which it is derived, used for communication between people not having a common language; a lingua franca. |
| Simply put, Pidgin English is a mixture of English and local languages which enables people who do not share a common language to communicate. | |
| Most African countries are made up of numerous different ethnic groups who do not necessarily have a lingua franca, so Pidgin has developed. | Most African countries are made up of numerous different ethnic groups who do not necessarily have a lingua franca, so Pidgin has developed. |
| It is widely spoken in Nigeria, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. | It is widely spoken in Nigeria, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. |
| There are differences, because English is mixed with different languages in each country but they are usually mutually intelligible. | There are differences, because English is mixed with different languages in each country but they are usually mutually intelligible. |
| A form of Pidgin has developed into a mother tongue for the Krio community in Sierra Leone, which non-Krios can find difficult to understand. | A form of Pidgin has developed into a mother tongue for the Krio community in Sierra Leone, which non-Krios can find difficult to understand. |
| What is so special about Pidgin? | What is so special about Pidgin? |
| "It's quite fluid, it keeps changing all the time and it's expressive as well," says Bilkisu Labran, head of the new BBC language services for Nigeria. | "It's quite fluid, it keeps changing all the time and it's expressive as well," says Bilkisu Labran, head of the new BBC language services for Nigeria. |
| "Sometimes, if you don't have a word for something, you can just create an onomatopoeic sound and just express yourself. And it will be appreciated and understood. | "Sometimes, if you don't have a word for something, you can just create an onomatopoeic sound and just express yourself. And it will be appreciated and understood. |
| "I can talk about the gun shots that went 'gbagbagba' and you get my gist. So it vividly captures it instead of describing or trying to find a word to say: 'The gun shots were very loud'." | "I can talk about the gun shots that went 'gbagbagba' and you get my gist. So it vividly captures it instead of describing or trying to find a word to say: 'The gun shots were very loud'." |
| Also, Pidgin hardly follows standard grammatical rules so "you can lose things like verbs", by saying: 'I dey go' to mean 'I'm going'. | Also, Pidgin hardly follows standard grammatical rules so "you can lose things like verbs", by saying: 'I dey go' to mean 'I'm going'. |
| Other examples are: | Other examples are: |
| How many people speak it? | How many people speak it? |
| It is difficult to know the precise number of speakers across the region as it is not formally studied in schools and is spoken in varying degrees of proficiency. | It is difficult to know the precise number of speakers across the region as it is not formally studied in schools and is spoken in varying degrees of proficiency. |
| But many millions of people undoubtedly speak it on a daily basis, especially young people. | |
| Nigeria is estimated to have between three and five million people who primarily use Pidgin in their day-to-day interactions. But it is said to be a second language to a much higher number of up to 75 million people in Nigeria alone - about half the population. | |
| Although it is commonly spoken, Pidgin is not an official language anywhere except Sierra Leone, where Krio does have a formal status. | |
| In many schools, children are disciplined if they are caught speaking Pidgin, rather than English. | In many schools, children are disciplined if they are caught speaking Pidgin, rather than English. |
| However, some local radio stations do broadcast in Pidgin. | However, some local radio stations do broadcast in Pidgin. |
| How did it originate? | How did it originate? |
| West African Pidgin English, also called Guinea Coast Creole English, was a language of commerce spoken along the coast during the Atlantic slave trade in the late 17th and 18th Centuries. | West African Pidgin English, also called Guinea Coast Creole English, was a language of commerce spoken along the coast during the Atlantic slave trade in the late 17th and 18th Centuries. |
| This allowed British slave merchants and local African traders to conduct business. | This allowed British slave merchants and local African traders to conduct business. |
| It later spread to other parts of the West African colonies, becoming a useful trade language among local ethnic groups who spoke different languages. | It later spread to other parts of the West African colonies, becoming a useful trade language among local ethnic groups who spoke different languages. |