CRITICAL EVALUATION OF THE EFFECT OF PIDGIN ENGLISH ON STUDENTS IN NIGERIA UNIVERSITY
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Nigeria is a multilingual country with over 400 indigenous languages, the most prominent of which are Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba, which represent the three major geopolitical zones, North, East, and South, respectively. Despite this, Nigerian Pidgin is widely spoken throughout the country and has become a lingua franca for many, despite the fact that it is a Creole in several Southern and Eastern states, including Rivers, Lagos, Delta, Edo, and Cross Rivers. Following significant development in the Delta area of Nigeria, Marchese and Schnkal (1980) confirm this, saying: “… in a specific portion of Nigeria, the areas surrounding Warri and Sapele, Nigerian pidgin is more of a Creole.” Creole is a first language that blends a European and a local language. Some regard it as a Some consider it a dialect of English, while others consider it a separate language. An examination of the structure of Nigerian pidgin (NP) reveals that it has its own structures and behavioral patterns. Many people now believe that NP was once thought to be the language of people who couldn’t speak proper English. It’s no surprise, then, that it’s not only used by undergraduates at Nigerian institutions when conversing with the uninformed public, but it’s also become an intriguing medium of informal interchange among students themselves. Fisherman (1997) claims that “no inferior language is adequately rational.” This is because when two or more speech communities interact, a lingua franca or common language of communication emerges. He continues by stating that the social situation,
The morpho-syntactic structure of a language is influenced by context. Because pidginisation, according to Hymes (1971:84), is a “complex process of Sociolinguistics,” we will now investigate the use of Nigerian Pidgin English among students at Usmanu Danfodiyo University in Sokoto.
1.1 The Study’s Background
A pidgin language is one that emerges when speakers of different languages need to communicate but do not share a common language. When a pidgin emerges, it is usually learned as a second language and used to communicate between people who speak different languages.
Language is the most creative and limitless tool for social communication, allowing us to comprehend language’s profound social significance, cultural engagement, and human relatedness. Having said that, we believe
can all agree that pidgin is a language in its own right, not just a supplemental tongue, as some believe, because it serves as an infinite tool for social communication, especially in a multilingual country like Nigeria.
“The culture of a civilization is its members’ way of life, the collection of ideas and habits that they acquire, share, and pass down from generation to generation,” writes Linton (1982). The only way for these civilizations, ideas, and behaviors to be passed down from generation to generation is through language. Linguistics holds that any language is capable of expressing its people’s communication needs and, as such, should not be biased.
Despite the fact that Nigerian Pidgin is a language, this cannot be true.
because several organizations have attempted to ban the use of Nigerian Pidgin English. However, due to the language’s high value to its users, these efforts have been ineffective. It is a language that has brought people together despite differences in ancestral culture and language by cultivating a local culture that incorporates concepts from various civilizations.
Furthermore, the use of Pidgin as a lingua Franca has an impact on many Nigerians’ academic careers, particularly students from areas where it is spoken.
1.2 Problem Description
It is important to note that what began as a “emergency language” among white merchants to facilitate communication with natives has now evolved into “an elitist campus language” spoken among Nigerian students in higher education.
of learning, thereby overlapping standard English to the point where students’ competence suffers.
1.3 Study Aims and Objectives
This study is being conducted to investigate the impact of Pidgin English on student competence. Students deviate from codified English norms in the majority of their essays and communications.
The following are the goals that must be met:
1. to ascertain the extent to which pidgin English affects tertiary students’ academic performance.
2. to identify the factors that improve pidgin English among tertiary students.
3. to ascertain the relationship between pidgin English and standard English, as well as its effects on tertiary students’ academic performance.
4. to suggest possible solutions to problems.
1.4 Investigation qUESTIONS
1. To what extent does pidgin English affect tertiary students’ academic performance?
2. What factors are promoting Pidgin English among tertiary students?
3. What is the relationship between pidgin English and standard English, and how does it affect tertiary students’ academic performance?
4. What are some potential solutions to the problems?
1.5 The Study’s Importance
This study is significant because the findings can aid in determining the causes of students’ competency. This work will undoubtedly contribute to one’s understanding, particularly at Usmanu Danfodiyo University in Sokoto’s Department of English, because it will highlight various issues with written English. It will serve as a blueprint for an effective educational system.
1.6 Research Justifications
Before this,
Many works and research have been done on NP as a language of wider communication in Nigeria over time. However, its impact on students should be investigated. This paper will attempt to demonstrate how the Nigerian pidgin, which was originally used as a medium of communication by a specific group of people for a specific purpose, has gradually come to be used in institutions of higher learning.
1.7 The Study’s Scope
This research will attempt to investigate the impact of Pidgin English on the University community, with a focus on students at UDU, Sokoto (300 level MELL) in order to provide detailed information on the impact of NP on the students’ performance.
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