Major language changes usually occur over centuries, but the language contact that forms pidgins results in ‘rapid language change and evolution’ (Patrick. It is mostĬommonly employed in situations such as trade, or where both groups speak languages different from the language of the country in which they reside. A pidgin, or pidgin language is a simplified version of a language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups that do not have a language in common. To support this idea he points out that in the ancient Egypt there was a trade language developed among several Hamito-Semitic languages in contact in the Nile Valley, which can be considered a pidgin. Holm (1988) considers language contact to be nearly as old as language itself.

In the case of Nigeria however, Akande (2008:37) notes that, the social linguistic reality in Nigeria today is such that Nigerian Pidgin English is spoken by university graduates, professors, lawyers and journalists. Nigerian Pidgin English used to be seen mainly as the code of the non-literate as well as a bastardization of English, therefore, was considered as indicative of academic proficiency in English. It basically uses English words mixed into Yoruba, Benin or Igbo grammar. Shaibu (2013) describes Nigerian Pidgin English as a combination of indigenous languages and English. The origin of pidgin could be traced to 1850, when it first appeared in print. The background to this study is examined from two viewpoints, which include: The History of Pidgin which also reiterates the form in which pidgin occurs, and Pidgin in the 21st Century.įundamentally, a pidgin is a simplified means of linguistic communication, as it is constructed impromptu, or by convention, between individuals or groups of people.

This Chapter will be presented in six sections: background information, statement of the problem, aim and objective, the significance of the study and the scope of the study. THE ROLE OF PIDGIN AS A MEANS OF COMMUNICATION IN UNIFYING STUDENTS

How to speak pidgin language