Nigerian Pidgin

Nigerian Pidgin is spoken in Nigeria, mainly based on English pidgin and creole.

Pidgin first developed in Nigeria in the Niger Delta. The region and the whole country had a multilingual tradition as trade, travel, marriages were performed between members of different tribes and common city life to a close network of different language communities long before the arrival of European traders.

How exactly was the Nigerian Pidgin, is not fully understood. Possible the existence pidginisierter variants of Nigerian languages ​​is already at a very early stage. The emergence of the Nigerian Pidgin from one of these pidginisierten Nigerian languages ​​is likely. Pidgin in Nigeria but could also have existed parallel to the indigenous languages ​​such as Igbo. Another possibility is the influence of kriosprachigen missionaries from Sierra Leone. The predominantly English -based lexicon is probably due to the importance of trade with the Europeans who had no desire to return to learn the local languages ​​, as well as the colonial rule of England over Nigeria. Pidgin but was used, except for communication with European traders or missionaries especially Nigerians among themselves, which is why the genesis of this language is currently not fully explain.

Today, the Nigerian Pidgin is an important link between English -based pidgins and creoles of the Atlantic Ocean. In 1996 it was estimated that there were in addition to the 40 million people who have acquired the language as a second language, more than a million native speakers. It is also important that the linguistic situation in Nigeria is extremely complex, with approximately 400 languages. In addition to English, which is the official language, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba are important semi-official languages ​​and serve as Pidgin as Lingua Franca. But the Nigerian Pidgin has the advantage exceed ethnic boundaries and thus to integrate the entire population of the country.

Meanwhile, Pidgin is used in the Nigerian students outside Nigeria, especially in England, as a witty and maybe identity language amongst themselves and for their forums on the net.