Is anyone privy to the origins of pidgin English and why almost everyone in Nigeria and even English speaking West African countries can speak and understand some form of pidgin English?
my guess is the language was perpetuated by Africans who returned to the African shores from the hand of the slave masters in the Americas. to be honest this was not an original thought. i picked it up after reading the book; "A long way gone" by Ishmeal Beah. it been a while since i read the book, but i believe Ishmeal mentioned the Africans who returned called the new language Krio (which is basically pidgin English in Nigeria).

Thanks!

Origin Of Pidgin English
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