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Pidgin To Become A Formal Language - Culture (1) - Nairaland

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Nigerian Pidgin English And Their Meanings / Should Nigerians Be Proud Of Speaking Pidgin English? / Nigerian Pidgin Internet Slangs (1) (2) (3) (4)

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Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by blapo(m): 4:05pm On Sep 23, 2010

@Ranoscky, don't even go there, i wud love to see that day, an average English man will speak English fluently, so wud an average Nigerian speak pidgin fluently and everybody will understand each other better, all na to communicate.

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by Damysa(f): 4:09pm On Sep 23, 2010

I no fit laugh oooooh

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by Kilode?!: 4:23pm On Sep 23, 2010

There is nothing wrong with a formal recognition of pidgin, the problem is with our halfassway of doing things. We need our intellectuals to step up and codify the language efficiently so it can be formally taught.

Imho, The informal sector don do dem work, it's now up to the scholars to play their part in society, talk is cheap.

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by hercules07: 4:36pm On Sep 23, 2010

There is everything wrong with this, pidgin language corrupts the proper English, I will rather will pick Hausa, Igbo or Benin or a totally different language to pidgin, imagine giving a presentation and delving into pidgin in the middle of the presentation

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by bignaija(m): 4:37pm On Sep 23, 2010

this is kinda strange

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by kashmo: 4:39pm On Sep 23, 2010

Kilode?!:

There is nothing wrong with a formal recognition of pidgin, the problem is with our halfassway of doing things. We need our intellectuals to step up and codify the language efficiently so it can be formally taught.

Imho, The informal sector don do dem work, it's now up to the scholars to play their part in society, talk is cheap.

^^^^spot on right there! You already captured what I had in mind

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by mr.official(m): 4:57pm On Sep 23, 2010

Ranoscky:

Imagine professor Soyinka speakin pidgin english sayin: Madam i want buy groundnut, shey u get guguru?

Now you see it that way, with time all that will be forgotten. Besides, not your generation.

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by Ayowumie(m): 5:02pm On Sep 23, 2010

na so?

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by ChinenyeN(m): 5:10pm On Sep 23, 2010

Youngichou:

you are very funny. it sounds like you have been expecting this for long

Of course, naa. In ma own opinion, di tin is long ovadue sef.

hercules07:

There is everything wrong with this, pidgin language corrupts the proper English, I will rather will pick Hausa, Igbo or Benin or a totally different language to pidgin, imagine giving a presentation and delving into pidgin in the middle of the presentation

Nnaa, every yarn we get for dis world na corruption of oda corruptions. So wetin bi di problem naa?

In fact, what will it be called? If they're serious about the intention to make it a formal language, then I suggest we stop calling it "Pidgin" and start calling it something else. . . maybe say. . . sometime like "Naija Yan/Yarn". How's that?

Kilode?!:

There is nothing wrong with a formal recognition of pidgin, the problem is with our halfassway of doing things. We need our intellectuals to step up and codify the language efficiently so it can be formally taught.

Imho, The informal sector don do dem work, it's now up to the scholars to play their part in society, talk is cheap.

Thank You.

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by occam(m): 5:17pm On Sep 23, 2010

@ poster

well Pidign is already a formal language in Nigeria. we have pidgin tv/radio stations, and almost everyone speaks it; not sure exactly what you're trying to tell us

I'm a yoruba man and if i meet an ibo man on the street we speak pidgin. its more important to speak fluently and write correctly in our native languages than making pidgin the official language. I'm more concerned about declining use of yoruba language by kids. Lets get real people!

For me:
native language is Yoruba
official language is English
second or auxiliary language is pidgin

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by Gamine(f): 5:18pm On Sep 23, 2010

hercules07:

There is everything wrong with this, pidgin language corrupts the proper English, I will rather will pick Hausa, Igbo or Benin or a totally different language to pidgin, imagine giving a presentation and delving into pidgin in the middle of the presentation

Very very funny.

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by MORANO CEE(m): 5:31pm On Sep 23, 2010

Pidgin English has already gained prominence in Nigeria and you are forced to speak it under a serious situation(no matter how you pretend) or you lose something. grin

Abegi,whether you like it or not if you dont want to speak pidgin,you must hear it around you as long as you are in Nigeria! grin

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by hercules07: 5:32pm On Sep 23, 2010

The easy route is not usually the best, if our leaders want to empower our youth,, I will rather they spend more money teaching people to speak proper English than to speak the pidgin version. We bemoan our students failing their NECO papers yet we are happy about the plan to introduce a language that will further corrupt the little they know.

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by oge4real(f): 5:37pm On Sep 23, 2010

I cant imagine listening to a presidential speech in pidgin.

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by ow11(m): 6:27pm On Sep 23, 2010

If Pidgin becomes formal, does it take the place of 'Nigerian Standard English' which is not universally recognised anyway? People like Reuben Abati continue to deceive themselves that they speak British Standard English yet he uses phrases like 'naming ceremony' and words like burial instead of funeral in certain sentences.

Millions of Nigerians born in the ghetto in our major cities neither speak 'Nigerian Standard English' nor their parent's language and make do with pidgin. If this is done, It can be added to our list of National languages like the way Cape Verdians or Haitians did theirs.

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by whiteroses(f): 6:45pm On Sep 23, 2010

quote from guyman02 grin

The National Assembly should declare every wednesday as pidgin language days in their seatings. That way dem go dey yearn wetin we go quick dey understand. Allakwa, with pidgin english corruption will disappear from Naija.

Instead of saying 'the Governor of AZ state who swore an oath of allegiance to the constitution has been accused of embezzlement, looting or corruption' (which means nothing in this country), we should rather say 'the Govanor of AZ state dip hand inside our state money come thief 500 million Naira if him say na lie make e come swear to Otumokpo wey one konk juju man from Ijebu Ijesha don arrange. Grin Grin
I tell you corruption will disappear.

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by whiteroses(f): 6:48pm On Sep 23, 2010

occam:

@ poster

well Pidign is already a formal language in Nigeria. we have pidgin tv/radio stations, and almost everyone speaks it; not sure exactly what you're trying to tell us

I'm a yoruba man and if i meet an ibo man on the street we speak pidgin. its more important to speak fluently and write correctly in our native languages than making pidgin the official language. I'm more concerned about declining use of yoruba language by kids. Lets get real people!

For me:
native language is Yoruba
official language is English
second or auxiliary language is pidgin

me too jare make we yarn pidgin for naija, mothers to daughters everybody speaks pidgin!

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by Olaisrich(m): 7:03pm On Sep 23, 2010

you need to come to Ghana before you realise that Nigeria pidgin english is grade one! then you will found out the one we speak in 9ja is more closer to britico own,when you begin to hear something like:
"when me and you scattered- which means "when we departed"
"i dey inside car on road top dey come"- which means "i'm on. my way coming" an so on

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by omo_to_dun(m): 7:12pm On Sep 23, 2010

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by ndigbo: 7:48pm On Sep 23, 2010

i read sombodi dey rite say pidgin dey corrupt d origiman Ingilish yarns, dat wan na confarm lie bcus i rimemba wen i been dey primary school, i been dey yarn brokin as we dey call den, lyk say tomoro no dey but to d greatest surprise of my teachers,friends and clazz mates i dey com third in Ingilish on d average in a whole clazz. If u com jam me in inside my office and we begin yarn comfarmed gramma u go think say i jus jand. It's all about personality, i have waited so long for this news.

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by ndigbo: 7:51pm On Sep 23, 2010

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by Kilode?!: 7:53pm On Sep 23, 2010

omo_to_dun:

Oh boi. Finally he be like say my dream don dey come true. We sef for that Naija too dey try to talk like other people, especially the ones wey dey jand. Anyway, if dem come make pidgin English dey kampe by fomalizing, me think say he go good because the language go expand, evolve, and awa people go adopt the language chap chap. Make we no dey deceive awaselves; the broken English sweet no be small, ~~we sabi the rules, and we no hav to worry about sentence structure~~; na yan we go just dey yan; na flow we go just dey flow. Even sef, awa brodas and sistas in neighboring countries dey sabi the dialect. I for prefer make we get awa own African language wey every African go dey yan, but since we no dey agree on anything, me think say dis one go do right now. I just hope say no be wayo dem dey play us again.

The Strikethrough; = Wrong reason = opata = dust = Ose = Leave that side cheesy

If we don't codify if properly and ensure it is structured, there may be no point to us formalising it.

hercules07:

There is everything wrong with this, pidgin language corrupts the proper English, I will rather will pick Hausa, Igbo or Benin or a totally different language to pidgin, imagine giving a presentation and delving into pidgin in the middle of the presentation

Most contact languages corrupt "Proper English"( whatever that means), that adaptability is one of the major strength's of the English Language.

I get your point though and I agree; It will be better if we can use our own Languages; Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa. Edo, Ishan, Efik, Ijaw (I don't think there is a Country that attained the G8 status without their own culture-specific or indigenous language). It will be difficult to adopt one for everybody in Nigeria so we can make do with English, Proper or Pidgin.

Pidgin can be a more acceptable auxiliary language (occams description) but we still have to teach people to read and write it so we can make it effective, else, all this formalising business will just be another half-Bottom naija thingy.

oge4real:

I cant imagine listening to a presidential speech in pidgin.

I will PAY to listen to a presidential speech in Naija Pidgin.

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by Ikengawo: 8:11pm On Sep 23, 2010

I support this for one reason: school.

I dont speak pidgin and igbo is my second language.

i can carry a conversation in igbo but if you ask me to discuss physics in igbo i would fail miserably.

let alone LEARN about it im my second language

for nigerians who's second language is often english, i can't imagine the struggle school has to be when you have to LEARN
in your SECOND LANGUAGE. even the students that do well in school in nigeria would do exceptionally had they been taught in a language
they're more comfortable with.

the whole formal english thing is holding us back. we're not formal and were not english. hispanic students in the US face the same problem to the point that a lot of them get turned off to school.

I think we need to have this council firmly develop pidgeon to be able to tackle academic subjects as well as common ones so that students can learn in their native tongue and have a firmer grasp of the subjects.

i've seen the difference of trying to explain something to a nigerian in english as opposed to explaining it to them in pidgin or their native tongue.

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by Gamine(f): 8:17pm On Sep 23, 2010

Finally someone with my P.O.V ^^^^

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by Kx: 8:24pm On Sep 23, 2010

Why dem hammer license for pidgin radio sammer waxobia join say every comedian na distinguish fellow for pidgin langua, why pidgin no go be our lingua franca?

Who will translate the bible and quaran into pidgin language?

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by semid4lyfe(m): 8:25pm On Sep 23, 2010

Kilode?!:

There is nothing wrong with a formal recognition of pidgin, the problem is with our halfassway of doing things. We need our intellectuals to step up and codify the language efficiently so it can be formally taught.

Imho, The informal sector don do dem work, it's now up to the scholars to play their part in society, talk is cheap.

I once came across a thread in which a guy was teaching an Oyinbo or NID (can't recall which) how to speak pidgin. This guy had the pidgin broken down into tenses, nouns, verbs, pronouns etc and all the other "senrere" and he was instructing this babe as if he had a Ph.D in it. To say I was impressed will be an understatement.

I took up the guy on his "academic" mastery of it and how he was so good at teaching it and he said he has spent some time studying the language. Someone like that will be very helpful in standardizing the language and teaching it formally. Let me see if I can dig up that thread.

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by Ikengawo: 8:40pm On Sep 23, 2010

a lot of european languages have their origins in pidginized latin.

french
spanish
italian
portugese

thats why they're almost identical at times

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by Kilode?!: 8:49pm On Sep 23, 2010

@ semid4lyfe, dig it up jare.

Reminds me of Prof. Ola Rotimi, I understand he was working on a Nigerian pidgin dictionary before he died.

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by K,k(m): 8:51pm On Sep 23, 2010

nice.pidgin no go only help us rebrand/repakage naija,but e go also prevent all those gramatical mistake 4 whity lingua.

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by lonewolf: 9:05pm On Sep 23, 2010

Languages develop over time. Pidgin English is variation of English language, an amalgam of many languages. That it is being recognised is a good thing. I can't understand why people would be of the inclination that it corrupts 'proper' English. That's not a credible argument.

Anybody who knows black history will appreciate pidgin English, just as they would patois or creole. People who don't appreciate the language generally do not know their history.

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by lexzy_baba(m): 9:20pm On Sep 23, 2010

@olaisrich LMAO
mhen you're right,niggas need to come to ghana to hear the way they speak pidgin

which they assume is the best, you'll hear them say something like

"the top dey on top the table top" meaning "the top(shirt) is on the table" OR something lyk

"make i throway this guy come" meaning "let me see this guy off"

their pidgin is wake, no body go fit we 4 naija, i can't wait, WE THE BEST,
grin

Re: Pidgin To Become A Formal Language by occam(m): 9:37pm On Sep 23, 2010

if pidgin becomes one of the international language for business, you may see emails like this grin

pdgin translators will be in great demand

To: Sam Igbokuwenu
From: Charles White
Subject: Timba wood supply

Igbanu Sam,

Abeg you fit supply man pinkin 10,000 planks of timba wood by next month. Bico, yarn me when my container go arrive New York port. Reply me chap! chap!

Charles White
New York Commodity Merchant

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