samwash:


First of all Pidgin English is not a standard English, the way I speak my Pidgin English in the south, the northern finds it difficult to comprehen it a times talkless of a person from another Africa country.
Why we understand each other is because many of those Pidgin words/ slanges are coin from English language.
I may not fully understand the Pidgin English a Ghanaian is speaking but because those words are structure in English I have clues of that he's talking about.
Try listen to those Africa counties that speak English as their first language, then listen to their Pidgin English, it's entirely different from the ones we speak in Nigeria.

Cameroon and Ghana understand a lot and some Cameroonians sound like Nigerians
I think Nollywood also contributes

Sierra Leone and Liberia sound a bit similar and can understand us

UncleKoboko:
NOT REALLY...

The closest country to Nigeria in terms of similarities in pidgin English is Liberia, then Ghana.

Have you heard Sierra Leone pidgin? A lot of it would pass for Warri generic pidgin

Well know they all love it

illicit:


Actually Ekiti Dialect of Yoruba is the plainest being because it's in hinterland, not corrupted from influences from neighbouring tribes

Really? You better come to Öyö before concluding. Can you write WAEC in Ekiti dialect? This is hilarious! Ekiti kete

UncleKoboko:
NOT REALLY...
They all have a different versions of their own and it varies vastly.

Because Nollywood is very big across Africa and the world, our movies has been a great influence to many African English countries and most of them now understand and copy to speak our version of pidgin English.

The closest country to Nigeria in terms of similarities in pidgin English is Liberia, then Ghana.

Nope Cameroon and serie Leone speak better pidgin than Liberia. May be those people I encountered from the afformentioned countries learnt Nigeria pidgin English though and it is not a universal pidgin in their country.

Zupay:


Many won't, except those conversant with Afrosinema (Nollywood) which is daily aired on their local stations. I lived and attended University there, I know how often I had to explain the pidgin English I spoke to them.

Even if u tell an English speaking person from England that ' I no want problem', they will understand

Let's not forget how pidgin English started

It's a means of communication between Europeans (The British), colonial masters, slave traders (merchants) and indigenous populations

It was effective

Any English speaker that can't decipher what 'I no want problem' means is probably forming or has cognitive problem

UncleKoboko:
NOT REALLY...
They all have a different versions of their own and it varies vastly.

Because Nollywood is very big across Africa and the world, our movies has been a great influence to many African English countries and most of them now understand and copy to speak our version of pidgin English.

The closest country to Nigeria in terms of similarities in pidgin English is Liberia, then Ghana.

Pidgin in Nigeria varies
depending e.g Delta State and Edo are quite different from Rivers or even Calabar

Do not forget that a part of Cameroon= Northern Cameroon used to be part of Nigeria until 1963. They can sound Nigerian with a little efforts though use some funny words

pidgin has no real root or origin in the SW or Northern Nigeria

Yes, once a Language is not yours, you must twist some pronociation.

That is Pidgin....

airsaylongcome:


Have you heard Sierra Leone pidgin? A lot of it would pass for Warri generic pidgin

You are right though I'm the only one that Sierra Leone speak pidgin like Benin kind of pidgin. I don't know why they speak pidgin like warri and Benin people

There's pidgin variants in Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Ghana and a sparse population of Senegal.

After ours, I have a liking for that of Cameroon. It's amusing to the senses.

christejames:
Nope...




Pidgin English is the major creole language in West Africa English speaking nations. Even amongst the nations the language has so many variaties and differences. Pidgin is a mixture of a local language and foreign one, or at most 'twisted' foreign language.


So Nigerian Pidgin English is the most popular across the region and even the world due to our large export of arts and how far we travel.

Nigerian pidgin English is not a creole

The best u can say is that in the south south it's almost a Creole but not yet

ednut1:
most people in lagos cannot understand Port harcourt pidgin, why do you now think everyone in africa would Even ekiti or ondo yoruba those in ogun and lagos can’t understand all the words.

If not for internet and skit making have you heard abobi or woto woto before

that delta Benin Pigin get as e be.

No, we don't.

Hemeshemeheru:
I am curious.

Exempt West Africa. Do other regional Africa Countries understand pidgin English if spoken to them?

Edoziesmart:

You are right though I'm the only one that Sierra Leone speak pidgin like Benin kind of pidgin. I don't know why they speak pidgin like warri and Benin people

I lived with one in 2005. Omo I was shocked to my bones when he said he wasn't from Warri. I had to throw some really old school slang to which he couldn't decode before I agreed that he wasn't. Met another last year in Lagos. Same thing. In fact he says he tells anyone that asks that he is from Warri. Unless you start to drill further where in Warri. Then he knows that you are from Warri before he opens up. Take away Bini, Urhobo or Itsekiri words and their pidgin style and accent is very similar to our own

They all have their variant of pidgin english.....Ghana own be like weytin i no wan talk....Sierra Leone is close to naija pidgin

Gajagojo:
Pidgin in Nigeria varies
depending e.g Delta State and Edo are quite different from Rivers or even Calabar

Do not forget that a part of Cameroon= Northern Cameroon used to be part of Nigeria until 1963. They can sound Nigerian with a little efforts though use some funny words

pidgin has no real root or origin in the SW or Northern Nigeria

I find it really awkward when even Nigerians consistently equate "Calabar" to be a state.

You cannot list States and be mentioning Calabar as one of them, for whatever intents. Calabar is the capital of Cross River State. The state has a litany of other ethnicities. Even the Calabar itself is not dominated by the Efiks. Most of the people claiming indigenous roots in Calabar are originally from Odukpani, Akamkpa and Akpabuyo.

Pidgin is only a West African thing for some reason.

It's not hard to understand pidgin

illicit:


Nigerian pidgin English is not a creole

The best u can say is that in the south south it's almost a Creole but not yet

This is false.

Nigerian pidgin is an English-based creole.

Samantha124:
No, we don't.

If I tell you that ' I no get money'

U won't understand?

illicit:


Actually Ekiti Dialect of Yoruba is the plainest being because it's in hinterland, not corrupted from influences from neighbouring tribes

Ekiti is neighbouring to as far as Kwara and Kogi. There are Ekiti communities in Kwara state. I have friends who are 100% Ekiti but geographically placed in Kwara state.
Pure unadulterated Yoruba should lie in Oyo and Osun states

BoldBrainz:


This is false.

Nigerian pidgin is an English-based creole.

Do you know what creole means?

Lets start from there

I am very idle right now

FreeStuffsNG:
Ekiti is neighbouring to as far as Kwara and Kogi. Pure Yoruba should lie in Oyo and Osun state

Key word *plain*

Ekiti is in the Hinterland, all it's borders are surrounded by Yoruba speakers

Oyo borders Benin republic

Osun was a part of Oyo

BoldBrainz:


I find it really awkward when even Nigerians consistently equate "Calabar" to be a state.

You cannot list States and be mentioning Calabar as one of them, for whatever intents. Calabar is the capital of Cross River State. The state has a litany of other ethnicities. Even the Calabar itself is not dominated by the Efiks. Most of the people claiming indigenous roots in Calabar are originally from Odukpani, Akamkpa and Akpabuyo.

Did I say Calabar is a state? I never did In fact I never used the word state so do not take out your anger or frustration on me


There is a term "Calabar boy" that was used in the 70s if you are old enough you would know exactly what it means .

Please stop ranting

The point is there used to be a Calabar variant of pidgin similar to what is spoken in Cameroon
That would cover the Old Cross River and parts of Norhern Cameroon

All that talk of Odukpani is not relevant to that point or this thread

1Sharon:
Pidgin is only a West African thing for some reason.

It's not hard to understand pidgin

Sorry it's not

Ghana: You dey want take my money all
Nigeria: You won take all my money
Your Pidgin depends on where you come from.
Even Spanish and French get pidgen

illicit:


Do you know what creole means?

Lets start from there

I am very idle right now

Do I look to you like an idiot?

BoldBrainz:


Do I look to you like an idiot?

I have never met u

What do you mean 'English based creole'

If you know what creole means you might not define pidgin that way

ibawon:
Ghana: You dey want take my money all
Nigeria: You won take all my money
Your Pidgin depends on where you come from.
Even Spanish and French get pidgen

Thank you

There's no universal rule to Pidgin that's why its not a standard language

It is intelligible to anyone who speaks the parent language

illicit:


Patois is not pidgin, it is a Creole ( like a mother tongue)

Any body that speaks a standard variety of a language might understand it's pidgin because Most of the vocabulary of the pidgin version are from the parent stock

If u tell any English speaker that 'I no want problem'. They will understand what u mean, no matter the country

I am a Linguist

Patois is pidgin. Caribbean pidgin with differences between the Caribbean countries. Each country has its own pidgin and there might be some understanding and overlap

Gajagojo:
Did I say Calabar is a state? I never did In fact I never used the word state so do not take out your anger or frustration on me


There is a term "Calabar boy" that was used in the 70s if you are old enough you would know exactly what it means .

Please stop ranting

I am not ranting, neither am I frustrated.

You listed Delta, Edo, Rivers, then went ahead to add Calabar. Whether you attached the "State" tag to them or not is inconsequential. Any sensible reader would have figured that out already.

That's the same misconception most of you Nigerians sell out there. Soon as anyone says he's from Akwa Ibom or Cross River, you swiftly label him/her as a Calabar person.