Have you ever wondered about the falling standard of the English Langauge in Nigeria. In schools, TV, churches and even on radio standards have fallen beyond redemption. There seems to be the Nigerian version of the mall English. How would non- Nigerians understand us? Is the "Niglenglish" evolving?

Shay?
Abi?
Leave me jare!
O sha mo?
As in you know sha?

I too think it's sad.

I think pidgin is terrible, but some people seem to love it.

It's called spicing up English However, you don't speak that way with non- Nigerians who don't use such language spices

Don't be unnecessarily bothered

and so what?whats the big deal in that/
what will you say about the terrible state of nigerian languages in europe and america?
abeg leave matter oyinbo no be our language,
if oyinbo no fit speak my language why should i kill myseslf because of his own,
TABON MEN,
[b]GBUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA[/b]

I think pidgin english is the best language on earth, notthing better than it, however, i am not saying it is an excuse for people not to use teh right english, but pidgin is so kool, so oyinbo fallig for it when i dey speak am with my guys for chuch, i beg, nija got it going on jare

$$Rhino:

I think pidgin english is the best language on earth, notthing better than it, however, i am not saying it is an excuse for people not to use the right english, but pidgin is so kool, so oyinbo fallig for it when i dey speak am with my guys for chuch, i beg, nija got it going on jare

100% true! lol, u should see my White frends, when me\masis or ma Nigerian frends are speaking pidgin-----
they think it's really cool anywayz----n acctually want us to teach them. lol

i luv that language 4 life men!! u just need to know d two

So sad that many nigerians wanna learn how to speak patoa ( jamaican) and yet we are here condeming pidgin, meanwhile Patoa is nothing but pidgin english, even in some nigerian movies, all the " yeah maan" that is being spoken in those movies, are those english? we need to start appreciating what is our and hold it dear to heart, like i said, it is not an excuse to speak lousy english.
This is one of the reasons why nigeria will always be better than ghana, there are some of them that cant speak english and cant even speak english, so they are roasted as they cant communicate with anyone than in their Yoruba language.
I beg make una leave my pidgin alone, nija on top 4ever

$$Rhino:


This is one of the reasons why nigeria will always be better than ghana

I don't agree but I'll just let it pass

tnaidaR:

I don't agree but I'll just let it pass

why you no go gree?abi you be kofi from ghana?

TnaidaR, trust me on that one, there is one guy that is so hillarious in ghana movies, but to watch him, i have to be with some ghanian friends who have to tell me what he says, if such guy could speak pidgin, would have been so nice, i could be able to enjoy him at my own free time, dont get me wrong, i am not trying to put down ghanians oh, although, we are superior now, in everything, except they are more lawful than Nija

$$Rhino:

there is one guy that is so hillarious in ghana movies, but to watch him, i have to be with some ghanian friends who have to tell me what he says,

But you can understand what the other GHANAIAN friends speak? Can't you see the irony in your judgment?

Do you think foreigners understand what Nkem Owoh and some others speak in the movies? Even me as a Nigerian barely understand some Nigerians sometimes.
Just say we Nigerians are used to the way we speak just like Ghanaians are used to the way they speak too. Makes any sense?

Pidgin, any where any day, any time!

Lord have mercy. This is why Naija won't go forward.

People clap and hoot when someone says "Why you no go gree" and actually consider it to be a cultural accomplishment. So sad, so tragic.

Pidgin English MAY be ok when speaking to folk you're close to, but it DOES tend to dilute every day English, when conversing with even someone you're having a job interview with! The same goes for "text writing" - ok to use on your phone, where space may be limited, but not in an email, or official letter.

@ iya aje: As for Nigerian languages being spoken world wide, it won't happen. Not many African languages are universal, but English definitely is. No one's asking you to kill yourself speaking English either, if you don't want to speak it, then don't. Just speak your native language, and be happy with it.

I'll stick with English.

its too bad that even university graduates cant speak good english, too bad

titialli2:

its too bad that even university graduates can't speak good english, too bad

Seconded

Importance of a standard grammatically correct English cannot be overemphasized in formal settings, but the role of pidgin as naija quasi lingua franca also deserves a special mention.

Thank God for pidgin; the Yoruba can talk to Igbo, to Hausa, Tiv, Ijaw, Fulani, Igbira, Ibibio, and vice versa. Until we evolve a national language, I beg make una leave pidgin alone-o-o-o.

naijaking1:

Importance of a standard grammatically correct English cannot be overemphasized in formal settings, but the role of pidgin as naija quasi lingua franca also deserves a special mention.

Thank God for pidgin; the Yoruba can talk to Igbo, to Hausa, Tiv, Ijaw, Fulani, Igbira, Ibibio, and vice versa. Until we evolve a national language, I beg make una leave pidgin alone-o-o-o.

seconded,
every country has its own slangs,
"shay?
Abi?
Leave me jare!
O sha mo?
As in you know sha?", are not exactly derogatory,

Why are you guys like criticizing pidgin English? Isn't it like the greatest language in like the whooooole world? I hope you guys can like see that pidgin is great for like lay conversation and stuff but has no place in like a formal environment.

That is how my young American colleagues assault the English language on a daily basis. Check out this link. Proof that English is in danger the world over! It's a smart, pretty, young American beauty pageant contestant attempting to answer a simple question.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww

Temmie, you don reach here?

I think both languages serve useful purposes.I served in the South-East and I was able to communicate with everyone including kids ,the illiterate ,and the aged via Pidgin English,I went to some of their villages and I had no communication problem. If it was in a village in Soth west there would have been a problem.But people are allowing it to override proper English in formal settings which is wrong.Bottomline, know when to use both.

u guys should try and hear Australians and Asians speak english, and you wouldnt bother about Nigerian English

Game over:

in as much as i will agree that English is In a terrible state in ( the just concluded GUS 4 testifies to that) i will also like to add that it (English) suffers a worse fate in China, Japan and even some European countries; Sweden , Macedonia, even Germany and France. Most of these nationals can not even write their name in English.[/QUOTE]
Big difference here. English is the official language of Nigeria. It is NOT the official language of Germany, France, China, Japan or Sweden. So really, if they even can speak English, that's a testament to their desire to learn.

Nigerians however are taught English in school from the beginning and their laws are in English.
[QUOTE]
for me I still believe Pigin English is very intresting, if we become proud of it we can even make it an international language afterall it is not worse than Jamaican version of the English (Jah raster fara. respet muan)
I will also disagree with those who say that pigin affects our English speaking ability negative; people like RMD speak good English, or at least not too bad English, but if u see where this bobo dey blow grama for country man language you go fear naa.

so its just a matter of knowing the distinction

The problem is, MANY people cannot make that distinction and the pidgin spills over into the regular English. And even though Jamaicans have their Patois, they still haven't replaced English as the country's official language. You don't hear Americans talking about spreading Ebonics and making it an international language. What nonsense.

naijaking1:

Importance of a standard grammatically correct English cannot be overemphasized in formal settings, but the role of pidgin as naija quasi lingua franca also deserves a special mention.

Thank God for pidgin; the Yoruba can talk to Igbo, to Hausa, Tiv, Ijaw, Fulani, Igbira, Ibibio, and vice versa. Until we evolve a national language, I beg make una leave pidgin alone-o-o-o.

But English can serve as the lingua franca, which was the whole point of installing it as the official language. Just as it connects the Nigerian, to the Ghanaian, the Gambian, the Zimbabwean, the South African and so on and on.

Pidgin was born out of illiteracy, miscommunication and uneducation. Now Naija wants to put that on a pedestal and beats its chest? Shame.

In as much as  ENGLISH lang is recognised as a global lang, e no sweet reach our pidgin english. If u sabi speak pidgin english well ehen, u no go even like oyinbo lang sef. Maybe when u don tire to dey knack phonetic gbese, u go resort to pidgin to ease off d twisting of tongue nd mouth.
Generally, pidgin english is cool nd many other countries have their own pidgin lang, i never hear dem dey talk abt annihilating such languages. Abeg make we dey value d things wey God give us, we go emulate white people die?
However, the importance of a perfect grammatical expertise cannot be overemphasized when communicating with people outside your social circle(frds nd relatives).

if u go blow grammer, them go think say u dey form. aldultrated English don kill naija.

You can know correct grammar and know pidgin very well. It's very possible. Don't know what you guys are yelling about.

If you don't know proper English better admit it and stop blaming my dear pidgin

Riff-Raff:

if u go blow grammer, them go think say u dey form. aldultrated English don kill naija.

You weh deh talk, it's gramm[b]a[/b]r and not gramm[b]e[/b]r

no be our fault my brother. . . English is only our second language

hey,i want to believe that all the countries have their own pi-gin language, e.g Newcastle speak doges. please let celebrate pi-gin because is our own and every body loves it.

so dey speak am dey go

blakky:

hey,i want to believe that all the countries have their own pi-gin language, e.g Newcastle speak doges. please let celebrate pi-gin because is our own and every body loves it.

so dey speak am dey go

Na So I LOVE NAIJA

what about terrible state of igbo language in Britain? just be proud of your own young man