TheSonOfMark:
Kelvin0 , I just saw an email notification from you. How may I be of help?

Kelvin0:


TSOM, if i State the reasons for sending u an email on this platform, then the purpose of sending it would have been defeated..

Loluores:
Lol, funny thread. But make I just use dis time take clarify some language tins for una (no mind me oh, I be real boti but make I try speak small pidgin).

Anyways though, the vocabulary of the Nigerian Pidgin is predominantly from English. A number of words come from different languages across Nigeria though, which means that you probably have some words in your own dialect you use when speaking pidgin. An Igbo person is more likely to use "Nna ehn" than anybody else. Or a Hausa would say "dat one, ba?" Warri will say "Guy kpom, I hol bar, mek we just va go lanson."... don't ask me what that last sentence means oh

Some other words were introduced into pidgin from other languages like Portuguese, Dutch, French, even from Saõ Tomé, way back when the language was developing during like 5 or 6 centuries from now due to contact with different people that landed on our shores from Lagos to Warri (I hail una oh, the headquarters of Pidgin ) to PH to Calabar. The origin of some of them is quite interesting:

Pikin is from Portuguese peqeño (little, small, little kid)

Va or Vamoose is probably from Spanish (or should I say Portuguese, I'm not so sure) ¡Va! or ¡Vamos! (go, let's go)

Boku is from French beaucoup ((very) much/many)

Sabi is from Portuguese saber (to know)

The older pidgin word palaver is probably related to Spanish palabra and the Latin parabola (word, story, parable)

The words yeye and kuku (or kukuma) in pidgin are of Yoruba origin, that is undisputable. It's a wonder you guys even debated that one at all. At least, the way yeye is pronounced is phonologically close to Yoruba.

The Yoruba word yẹ̀yẹ́ is a noun which is sometimes used as an adjective to qualify other nouns. It means unseriousness or frivolous amusement. It could also be derogatory, with meanings like nonsense, rubbish, useless, silly/ridiculous. It's definitely not the same word that you find in some Yoruba names nah, how will that even be possible? The tone marking is different as you can see in a name like Adéyẹyè which is from Adé yẹ oyè as someone has already explained above.
The argument that yeye is from an Igbo word eyiye that looks like it has a similar meaning to the Yoruba word yẹ̀yẹ́ easily lends fuel to our tendencies in Nigeria here to start stupid tribalistic I-claim-dis I-claim-dat fights. There's no point in doing that. I don't speak the Igbo language. But it's a well known fact that both languages are linguistically related. A number of words in both languages are cognates; they are related. Such as the word for cat (olóńgbò, ólógbo), or the sentence "I am in the house", in both languages: "M nọ̀ nímé ụ́lọ̀" = "Mo wà nínú ilé". Whether yẹ̀yẹ́ and eyiye are indeed cognates is for the linguistics scholars to confirm, I simply don't know.

Kúkú is what is called a pre-verbal adverb in Yoruba, which is an adverb that is located before the main verb. Other Yoruba examples include tètè (early, quickly), ṣẹ̀ṣẹ̀ (just (with reference to time)) and kọ́kọ́ ((at) first). See how these words have two identical syllables just like kúkú has. Kúkú doesn't have one single meaning. Some of its meanings include: rather, anyway, indeed, just (not referring to time in this case), even, etc... depending on context. It has more or less the same meanings in pidgin.

Una is straight from the Igbo second-person plural subject or object pronoun únù, meaning you (all), no need to even debate that one.

Palaver:
u called me

Loluores:


Lol, omo I no know say I call you oh... but at least you don know the place where your name from derive nah


Acshually, to correct my analysis, e be like say palaver na from the Portuguese version palavra (with 'v') instead of the Spanish one with 'b', dat suppose dey more accurate historically.

Loluores:
Lol, funny thread. But make I just use dis time take clarify some language tins for una (no mind me oh, I be real boti but make I try speak small pidgin).

Anyways though, the vocabulary of the Nigerian Pidgin is predominantly from English. A number of words come from different languages across Nigeria though, which means that you probably have some words in your own dialect you use when speaking pidgin. An Igbo person is more likely to use "Nna ehn" than anybody else. Or a Hausa would say "dat one, ba?" Warri will say "Guy kpom, I hol bar, mek we just va go lanson."... don't ask me what that last sentence means oh

Some other words were introduced into pidgin from other languages like Portuguese, Dutch, French, even from Saõ Tomé, way back when the language was developing during like 5 or 6 centuries from now due to contact with different people that landed on our shores from Lagos to Warri (I hail una oh, the headquarters of Pidgin ) to PH to Calabar. The origin of some of them is quite interesting:

Pikin is from Portuguese peqeño (little, small, little kid)

Va or Vamoose is probably from Spanish (or should I say Portuguese, I'm not so sure) ¡Va! or ¡Vamos! (go, let's go)

Boku is from French beaucoup ((very) much/many)

Sabi is from Portuguese saber (to know)

The older pidgin word palaver is probably related to Spanish palabra and the Latin parabola (word, story, parable)

The words yeye and kuku (or kukuma) in pidgin are of Yoruba origin, that is undisputable. It's a wonder you guys even debated that one at all. At least, the way yeye is pronounced is phonologically close to Yoruba.

The Yoruba word yẹ̀yẹ́ is a noun which is sometimes used as an adjective to qualify other nouns. It means unseriousness or frivolous amusement. It could also be derogatory, with meanings like nonsense, rubbish, useless, silly/ridiculous. It's definitely not the same word that you find in some Yoruba names nah, how will that even be possible? The tone marking is different as you can see in a name like Adéyẹyè which is from Adé yẹ oyè as someone has already explained above.
The argument that yeye is from an Igbo word eyiye that looks like it has a similar meaning to the Yoruba word yẹ̀yẹ́ easily lends fuel to our tendencies in Nigeria here to start stupid tribalistic I-claim-dis I-claim-dat fights. There's no point in doing that. I don't speak the Igbo language. But it's a well known fact that both languages are linguistically related. A number of words in both languages are cognates; they are related. Such as the word for cat (olóńgbò, ólógbo), or the sentence "I am in the house", in both languages: "M nọ̀ nímé ụ́lọ̀" = "Mo wà nínú ilé". Whether yẹ̀yẹ́ and eyiye are indeed cognates is for the linguistics scholars to confirm, I simply don't know.

Kúkú is what is called a pre-verbal adverb in Yoruba, which is an adverb that is located before the main verb. Other Yoruba examples include tètè (early, quickly), ṣẹ̀ṣẹ̀ (just (with reference to time)) and kọ́kọ́ ((at) first). See how these words have two identical syllables just like kúkú has. Kúkú doesn't have one single meaning. Some of its meanings include: rather, anyway, indeed, just (not referring to time in this case), even, etc... depending on context. It has more or less the same meanings in pidgin.

Una is straight from the Igbo second-person plural subject or object pronoun únù, meaning you (all), no need to even debate that one.