CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Nigeria is a multilingual country with four hundred indigenous languages,

out of which three are regarded as major ones, namely: Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba,

representing the three major geo-political zones - North, East and South

respectively. The term pidgin is used to refer to a language which develops in a

situation where speakers of different languages have a need to communicate but do

not share a common language. Once a pidgin has emerged, it is generally learned

as a second language and used for communication among people who speak

different languages.

Language is the most creative and unlimited instrument for social

communication and it helps us to understand the deep seated social relevance,

culture involvement and the human relatedness of language. Having said this, we

can therefore agree that pidgin is a language of its own and not just a

supplementary tongue as some people see it, since it serves as an unlimited

instrument of social communication especially in a multilingual society like

Nigeria.

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 Stakeholders in education have adduced many other factors for student’s

unsatisfactory performance in English language. But one crucial factor which

contributes to this dismal performance of students in the language is a linguistic

problem, which unfortunately is obvious, but is yet to receive concerted efforts to

solve.

Bamgbose (2013) asserts that ‘a major problem with the educational system

of most African States is educational failure, which may be traced to the language

of instruction.’ Though a large percentage of students in Nigeria learn English as a

second language and are instructed in it, the Nigerian pidgin seems to interfere

with their acquisition of the language and their performance in it much more than

their mother tongues. The interference of the pidgin contributes in no small

measure to the dismal performance of students in the language.

Pidgin historically begins, as Quirk et. al. (1985:28) observe as simply a

language marked by traditional interference used chiefly by the prosperous and

privileged sections of a community, represented by the unskilled and illiterate class

of the society.

This situation is however not so with the Nigerian Pidgin English (NPE). It

is quite interesting to note that what actually started as a contingency language

between the white merchants, who later turned colonial masters, and their black

2
traders has now become an elitist campus language-spoken among the teeming

population of the Nigerian students in higher institutions of learning. Thus, at

common rooms, kiosks, gossip centres, viewing centres, play grounds, rally

grounds, relaxation joints, movie grounds and a host of other meeting points where

and when students are relieved of their academic routines, they are seen interacting

lively in Nigerian Pidgin English (NPE).

This cannot be said of Nigerian Pidgin - even though it is a language

because various attempts have been made by different factions to eradicate the use

of Nigerian Pidgin English. These attempts have however been unsuccessful

because of the significant value the language has to its users. It is a language that

has brought people together in spite of their differences in ancestral culture and

language by creating a local culture for itself which blends ideas from different

cultures. Moreover, this use of Pidgin as a lingua Franca affects many Nigerians in

academic careers, especially, those students that come from the environments

where it is spoken.

Some view it as a variety of English, while others see it as a distinct

language. A look at the structure of Nigerian pidgin (NP) portrays that it has

structures and patterns of behaviour of its own. Though at its initial stage, NP was

considered the language of those who could not speak good English, but many

know better now. It is therefore, no wonder that it is not only used by

3
undergraduates in Nigerian universities during conversation with the uneducated

public, but it has become a fascinating medium of casual exchange among students

themselves.

It is against this background the researcher seeks to carry out a study on the

effects of Nigeria Pidgin English on university students’ academic performance.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Linton (1982) states that "the culture of a society is the way of life of its

members, the collection of ideas and habits which they learn, share and transmit

from generation to generation". These cultures, ideas and habits can only be

transmitted from generation to generation through language. In Linguistics, every

language is considered adequate to represent the communicative needs of its

people as such should not be made to suffer any biases.

It is very important to note that what actually started as an unplanned and

intentional language between the white merchants, to ease communication with the

natives has now become the superior and most choosed and seemingly “suitable”

campus language" spoken among the teeming population of the Nigerian students

in higher institutions of learning, thereby overlapping the standard English to such

an extent that the students’ competence is impaired. Thus, the researcher seeks to

4
find out the causes, effects and solution to the dominated force of Pidgin English

on university students as it adversely influences their academic performance.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The study seeks to find out the effects of Nigeria Pidgin English language on

the academic performance of university students in Nigeria. Specifically, the study

seeks to:

1. Find out the reasons why students in university of Abuja speak Nigeria

Pidgin English more

2. Discover the effects of the Nigeria Pidgin English Language on the

academic performance of students in university of Abuja

3. Determine solutions to the consequences of Nigeria Pidgin English language

on the academic performance of students in university of Abuja.

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions were formulated to guide the study

1. What are the reasons why students in university of Abuja speak Nigeria

Pidgin English more?

2. What are the effects of the Nigeria Pidgin English Language on the

academic performance of students in university of Abuja?

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 3. What are the solutions to the consequences of Nigeria Pidgin English

language on the academic performance of students in university of Abuja?

1.5 Significance of the Study

This study would be of great significance to major stakeholders of

education: policy makers, administrators, lecturers, parents/guardians, students and

other researchers.

This study would benefit the policy makers in that it helps them understand

the adverse effect of NPE on students academic performance in Nigerian

Universities; it helps them establish accurate laws that would help curb this and

also this study would open them up to monitor their rules and ensure that it is well

implemented.

Furthermore, this study would benefit the administrators in that it helps them

implement strategies in basic and several levels of the university segment in order

to curb this act to a large extent; no administrator wants to produce students that

are non-eloquent bearing in mind that NPE is a major factor that can hamper the

oratory skills of students.

Also, this study would be of great benefit to the lecturers; lots of students

make the mistake of writing Pidgin English in exams, tests and assignments; this

affects their grades adversely; however this study would suggest several
6
management strategies or measures that can be adopted by lecturers to ensure that

this act is reduced to the bearest minimum from university students which would in

a sense boost their academic performance.

Morealso, the study would be of immense benefit to the students as it would

open them up to the dangerous effects of Nigeria Pidgin English on their academic

performance; this study would also expose them to practical ways in which they

can manage this and duely come out of it so as to set them on a plain of constant

excellence in their various field especially those that have to do with public

speaking and presentations, writing etc.

1.6 Scope and Delimitation

This study is limited to investigating on the effects of Nigeria Pidgin English

language on the academic performance of University students in Nigeria; due to

time factors, financial constraints, distance and other academic commitment of the

researcher, the study is limited to University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria as a case

study.

1.7 Operational Definition of Terms

Effect:refers to the power to affect or have an influence on something

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Nigeria Pidgin English:mixture of an European language with a local language

and is spoken as a first language.

Academic Performance: simply means the outcome of the educational goals that

are achieved by the students. It is a measurement in terms of specific and desirable

results in examinations.

1.8 Abbreviation

NPE: Nigeria Pidgin English

NP: Nigeria Pidgin

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 CHAPTER TWO

2.0 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 Introduction

This chapter review relevant literature; it discusses the origin of pidgin,

features of the Nigerian pidgin, attitudes to NPE in Nigeria and summary.

2.2 Conceptual Framework

2.2.1 Nigerian Pidgin English

Nigerian pidgin is a term used to denote an English based pidgin; a marginal

language used among Nigerians to facilitate communication needs in certain

interaction contexts. Like any other pidgin language in other cultural climes where

the language is not native to its users, Nigerian pidgin is contact language that

emerged from the fusion of indigenous languages and foreign language (English).

Supporting this view, Elugbe and Omamor (1991), in their attempt to define

pidgin, see it as “some kind of a marginal language that arises to fulfill specific

communication needs in well-defined circumstances.”

The above definition shows that pidgin is not an official language, but a

marginal language used for communication especially by people who do not speak

each other’s language. Writing further, Elugbe and Omamor, quoting Hall (1966),

9
stated two conditions for a language to be qualified as pidgin. In their submission,

for a language to be pidgin, “Its grammatical structure and its vocabulary must be

sharply reduced; secondly, the resultant language must be native to none of those

who use it” (Elugbe and Omamor, 1991). In consonance with the above position,

Rickford (1998) said: A pidgin usually combines elements of the native language

of its users and is typically simpler than those native languages in so far as it has

fewer words, less morphology, and a more restricted range of phonological and

syntactic options.

Rickford’s excerpt to some extent is contextually applicable to Nigerian

pidgin in the sense that its phonological, morphological and grammatical structures

are basically restricted compared to any other standard language. In addition to

this, its social communicative functions are usually limited to the verbal and

informal settings. Though scholars like Rickford (1998) are of the view that “a

pidgin is sharply restricted in social role, used for limited communication between

speakers of two or more languages who have repeated or extended contacts with

each other, for instance through trade, enslavement or migration,” such position on

pidgin is not generally applicable to all pidgins.

The sociolinguistic reality in Nigeria today reveals that Nigerian pidgin is

not used only in informal settings, but also in other formal settings (Akande, 2008).

There are quite a number of negative perceptions of Nigerian pidgin. Such

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perceptions have culminated in a string of derogatory definition of Nigerian pidgin

as a mark of bastardization of English. Nigerian pidgin has come to be understood

as: ‘adulterated language,’ ‘an inferior language,’ ‘substandard and lesser

language,’ ‘a deviated language form,’ ‘a marginal language,’ ‘a bad language,’ ‘a

language with no history and no native,’ among others. Also, it is seen as a

language used by the uneducated and above all, less important language. These

derogatory qualifications probably inform the reason why its use in the past was

limited to jokes, cartoons, and entertainment in general. It is probably because of

the biases above that its functions have been restricted to the verbal forms of

communication alone.

It has equally been seen as the language of slaves of heterogeneous

backgrounds who came together to the plantations and had to communicate among

themselves. In view of all these appellations, could we still say that Nigerian

pidgin has a future prospect? Perhaps, before providing answer to this question, we

should ask, what is the historical genesis of Nigerian Pidgin? The origin of pidgin

generally is not very clear; though a lot of scholarly speculations be referred to. A

source has it that ‘Pidgin’ (especially in West Africa) arose from the contact

between the Chinese and the European traders and such was a mispronunciation of

the word “business” by the Chinese (Naro, 1973).

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 Another account has it that it came from the Portuguese word

‘OCUPACIAO,’ which means ‘occupation.’ Pidgin is also said to resemble or

closely related to a Hebrew word Pidjom which means ‘barter’ (Rickford, 1998). It

is of particular interest to note that pidgin has to do with trade or business, contact

or migration between two hetero-cultural sets of people. In the Nigerian context,

colonization is a key historical factor responsible for the emergence of Nigerian

Pidgin. Nigerian Pidgin can be historically traced to the trade contact between the

British and local people in the seventeenth century. According to Illah (2001),

Nigerian Pidgin was developed from the negative attitude of the European colonial

masters who felt they could not allow their colonized people-Nigerians to speak

the same language with them. In other words, Nigerian pidgin was a product of the

inferiority attitude the colonizers had towards the colonized. Owing to the

historical contact of Europeans and the Africans, the language of the former

became prominent among the latter, though the correct usage of the English

language of the colonizers by their colonized did not witness complete success.

The resultant effect of their attempt to catch up with the new and prominent

language gave rise to broken English.

This is the foundational developmental stage of Nigerian pidgin. But as a

result of diachronic development over the years, the features, lexico semantics and

syntactic of Nigerian Pidgin began to emanate and got documented. This stage

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marks the departing line of Nigerian Pidgin from broken English (Faraclas, 1996).

Elugbe and Omamor make distinction between Nigerian Pidgin and Broken

English, and Special English or deliberately incorrect English (Bamgbose, 1995;

Igboanusi, 2001). Broken English, on the one hand, is the type spoken as a result of

inadequate mastering of standard English Language by non-native speakers of the

language. It is different from Nigerian Pidgin. Special English, on the other hand is

the type that is spoken with a deliberate attempt to manipulate the rules of English.

It is used in most cases to create humour. Such is associated with characters like

Zebrudaya of the television Soap Operas ‘Masquerade’. Elugbe and Omamor

(1990) refers to this form as a ‘Pseudo Pidgin.’

However, Nigerian Pidgin was denied, disallowed and rejected by the

Europeans as official and proper English language, especially within the realms of

education, administration and politics. Illah therefore concluded that it was the

inferiority presuppositions of the Europeans towards their colonized that made

them not to accept the colonized pidgin or respect the colonized. Illah’s position

can be substantiated with some relevant theories on the origin of pidgin language.

Baby talk theory, for instance, sees pidgin originating from a similar effort, which

a child has when s/he is trying to master a language.

It is claimed that in doing this, the child will first master the content words

as opposed to the functional words (Hall, 1966). Baby talk theory shows the
13
attempt of Nigerians at speaking their superiors’ language, which resulted in their

getting the less superior form of the language. This theory may after all not be a

plausible explanation to account for the history/origin of Nigerian pidgin. For one,

the theory takes pidgin language to be an incorrect language subject to

modification and as an actual language-in-making process. However, contrary to

this perception, the language as experientially used by its adherents is neither

meant to satisfy modification purposes nor re-modification essences. But rather, it

is an established language. There is also Independent Parallel Development

Theory. This theory is rooted in the notion that languages are having a common

ancestor of Indo-Europeans because they share some similarities. Likewise, it is

noted that because some pidgins share some common features, they can, therefore,

be traced to a common ancestors of Indo-European language. Also, most of their

speakers are drawn from West Africans who share many things in common. This

theory has been faulted by its attempt to ‘overstress’ the similarities that exist

among different pidgins of West Africa and more importantly, it has been noted

that some pidgins are not based on European languages.

For example, scholars like Banjo (1996) have totally rejected Nigerian

pidgin being classified under the Indo-European languages. He would rather

classify Nigeria pidgin alongside the indigenous languages of Nigeria. Banjo has

also refuted the claim that Nigerian pidgin is a dialect of English, though he does

14
not deny the fact that they are related in many ways, especially in terms of their

importance. But a more fundamental factor in tracing the origin and necessity of

Nigerian pidgin is the linguistic ecology of Nigeria. Akande and Salami (2010)

have underscored and documented this. According to them, Nigeria is a highly

multilingual and multi-ethnic setting with ancestral language ranging between 400

and 500. Only three out of these languages are recognized as major languages:

Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, while the rest are regarded as minor languages (for

example, Igede, Egun, Angas, Kamuku, etc.).

The classification of Nigerian languages into major and minor is based on

factors including, politics, geographical spread and numerical strength. On the

basis of numerical strength and geographical spread, each of the major languages is

spoken by well over 18 million people in the country and is spoken in at least five

states of the federation (Akande and Salami, 2010). But for the minor languages,

none has such numerical strength or has geographical spread in more than one or

two states out of the 36 states making up the Nigerian state including Abuja, the

capital.

The Nigerian linguistic reality is therefore such that the majority of speakers

of minor languages tend to learn one of the major languages (sometimes in

addition to English), especially the language that is dominant in where they live or

work. For majority of those who speak any (or all) of the major languages as their
15
native language, they also acquire English, Nigerian Pidgin English or another

language of the country (Akande and Salami, 2010). Therefore, the vast majority

of Nigerians are bilingual (Akindele and Adegbite, 1999), and for many of these

bilinguals, Nigerian pidgin is one of their languages. It is a language that cuts

across different ethnic and regional boundaries; it is not native but a language that

emerged as a consequence of the necessity of inter-intraethnic and regional

communications.

It is important at this juncture to make some clarifications concerning the

developmental stages of language. Such an analysis, we believe, will enable us

understand better the origin as well as the lingua status of Nigerian pidgin. The

developmental stages of language have been recognized to include: Sole Official

(SO) language for example, French in France; Joint Official (JO) language co-

equal with at least one other for example, English and French in Cameroon,

German, Italian, Romanian in Switzerland; English, Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo in

Nigeria; Regional Official (RO) language, for example, Yoruba in Southern

Nigeria, Ibo in Eastern Nigeria, Hausa in Northern Nigeria; Promoted Language

(PL), lacking in official status but made use of by government agencies for

example, Wape in Cameroon.

Though this language is not official, it is an important medium of

communication between the government and the citizens particularly in face-to-

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face encounters and radio programmes on community development, health

agriculture and so forth. Lastly we have toleration language (TL) which existence

is recognized but ignored. Nigerian Pidgin language can be regarded as both

Promoted Language (PL) and Tolerance Language (TL) based on the features

described above. The ability and extent to which a society can accommodate and

experiment pidgin language shows the level of development such a country has

attained (Mafeni, 1971). Also, any seemingly developed language today has got its

own process of development. Nigerian Pidgin has not been assigned any official

recognition in the language policy of the country, but it is inadvertently recognized

even by the various federating unit of the Nigerian State. It has been the dominant

language of public broadcast, jingles and orientation as well as information in

social media.

Deuber (2005) notes this in his remark that: Although, a major lingua franca,

it has no official recognition; even without any policy statements, it performs a

growing range of functions, including, for example, that of a medium of public

broadcasting, but no efforts have been made to develop it in order for it to be able

to cope with these functions, as has been done for the major and to some extent

also for minor indigenous languages. In a way, we can say that Nigerian pidgin is a

toleration language because its existence is publicly recognized but only officially

ignored. In the words of Akande and Salami (2010): Lately the government has

17
come to recognize the vital role that NPE (Nigerian Pidgin English) plays in

helping to get close to the masses.

Jingles, posters, stickers and government campaigns for national awareness

and mutual co-existence are now prepared in NPE and broadcast in the same

languages. Nigerian Pidgin is a promoted language as well because it reflects

national identity in Nigeria through its use in the propagation of national ideas,

values, political and socioeconomic development peace and unity. Because

virtually every class and creed identify with it Akande says Nigerian Pidgin is “a

marker of identity and solidarity. It is an inter-ethnic code available to Nigerians,

who have no other common language” (Akande, 2008). Each of the 250 or more

ethnic groups in Nigeria can communicate in this language, though they usually

have their own additional words. For example, the Igbos added the word, "Nna" at

the beginning of some sentences to add effect to the meaning of their sentence. For

example, "that test was hard" becomes "Nna men, dat test hard no be small".

This same additional effect can be found among the Yorùbás, who normally

added the words 'Şe' and 'Abi' to their own dialect of Nigerian Pidgin. Such native

words are often used at the start or end of an intonated sentence or question. For

example, "You are coming, right?" becomes "Şe you dey come?" or "You dey

come abi?" (http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com).

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2.2.2 Concept of Academic Performance

In educational institutions, success is measured by academic performance, or

how well a student meets standards set out by government and the institution itself

(Bell, 2014). Also, academic performance generally refers to how well students are

accomplishing his or her tasks and studies. Although education is not the only read

to success in the working world, much effort is made to identify, evaluate, track

and encourage the progress of students’ in schools. Certainly, the most well known

indicator of academic performance is grade of achievement. Grades are the

students’ score for their classes and overall tenure in the school.

Performance is also a construct which looks 'broadly at the students’

outcome. This includes achievement in the various examinations attitude, conduct

and relationship with school mates and teachers. Olabanji (1998) cited by

Ezeaneche (2016) described students’ academic performance as the result obtained

creditably or otherwise by university students basically at internal level. Therefore,

students’ academic performance could be seen as the actual performance of

students’ on academic subjects and basic learning.

Students’ academic performance is largely determined by what the teacher

does in the classroom. Although, students’ performance like the teachers

performance is also conditioned by the motivation given to them in the appropriate

19
environment, special services and others which can provide favourable learning

experience must be directed by competent teachers (Oluremi, 2013).

2.3 The Origin of Pidgin

Opinions differ on the etymological genesis of the word pidgin. Edwards

(1994) firsttraced the word to Portuguese ocupacao- which means business or

pequeno- babytalk-orsimply baby. He said the word could as well be linked to the

Amerindian pidian- whichmeans people. He reported that some scholars claim that

the word originated from HebrewPidgin or pigeon- which means barter or a bird,

respectively. Hence, from the foregoingvarying conceptual opinions, Edwards

(1994:42) defines pidgin as a baby-like and rathersuperficial repetitions associated

with trade communication (Edwards 1994:42).

Holmes refutes the assertion and claims that pidgins are real languages not

baby talk,because they are used for serious purposes (p. 81). Decamp (1987:175)

describes pidgin as anincidental communicative language within a multilingual

setting which is the native languageof nobody. Its vocabulary according to

Decamp, is donated by the socio-politically dominantlanguage in the original

contact situation, most especially, with the European imperialists.

Pidgin is therefore an amalgam of the main, foreign or superstrate language

and theindigenous or substrate language. Stockwell (2002) observes that because

of theoverwhelming colonial expansion of the British imperial power, around a

20
quarter of allpidgins and Creoles have English as element (p.18).Quirk et. al.

acknowledge that unlike the Creole, pidgin is used to replace the nativelanguage in

a micro-speech community. This implies that pidgins are restricted to a

fewpractical issues or events. Holmes also agrees that pidgins are spoken more for

an effectivethan referential purpose. They evolved to serve a narrow range of

functions in a veryrestricted set of domains (p. 84).

Pidgins are of considerable interest to sociolinguists because of the influence

which thesociety exerts on their forms and functions. Hudson (1990: 62) confirms:

Each pidgin is of course specially constructed to suit the need

ofits users which means that it has to have the terminology

andconstructions needed in whatever kind of context.

The simplicity and resilience of pidgin are always perceived differently by

people. Thepositivists (e.g. Akinnaso, 1989; Adegbija, 1994) see these qualities as

an asset and a boost toeasy acquisition of the language. On the other hand, others

(e.g. Brann, 1985; Elugbe, 1995)view the language contemptuously and describe it

as a debased form of language.

Decamp (1971), Hymes (1971) and Hudson (1990) give a synopsis of the

characteristics ofpidgins as follows:

i. Elimination of grammatical devices like inflections, plural markers and

tenses.

21
 ii. The use of reduplication as intensifier.

iii. Ability of a word to have semantic extension i.e. expanded meanings.

The linguistic status as well as social acceptability of pidgin as a form of

language has changed dramatically over the century. A language-form once held as

bastardized (Holm 2000), and for that reason unacceptable, disapproved, and

shunned in so many spheres of society, would appear to have eventually shed its

dark cloak and emerged as a people's linguistic sweetheart. This state of affairs

finds corroboration in the preponderance of research that has suffused the

academic terrain on Pidgin (both in Nigerian and other similar contexts).

For example, Holm (2000), An Introduction to Pidgins and Creoles, attempts

a comprehensive evaluation of important aspects of Pidgin and Creole languages,

ranging from the relationship over time between the languages, on the one hand,

and linguistics (the branch of learning whose object ought to be the study of

languages from an analytical, empirical and scientific point of view), to such other

fundamental aspects of the language as the intricacies of terminology and the

development of theory. This remarkable interest attests to the new found friendship

between linguistics and pidgin languages. Globally, several social or socio-cultural

factors have also culminated in the proliferation of varieties of pidgin and Creole

languages in the wider world. Consequently, other linguistic aspects of the

22
pervasive pidgin phenomenon such as Lexicosemantics, Phonology and Syntax are

now flourishing.

Holm (Ibid; 1) therefore, remarks that "what earlier generations thought of

pidgin and Creole languages is all too clear from their very names: broken English,

bastard Portuguese, nigger French, kumbuuistaaltje('cookhouse lingo'),

isikulu('coolie language')", and so on. He further acknowledges that the seeming

"contempt" towards pidgins, initially, "often stemmed in part from the feeling that

pidgins and Creoles were corruptions of 'higher', usually European languages, and

in part from attitudes towards the speakers of such languages who were often

perceived as semi-savages whose partial acquisition of civilized habits was

somehow an affront". To corroborate the logic of Holm in the forgoing discussion

as regards the initial attitudes towards pidgin and creole languages, the following

excerpt from Aleksandra (2009; 1) is available:

The study of pidgin and creole phenomena has long been neglected in

linguistics. The study attracted interest in the late 1960s. Previously they were

referred to as "marginal languages" (Reinecke 1938: 107). The discussed

languages were considered for a very long time to be slave talk [di Patwa or patois]

(Patrick 1995: 227), uneducated languages, and "were to be avoided"

23
2.4 Features of the Nigerian Pidgin

The construction of the Pidgin English is either impromptu or by convention

by interlocutors within a speech community. According to Wilson, Fasingha and

Gomba (2003), “the Pidgin English may be built from words, sounds or body

languages from multiple languages and culture. There are no rules attached to its

usage as long as the parties involved are able to understand each other.” Looking at

the common traits among various pidgins, Wilson et’al, (2013) posit that: It is a

fundamentally simpler form of communication and that the grammar and

phonology are usually as simple as possible consisting of: Uncomplicated

grammatical structure.

Reduction of syllabus codas. Reduction of consonants clusters. No tones,

such as those found in West Africa and Asian languages. Separate words to

indicate terms usually preceding the verb. Reduplication to represent plurals,

superlative and other parts of speech that represents the concept being increased.

A lack of morphemic variation, in the same vein, Decamp (1971), Hymes (1974)

and Hudson (1990) in Abdullahi-Idiagbon (2014) give a synopsis of the

characteristics of Pidgin as follows: Elimination of grammatical devices like

inflections, plural possessives and tenses. The use of reduplication as intensifiers,

ability of a word to have semantic extension i.e. expanded meanings.

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2.5 Attitudes to Nigerian Pidgin English in Nigeria

Generally speaking, language attitudes can be studied from two theoretical

frameworks: the behaviourist approach which focuses on the responses speakers of

a language make about the social functions of the language (Fasold 1984) and the

mentalist approach which considers attitudes as internal states that can be used to

predict other behaviour (Ihemere 2006). In this study, we adopt the mentalist

approach as many scholars have done (Apel and Muysken 1987; Baker 1992;

Ihemere 2006; Long 1999; Zhou 1999). As Ihemere (2006) and Fasold (1984) have

noted, the mentalist framework cannot account for how the mental states of users

of a language can be studied directly without having to make inferences from the

behaviour, however.

Although theoretically speaking, no language is linguistically minor or

major, legitimate or bastardised, people tend to perceive NPE as a corrupt,

bastardised or lesser language (Igboanusi 2008; Mann 1996). As pointed out by

Elugbe and Omamor (1991:146), attitudes to NPE are not determined by any

objective criteria. In spite of the fact that NPE is used by more than two-thirds of

the total population of Nigeria today (Faraclas 2004; Igboanusi 2008) and despite

its use by people from different walks of life including graduates and professionals

25
(Akande 2008), the general attitudes of the majority of Nigerians towards NPE are

still not encouraging. Concerning this, Deuber (2005:183) says:

Although a major lingua franca, it has no official recognition; even without

any policy statements, it performs a growing range of functions, including, for

example, that of a medium of public broadcasting, but no efforts have been made

to develop it in order for it to be able to cope with these functions, as has been

done for the major and to some extent also for minor indigenous languages.

Deuber (2005:183) also notes that NPE is the most neglected language in Nigeria

since no major roles are assigned to it. Elugbe and Omamor (1991) and Egbokhare

(2003) suggest that NPE be given the status of an official or national language

while Igboanusi (2008) calls for its use as a medium of instruction in the early

stage of primary school education especially for NPE-speaking children. One

major argument in support of the adoption of NPE as a national language is that it

is a neutral code as it has no ethnic base. Igboanusi (2008:69) examines how NPE

could be empowered in Nigeria and remarks that education is ‘the most important

institution through which to raise the value of [NPE].

However, Igboanusi’s (2008) study shows that there is no consensus among

his subjects as to whether NPE should be given any official or national status as

some of them believe, among other things, that NPE has no economic value.

26
2.6 Review of Previous Studies

Ummulkhairi (2015) in his dissertation titled “The Impact of Pidgin English

on Students Competence in Nigeria University”. Three (3) research questions were

formulated for the study; relevant literatures were reviewed which ranged from

evolution of pidgin of as a form of language; the place of pidgin in contemporary

Nigerian Society, features of Nigerian Pidgin, status of the NP, reduplication in

Nigerian Pidgin. The researcher adopted a descriptive survey design for the study.

The population of the study was 300 level students in university of Sokoto.

Findings from the study included that many of the students do not

understand that English language is distinctly different from Nigerian pidgin. They

do not know that the grammar and vocabulary of the pidgin are foreign and

unacceptable to English. This set of students are fooled by the English language

vocabulary they use in Nigerian pidgin to assume that the two languages are the

same. Nigerian pidgin is a formidable and unassailable indigenous language in

Nigeria. The co-existence of English language and the pidgin is an educational

problem in Nigeria. The negative impact of the co-existence of the two languages

exerts some considerable negative effects on the effective learning of English. The

ignorance of some students about the distinct features of the two languages has a

grave implication on the learning of English language in the country.

27
 Recommendations made from the study included that: The government,

parents and teachers will achieve greater value from their investments, in both

human and material resources, expended on education when the teeming

population of students passes the all important English language examination.

Teachers of English need to be equipped with necessary provisions to enable

students overcome the pressures of their massive exposure to Nigerian pidgin in

the society. This call for a reappraisal of the teaching of English language is

expected to enhance better returns on teachers’ efforts.

Abdullahi (2010) in a journal titled “The Sociolinguistics of Nigerian Pidgin

English in Selected University Campuses in Nigeria” relevant literatures were

examined and discussed which includes: origin of pidgin and Nigeria Pidgin

English (NPE). The descriptive survey research design was adopted by the

researcher. A self-designed questionnaire was used by the researcher to elicit

information from the respondents. Two hundred respondents served as the sample

size of the study.

The researcher found out that: Lagos still remains the state with the highest

number of musicians. The influence of these musicians, of course, in spreading

slang among the youths isoverwhelming. In addition, the role of press in

popularizing a concept is tremendous, andsouth west is considered to be the seat of

the most viable and critical press in Nigeria(Idiagbon, 1999). Incidentally, Lagos is

28
the most influential state in the south west and theregion is predominantly

inhabited by the Yoruba race. This, in a nutshell, accounts for why aconsiderable

number of Yoruba words and slangs found their ways into NPE. A campus is

amicro-society that draws its own inhabitants from a larger society. As such, Lagos

influenceaffects how NPE is being spoken on Nigerian university campuses; are

exclusively being used by cliques of students who belong to particular cults or

societies.In this sense, slang are highly technical and can be understood by those

who belong to suchgroups, that is- the associate or initiated. Slang in this

perspective, normally generate negativeimpression from the non-initiates, students,

religious bodies as well as other campuscommunity members. That the language is

no longer viewed withcontempt, and that its growing popularity portends a

promising future especially among thenew elitist generation. The research does not

however see Nigerian pidgin English as beingethnically neutral but rather

considers it as being ethnically-balanced. The disparity betweenthese two terms, in

the researcher’s view, is that while the former means a language that does

notidentify with any ethnic group (which of course is not true), the latter signifies

that thelanguage accommodates substrate languages contributions to the form and

meaning of thisPidgin English.

Amakiri&Igani (2015) in their journal titled: “The Effect of Pidgin in the

Teaching and Learning of Standard English in Nigeria” published in an

29
International Journal of English and Education. Relevant literatures were reviewed

on the origin of pidgin English in Nigeria, features of Nigerian Pidgin English,

semantic comparison of some Nigerian variants, pidgin and standard English,

influence of pidgin on the teaching and learning of standard English, Implications

of the Influence of Pidgin on the Teaching and Learning of Standard English

Language.

The researchers concluded that it is quite obvious that the Pidgin has

negatively influenced the teaching and learning ofStandard English. This negative

influence of Pidgin and its different varieties has affected theacquisition of the

Standard English Language. However, this could be minimized if teachers ofthe

language are competent and, perform well in the pedagogy of the language.

In the same vein, the researchers recommended that: To help the teachers to

be proficient in the English Language, a concerted effort could be madeto train

them on the job. Once their skill is improved, it will positively affect pupils and

studentsat all tiers of the educational system. All aspects of the Standard English

should be taught quiteearly too. The Four basic language skills: listening, speaking,

reading and writing, should betaught at all the tiers of the school system. Teachers

of the English Language should be trainedand retrained in the English language

skills. Non-English Language teachers should also be madeto undergo in-service

training in these language skills. The grammar of the English Language including

30
its phonology should be taught exhaustively. Both the State and Federal

Governmentshould get involved in planning Cross-posting, where teachers of the

English Language will goto Britain and those of Britain would come to Nigeria to

teach.

2.7 Summary

The NP is a versatile language that meets the demand for a growing number

of Nigerians who need to communicate. The morphological process of

reduplication has been found to be one of full reduplication which has been very

useful in this endeavour as it enlarges and enriches the vocabulary and verbal

categories of the language. The NP is a language of necessity in a multilingual and

pluralistic society such as Nigeria.

31
 CHAPTER THREE

3.0 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

3.1 Introduction

This chapter presents, the research design, population of the study, sample

size and sampling procedure, instrumentation, validity and reliability of the

instrument, data collection procedure and methods of data analysis.

3.2 Research Design

This study adopted a descriptive survey. A descriptive survey research

design attempts to describe the present condition of a given phenomena by

collecting data from a defined population (Ogunleye, 2000). The method is

considered appropriate because of the focus of the study, which determined the

influence of pidgin English on students in university of Abuja

3.3 Population

The population of the study consisted of all students in University of Abuja,

Abuja, Nigeria.

32
Table 1: Population of the Study
S/ FACULTIES/DEPARTMENTS No of Students
NO
1 Faculty of Arts
- Department of English and Literary studies 280
- Department of Philosophy 120
- Department of History 212
2 Faculty of Education
- Science & Environmental Education (SEE) 233
- Arts &Social Science Education (ASSE) 311
- Educational Management (DEM) 410
3 Faculty of Social Sciences
- Department of Economics 451
- Department of Sociology 721
- Department of Geography 123
4 Faculty of Management sciences
- Department of Public Administration 540
- Department of Accounting 451
- Department of Business Administration 439
5 Faculty of Science
- Department of Physics 763
- Department of Chemistry 689
- Department of Mathematics 567
- Department of Biology 874
6 Faculty of Agriculture
- Department of Soil science 331
7 Faculty of Engineering
- Department of Chemical Engineering 501
- Department of Mechanical Engineering 439
- Department of Electrical engineering 398
8 College of Health Science
- Department of Medicine & Surgery 80
- Department of Anatomy 67
- Department of Veterinary Medicine 52

3.4 Sample Size and Sampling Procedure

The sample of the study consisted of 150 students selected from University

of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria. In Ferguson (1981) cited by Ezenache (2016) suggested

33
that 10% of the population in a study would be appropriate. Simple random

sampling technique was used for the study. The sample size was selected through

balloting, pieces of paper were placed in a box carrying the name of all the

departments and the amount and it was picked at quick successions till the end.

34
Table 2: Sample Size of Faculties and Respondents
S/NO FACULTIES/DEPARTMENTS RESPONDENTS
1 Faculty of Arts
- Department of English and Literary studies 10
- Department of Philosophy 10
- Department of History 10
2 Faculty of Education
- Science & Environmental Education (SEE) 10
- Arts &Social Sciences Education (ASSE) 10
- Educational Management (DEM) 10
3 Faculty of Social Science
- Department of Economics 10
- Department of Sociology 5
- Department of Geography 5
4 Faculty of Management sciences
- Department of Public Administration 5
- Department of Accounting 5
- Department of Business Administration 5
5 Faculty of Science
- Department of Physics 5
- Department of Chemistry 5
- Department of Mathematics 5
- Department of Biology 5
6 Faculty of Agriculture
- Department of Soil science 5
7 Faculty of Engineering
- Department of Chemical Engineering 5
- Department of Mechanical Engineering 5
- Department of Electrical engineering 5
8 Faculty of Medical Science
- Department of Medicine & Surgery 5
- Department of Anatomy 5
- Department of Veterinary Medicine 5
TOTAL 150

35
3.5 Instrument for Data Collection

In this study, a questionnaire was designed by the researcher to elicit

information from the respondents. The questionnaire comprised of two sections.

Section A consisted of items relating to the respondents directly like- age, gender,

teaching qualification and teaching experience while section B consisted of items

that deals with the subject matter of the research study. The respondents were

required to answer the items on a 4 point modifiedLikert rating scale, ranging from

4 to 1 as follows:

Strongly Agree = 4 points,

Agree = 3 points

Disagree = 2 points

Strongly Disagree = 1 point.

The respondents were required to tick against the rating that reflects their

opinion about how pidgin English affectsstudents academic performance in

university of Abuja.

36
3.6Validity and Reliability of the Instrument

Validity of a test instrument is the extent to which it measures what it is

expected and designed to measure. Therefore, in order to determine the content and

construct validity of the instrument, the questionnaire was given to the project

supervisor in the Department of Arts and Social Science Education, University of

Abuja, Abuja, for evaluation. His comments, criticisms and corrections were

incorporated into the final copy of the instrument.

The instrument was pilot-tested in Gwagwalada to ensure the reliability of

the instrument. The respondents used in the pilot test were exempted in the main

study. Test-retest method was used to collect the data and Pearson Product

Moment Correlation Coefficient was applied to compute the reliability coefficient

of the instrument and the instrument was discovered to be reliable.

3.7Data Collection Procedure

The researcher administered the copies of the questionnaire personally and

through the assistance of some students in the sampleduniversityso as to ensure

maximum co-operation from the respondents and ascertain a high percentage of

return of the copies of the instrument that were distributed. All the copies of the

questionnaire were retrieved.

37
3.8 Method of Data Analysis

The data collected from the questionnaire was analyzed based on the

research questions and demographic data of the study with explanations following

immediately. The researcher used frequency, counts, percentages and mean scores.

A decision was taken that where the mean score was above 2.50, this was adjudged

“agreed” in explaining the phenomenon while below 2.49 was adjudged

“disagreed” in explaining the situation.

38
 CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

4.1 Introduction

This chapter deals with data presentation, analysis and interpretation under

demographic data, answer to research questions, summary of findings and

discussion of findings.

4.2 Demographic Dataof Respondents

Table 2: Distribution of Respondents by Sex

N = 150
Gender No of Respondents Percentage (%)
Male 87 58
Female 63 42
Total 150 100

Table 2 showed that 87 respondents were male representing 58% of the entire

number while 63 respondents were femalerepresenting 42%.

39
 Figure 1: Gender of the Respondents
60
Percentage (%)

40

20

0
Male Female
Male

Table 3: Distribution of Respondents by Age

N = 150
Age Range No of Respondents Percentage (%)
18-22 years 35 23
23-27 years 52 35
28-32 years 45 30
33 years & above 18 12
Total 150 100

Table 3 showed that 35 respondents representing 23% were between 18-22 years,

52 respondents representing 35%, 45 respondents representing 30% were between

the age range of 28-32 years and 18 respondents representing 12% were between

33 years and above.

40
 Figure 2: Age-Range of Respondents
40
35
30
Percentage (%)

25
20
15
10
5
0
18-22 years 23-27 years 28-32 years 33 years & above
Age-Range

Table 4: Faculty of the Respondents

N = 150
Faculty No of Respondents Percentage (%)
Science 32 21
Arts 24 16
Education 56 37
Social Science 18 12
Management Science 20 13
Total 150 100

Table 4 presented showed that 32 respondents representing 21% were in Faculty of

Science, 24 respondents representing 16% were in Faculty of Arts, 56 respondents

representing 37% were in Faculty of Education, 18 respondents representing 12%

were in Faculty of Social Science, 20 respondents representing 13% were in

Faculty of Management Science.

41
 Figure 3: Faculty of Respondents
40

35

30

25

20

15

10

0
Science Arts Education Social Science Management
Science

4.3 Answering Research Questions

4.3.1 Research Question One: What are the reasons why students in University of

Abuja speak Nigeria Pidgin English more?

42
 Table 5:Reasons why university students in Nigeria speak Nigeria Pidgin
English more
(N = 150)
S/n Reasons why University of Abuja SA A D SD Mean Decision
students speak Nigeria Pidgin
English more
1 Students feel free speaking pidgin 48 56 20 26 2.84 Agreed
English among their peers
2 Students feel it’s easier to 47 34 39 30 2.65 Agreed
communicate with their peers with
pidgin English
3 Poor educational background of the 51 54 26 19 2.91 Agreed
students
4 For simplicity of speaking 41 71 24 14 2.93 Agreed
Sectional Mean 2.83 Agreed

Table 5 presented reasons why students in University of Abuja speak Nigeria

Pidgin English more which had a sectional mean score of 2.83. Analysis revealed

that For simplicity of speaking, poor educational background of the students,

students feel free speaking pidgin English among their peers and students feel it’s

easier to communicate with their peers with pidgin English which had mean scores

of 2.93, 2.91, 2.84 and 2.65 respectively.

4.3.2 Research Question Two: What are the impact of the Nigeria Pidgin English

on the academic performance of students in University of Abuja?

Table 6:Impact of the Nigeria Pidgin English on the academic performance of

Studentsin University of Abuja

43
 (N = 150)
S/n Impact of the Nigeria Pidgin English SA A D SD Mean Decision
on the academic performance of
Students in University of Abuja
5 Results in poor educational foundation 36 42 8 14 3.00 Agreed
laid down for the students
6 Poor Study and Writing skills 47 15 19 19 2.90 Agreed
7 Inability to communicate effectively 31 34 26 9 2.87 Agreed
and globally
8 Inability to express self fully 21 51 14 14 2.79 Agreed
Sectional Mean 2.87 Agreed

Table 6 presented Impact of the Nigeria Pidgin English on the academic

performance of Studentsin University of Abuja which had a sectional mean score

of 2.90. Further analysis revealed that pidgin English results in poor educational

foundation laid down for the students, Poor Study and Writing skills, Inability to

communicate effectively and globally and Inability to express self fully which had

mean scores of 3.00, 2.90, 2.87 and 2.79 respectively.

4.3.3 Research Question Three:What are the solutions to the consequences of

Nigeria Pidgin English on the academic performance of students in University of

Abuja?

Table 7: Solutions to the consequences of Nigeria Pidgin English on the

academic performance
(N = 150)
S/n Solutions to the consequences of SA A D SD Mean Decision
Nigeria Pidgin English on the
44
 academic performance of
students in University of Abuja
9 Parents pay more attention to 59 39 30 22 2.90 Agreed
education
10 Parents go extra length for their 57 46 35 12 2.99 Agreed
children to be well taught
educationally
11 Parents get their children enrolled 54 55 17 24 2.73 Agreed
for tutorials
12 Children are motivated by their 61 35 29 25 2.88 Agreed
parents to imbibe the proper
means of learning
Sectional Mean 2.88 Agreed

Table 7 presentedthe solutions to the consequences of Nigeria Pidgin English on

the academic performanceof students in University of Abuja which had a sectional

mean score of 2.88. Analysis revealed that parents go extra length for their children

to be well taught educationally, parents pay more attention to education, children

are motivated by their parents to imbibe the proper means of learning and parents

get their children enrolled for tutorials which had mean scores of 2.99, 2.90, 2.88

and 2.73 respectively.

4.4Summary of Findings

1. Reasons why university students in University of Abuja speak Nigeria

Pidgin English more included simplicity of speaking, poor educational

45
 background of the students, students feel free speaking pidgin English

among their peers

2. Impact of the Nigeria Pidgin English Language on the academic

performance of Students in University of Abuja included poor educational

foundation laid down for the students, Poor Study and Writing skills,

Inability to communicate effectively and globally

3. Solutions to the consequences of Nigeria Pidgin English language on the

academic performance included that parents go extra length for their

children to be well taught educationally, parents pay more attention to

education, and children are motivated by their parents to imbibe the proper

means of learning.

4.5 Discussion

This study discovered that Reasons why university students in Nigeria speak

Nigeria Pidgin English more included simplicity of speaking, poor educational

background of the students, students feel free speaking pidgin English among their

peers.

Secondly, impact of the Nigeria Pidgin English on the academic

performance of Students in University of Abuja included poor educational

foundation laid down for the students, Poor Study and Writing skills, Inability to

communicate effectively and globally. This is in line with Akande (2008) there are
46
 quite a number of negative perceptions of Nigerian pidgin. Such perceptions have

culminated in a string of derogatory definition of Nigerian pidgin as a mark of

bastardization of English. Nigerian pidgin has come to be understood as:

‘adulterated language,’ ‘an inferior language,’ ‘substandard and lesser language,’

‘a deviated language form,’ ‘a marginal language,’ ‘a bad language,’ ‘a language

with no history and no native,’ among others.

Thirdly, solutions to the consequences of Nigeria Pidgin English on the

academic performance includes that parents go extra length for their children to be

well taught educationally, parents pay more attention to education, children are

motivated by their parents to imbibe the proper means of learning. This is in line

with Amakiri and Igani (2015) who concluded that it is quite obvious that the

Pidgin has negatively influenced the teaching and learning ofStandard English.

This negative influence of Pidgin and its different varieties has affected

theacquisition of the Standard English Language. However, this could be

minimized if teachers ofthe language are competent and, perform well in the

pedagogy of the language.

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0 SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Introduction

47
 This chapter presented a summary of the research, conclusion,

recommendations and suggestions for further research.

5.2 Summary

This research study is on “Impact of the Nigerian Pidgin English on Students in

University of Abuja”. This research was carried to discover the various and

detrimental effects of Pidgin English on students’ academic performance in

universities.

The review of related literature was the origin of pidgin, features of the

Nigerian pidgin, attitudes to NPE in Nigeria.

The research methodology used for this research was a descriptive survey

research design. The research instrument used was the questionnaire The

population of the research study were students in six (6) faculties in University of

Abuja, Nigeria. A total number of 150 respondents were selected. The data

collected from the questionnaire were analyzed in tables, percentage, and mean

scores based on research questions of the study in chapter one.

The findings from the analysis showed that: Reasons why students in

University of Abuja speak Nigeria Pidgin English more included simplicity of

speaking, poor educational background of the students, students feel free speaking

pidgin English among their peers; secondly, impact of the Nigeria Pidgin English
48
on the academic performance of students in University of Abuja included poor

educational foundation laid down for the students, poor study and writing skills,

inability to communicate effectively and globally; thirdly, solutions to the

consequences of Nigeria Pidgin English on the academic performance included

that parents go extra length for their children to be well taught educationally,

parents pay more attention to education, children are motivated by their parents to

imbibe the proper means of learning.

5.3 Conclusion

The findings of the research work concluded that Reasons why students in

University of Abuja speak Nigeria Pidgin English more included simplicity of

speaking, poor educational background. Also, impact of the Nigeria Pidgin English

on the academic performance of students in University of Abuja included poor

educational foundation laid down for the students, poor study and writing skills.

Thirdly, solutions to the consequences of Nigeria Pidgin English on the academic

performance included that parents go extra length for their children to be well

taught educationally, parents pay more attention to education.

5.4 Recommendations

In view of the results from this study, the following were the

recommendations given:

49
 1. University students should be encouraged to attend seminars and

conferences that further sharpens their comprehension of a changing world

to set them at a pace where they can compete with other counterparts

globally.

2. Students should be consciously mentored out of Pidgin English especially in

universities bearing in mind that this grossly affects their study and writing

skills which would lead them to be irrelevant in contributing to national

development.

3. Parents should ensure that their family and home background/environment is

healthy enough to impact positively on the students’ mindset. Parents should

endeavour to ensure that the negative mentality of the environment is not

transferred to the children.

5.5 Suggestions for Further Studies

This study considered the impact of Nigerian Pidgin English on students in

University Abuja; other deeper researches should be carried out on the following:

1) Influence of Nigeria Pidgin English on Students’ Academic Performance in

Public Secondary Schools in Gwagwalada Area Council, FCT, Abuja.

50
2) Nigeria Pidgin English and its Influence on Effective Teaching and Learning in

Public Secondary Schools in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), FCT,

Abuja.

3) Nigeria Pidgin English: Effects and Management Strategies in Public

Universities in Nigeria.

REFERENCES

51
Abdullahi-Idiagbo, M.S. (2010), “The sociolinguistic of Nigerian pidgin English in
selected university campuses in Nigeria”. Ife studies in English language
Vol. 8, No. 1, September, 2010, pp. 50-60.
Adegbija, E. E. (1994) “The Candidature of Nigerian Pidgin as a National
language” ITL Review of Applied Linguistics. Belgium.
Akinnaso, N.F. (1989) One Nation, four hundred languages: Unity and Diversity in
Nigeria’s language Policy. Language Problems and Language Planning ,13,
pp. 133, 146.
Bomgbose, A. (1991), Language and the Nation. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University
press (2013), African Linguistic Association, African Linguistics and Social
Responsibility. An address presented at the WALS and LAN conference at
the university of Ibadan
Bamgbose, A. (1995) “Languages in Contact: Yoruba and English in Nigeria,”
Education and Development. Vol. 2, No. 1,pp. 329-341.
Banjo, A. (1995). New Englishes: a West African perspective. Ibadan: Mosurp
Publishers.
Decamp, D. (1971) Introduction: The Study of Pidgin and Creole Languages in
Appel, R. and Muysken, P. eds. Language, Contact and Bilingualism (1987).
London: Edward Armold.
Deubar, D.(2005) Nigerian Pidgin in Lagos.-Language Contact, Variation and
Change in an African Urban Setting. London: Battle Bridge Publications
Egbokhare, F. (2001) The Nigerian Linguistics Ecology and the Changing Profiles
of Nigerian Pidgin in Igbohausi, H. ed. Language Attitude and Language
Conflict in West Africa. Ibadan: Encrofit Publishers.
Edwards, J. (1994) Multilingualism. London: Routledge.
Elugbe, B. (1995) Nigerian Pidgin: Problems and prospects in Banjo, A. and
Andrew, T. eds. New Englishes. Ibadan: Mosurp Publishers.
Elugbe, B.O. and Omamor, A.P. (1991). Nigerian Pidgin: Background and
prospects. Ibadan: Heinemann Educational Books.
Hudson, R.A. (1990) Sociolinguistics. London: Cambridge University Press.
Hymes, D. (1974) Foundations in Sociolinguistics on Ethnogrpahic Approach
Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
52
Ihemere, K.U. (2006). A basic description and analytic treatment of noun clauses
in Nigerian Pidgin. Nordic Journal of African Studies 15(3): Pg 296-313.
Quirk, R., Greenbaum, S, Leech, G., Svartvik, J. (1985) A Comprehensive
Grammar of the English Language. London: Longman
Stockwell, P. (2002) Sociolinguistics: A Resource Book for Students. London:
Routledge.
Wilson, F.B., Fasingha, W. and Gomba, N.O. (2013). Varieties of Pidgin English
and their effects on the teaching and learning of English language. A
seminar paper presented as part of the course: Business communication,
Rivers State Polytechnic.

APPENDIX

53
 QUESTIONNAIRE ON IMPACT OF NIGERIA PIDGIN ENGLISH ON
STUDENTSIN UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
Department of Arts and Social
SciencesEducation,
Faculty of Education,
University of Abuja,
P.M.B. 117,
Gwagwalada,
Abuja,
18thOctober, 2018.
Dear respondents,

I am a student of the above named Department and Institution researching

on a topic: “Impact of the Nigerian Pidgin English on students in University of

Abuja”. This research is in partial fulfillment of an award of B.EdEnglish

Education.

I will be grateful if you contribute to this important assignment by

completing this questionnaire. I assure you that any information provided will be

treated in strict confidence. Thank you for your cooperation in this regard.

Yours faithfully,

IWUALA, Chiamaka

SECTION A: BIO-DATA

54
1. Gender (a) Male (b) Female

2. Age: 18-22 years 23-27 years 28-32 years 33

years and above

3. Faculty: Science Arts Education Social Science

Management Science

SECTION B

55
Please kindly indicate the appropriate answers by ticking in the options below.

Keys:

SA= Strongly Agree; A= Agree; D= Disagree; SD= Strongly Disagree

S/N Questionnaire Items S/A A D S/D

Reasons why students in University of Abuja
speak Nigeria Pidgin English more
1 Students feel free speaking pidgin English among
their peers
2 Students feel it’s easier to communicate with their
peers with pidgin English
3 Poor educational background of the students
4 For simplicity of speaking
Impact of the Nigeria Pidgin English on the
academic performance of Students in
University of Abuja
9 Results in poor educational foundation laid down
for the students
10 Is as a result of poor educational background of
the parents
11 Lackadaisical attitude on the part of the parents
12 Is as a result of environmental factors
13 Is as a result of influence of extended families
Solutions to the consequences of Nigeria Pidgin
English on the academic performance of
students in University of Abuja
14 Parents pay more attention to education
15 Parents go extra length for their children to be well
taught educationally
16 Parents get their children enrolled for tutorials
17 Children are motivated by their parents to imbibe
the proper means of learning

56