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The Origin of Pidgin English in Nigeria, By Emeke Nwaoboli

The Origin of Pidgin English in Nigeria, By Emeke Nwaoboli Pidgin English is defined as a simplified variation of the standard English language emanating from an environment where speakers of different languages have a need to communicate but do not share a common language. According to Ethnologue (2009) in Ekpe (2010:65), Nigeria is the third largest English (Queen’s and Pidgin) speakers in the world after India and the United States of America. The entire English speaking population in Nigeria is estimated to be 79,000,000 while those that speak it (pidgin) as their first language is estimated to be 4,000,000. The word “pidgin”, formerly spelt “pigion”, is derived from a Chinese Pidgin English pronunciation for “business”. It was used originally to describe Chinese Pidgin English but was later generalized to refer to any pidgin (Ekpe 2010:162). The emergence of Pidgin English in Nigerian coastal area began with the arrival of Portuguese immigrants who trad...