Nigerian Pidgin English
The identity of a Nigerian away from home
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25071/2564-2855.23Keywords:
Language and Identity, Nigerian Pidgin English, Language attitudes, Sociolinguistics, DiasporaAbstract
Nigerian Pidgin (hereafter NP) is the most widely spoken language in Nigeria, but many Nigerians view it negatively, as they associate it with uneducated people in the country and often caricature it as a bad form of English. However, attitudes towards NP in the diaspora and its role as a marker of social identity within and outside Nigeria have not been researched. Through informal interviews and focus group discussions with 10 Nigerians (5 men; 5 women) in Canada, I find that the participants choose NP as the language they use to express their identity as Nigerians in Canada. While the women embraced Standard English, the men had more positive attitudes towards NP suggesting covert prestige. Therefore, this study provides a good pilot project for analyzing attitudes towards NP and its role as a language of identity for Nigerians in the diaspora.
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