Both English and Nigerian Pidgin do not only occur in the described domains, but in individual contexts such as in the media, especially in the field of music. Considering the linguistic spread of Nigerian Pidgin and English, this thesis will concentrate on the two songs "Sweet Mother" by Prince Nico Mbarga, published in 1976, and "I love you" by the twins-duo Peter and Paul Okoye alias "P-Square", presented to the public in 2009. Due to the fact that both songs are sung by native Nigerians, an overview of the Nigerian Pidgin's characteristics will be given in the beginning, which will then be applied to both songs, taking into account their similarities. In a further step, the songs' differences will be analysed, while the possible ascendancy of Standard British English over Nigerian Pidgin shall be considered at the same time. But before outlining all of these aspects, a brief summary of the current language situation in Nigeria will serve as an introduction to the topic, followed by a historical view on the development of both Nigerian Pidgin and English within this country.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 The History of English in Nigeria
3 Nigerian Pidgin English
4 Linguistic Analysis on the Basis of the Songs “Sweet Mother” and “I Love you”
5 Conclusion
6 Bibliography
7 Appendix
1 Introduction
English can be characterized as the leading language of international communication all over the world. In its role as a powerful colonizer, England has spread its language in different continents including Africa. In the 16th century it had reached the West-African country Nigeria, in which it soon expanded its function to official purposes. Apart from this consequence, the multilingual contacts between Nigerians and the British during that time led to another product: The Nigerian Pidgin. In Nigeria, this Pidgin has been associated with “[…] that language that you have taken from the colonizer and you have made it your own”1. Thus, it soon became the counterpart to the English, which represented the formal language, whereas Nigerian Pidgin functioned as an inter-ethnic, informal means of communication.
In the 20th century a debate arose about the question whether English or Nigerian Pidgin would serve as Nigeria´s lingua franca in the future. Ulrike Gut for example described the relationship of the two languages as a “diglossia”2 considering both English and Nigerian Pidgin as equally important means of communication but for different purposes. But, there were also critics like Jibril, who supported the idea of a dominance of English over Nigerian Pidgin due to a “depidginization”3 process in 1980. Although Nigerian Pidgin amounts to a higher speech community than English, this discussion is even topical today.
Both English and Nigerian Pidgin do not only occur in the described domains, but in individual contexts such as in the media, especially in the field of music. Considering the linguistic spread of Nigerian Pidgin and English, this thesis will concentrate on the two songs “Sweet Mother” by Prince Nico Mbarga, published in 1976 and “I love you” by the twins-duo Peter and Paul Okoye alias “P-Square” presented to the public in 2009. Due to the fact that both songs are sung by native Nigerians, an overview of the Nigerian Pidgin´s characteristics will be given in the beginning, which will then be applied to both songs, taking into account their similarities. In a further step, the songs´ differences will be analysed, while the possible ascendancy of Standard British English over Nigerian Pidgin shall be considered at the same time. But before outlining all of these aspects, a brief summary of the current language situation in Nigeria will serve as an introduction to the topic, followed by a historical view on the development of both Nigerian Pidgin and English within this country.
2 The History of English in Nigeria
Today, there are about 130 million people living in Nigeria who communicate with each other through 505 different languages. These languages primarily include indigenous Nigerian varieties which are mainly spread in the South-West (“Yoruba”), the South East (“Igbo”) and in the North of the country (“Hausa”). Each of these regional languages serves as a means of communication by at least 18 million first language speakers. Besides these major indigenous languages, non-indigenous languages like Arabic, French and especially English are used as well. Nowadays, English is spoken by about 20 per cent of the Nigerian population, which represents a quite small amount of speakers in contrast to the number of people who speak Nigerian languages. However, English is regarded as Nigeria´s “official language”4 and increasingly functions as a medium of ethnically neutral communication in administration, mass media, politics etc. Before the English language achieved this status of in Nigeria, it had to go on a long, still not ended journey, which Schneider5 structured in three main phases.
The first phase is set in the nineteenth century dealing with the primary contacts between Nigerian and British people. The expansion of trading contacts at the beginning of the 19th century is said to have brought about the spread of English in the first place. During this time, Nigeria experienced a backwardness of economic and religious achievements, which led to the arrival of missionaries in Lagos and Calabar in 1840. Soon, English expanded its function to educational domains. Consequently, the missionaries were commanded to teach English in their missionary stations and even evangelisation activities had to be performed in such a way that the literate indigenous English speakers could also take part. A further spread of the English language was caused by the occupation of Lagos in 1851 and its dependence on the British colonial power since 1861. The soldiers as well as political and colonial people contributed to the increase of English, which was ultimately fortified by the foundation of the Royal Niger Company in 1880. Finally, all of these factors led to the primary existence of English both in the Nigerians´ minds and in their formal communication. In conclusion, English was mainly spread in the second half of the 20th century. It continually gained higher prestige but it was often associated with elitism as well.
Secondly, Schneider refers to the time from 1900 until the late 1940´s as the “British-dominated colonial period”6 in which the acquisition of English was still reduced to an elite of functionaries. Due to the inland protectorate in 1900, followed by the amalgamation of northern and southern Nigeria into the Colony of Nigeria in 1914, Britain continued to expand its power. The establishment of Lord Lugard´s “indirect rule” policy in 1922, which gave more responsibility to educated native leaders, broadened the status of English as the language of education to other domains such as administration, law and commerce. Apart from inter-ethnic groups, a “new breed of Nigerians emerged who sought to establish close relations with the white man”7 including British residents and Nigerian District Officers. This tendency to exo-normative orientation brought about the acceptance of Standard English as the prestige form of English. Thus, the second phase can be characterized as a period, in which colonial consequences led to a further spread of the English language.
Last but not least, the status of English rose to an even higher extent in the mid of the 20th century, when people did not only attribute colonialism to it but saw it as a language of modernization and education policy as well. After having gained its independence in 1960, Nigeria expanded its educational system. English became the only means of verbal transfer in secondary education except for some private schools in urban environments. Consequently, the acquisition of English was no longer restricted to a minor group of society. On the contrary, a wide range of people strongly needed to know the language in order to achieve access to business. In addition, a lot of British nationalists did not leave Nigeria in 1960. Therefore they assured the national presence of English and fortified its image as a language of modernity at the same time. Even considering the national policy, English became the primary instance of instruction, which was illustrated in the 1979 Conduction´s quotation “The business of Parliament shall be conducted in English”8.
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1 Schneider, Edgar W. (2007). Postcolonial English: Varieties around the World. Cambridge University Press: 209.
2 Schneider 2007: 208.
3 Ibid. http://countrystudies.us/nigeria/3.htm. 03.12.2011
4 Gut, Ulrike (2008). “ Nigerian English Phonology”. In Rajend Mesthrie (ed. ), Varieties of English 4: Africa, South and Southeast Asia. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, 35.
5 Schneider 2007: 199-211.
6 Schneider 2007: 201.
7 Ibid : 202.
8 Schneider 2007: 204.