1.1 Introduction
Language is an attribute of man; man does not share it with any other animal. The concept of language has been of interest to scholars for a long time. As an organism, it is subject to growth, change and accommodation. Our assumption that language is simply the way of expression of thoughts and ideas, without realizing the fact that it is in itself a classification and arrangement of the stream of sensory experience of a given speech community which gives rise to certain value–system and world view. Language is central to all forms of relationship, relationship among tribes, individuals, societies, etc. These relationships are perceived by partakers in different ways based on their attitudes. In Nigeria, pidgin is the most widely used language, yet it has not been accorded the status of official language or as the language of instruction in schools.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Language is central to all forms of relationship, relationship among tribes, individuals, societies, etc. These relationships are perceived by partakers in different ways based on their attitudes. In Nigeria, pidgin is the most widely used language, yet it has not been accorded the status of official language or as the language of instruction in schools. Why is it that the English language which has fewer speakers than pidgin is assigned prominent role? This may be the function of the prevalent attitude of Nigerians to pidgin. Unarguably, there are bound to have consequences, since societal problems are linguistic problems. Notwithstanding its under- utilization in the nation, it will be necessary to find if there is intrinsic values attached to the language in terms of show the distinctive of Nigerians.
Nigeria pidgin means Nigeria pidgin English (mafeni 197, Elugbe and Omamo 199, Elugbe 1995) According to Elubge (1995:284) a pidgin described as minimal makeshift or marginal language which suggests that it is not “full” language, does not have a long history and is not central to the communicative codes available to its users. Nigerian pidgins arise from contact between multilingual coastal communities of Nigeria and visiting European explorers/traders (Elubge with Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo as the main subtract language. The language also borrowed from other foreign language such as French and the Caribbean language and the Jamaican creole.
Since Nigerian pidgin is seen as a contact language claims that the vocabulary of Nigeria. Nigerian pidgin is English while its grammar is Nigerian. Nigerian pidgin is no longer a pidgin is a language that is derived when “men” of different speech are thrown in to country and most reach an understanding (Reinecka 1964).
Nigerian Pidgin English can be traced to the contact between to the contact between the Portuguese and Nigerian people along the coastal region in (1553) (Elugbe and omamor, 1991). Banji (1996) and Bomgbose (1996) have pointed out that the first contact was made by the Portuguese in 1469 and was followed by the arrival of the Dutch in 1553, as pointed out by Eghbkare (2001). In ofuleu’s (2004) view, the birth can be traced to the contact of British and their trading partners.
Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Language and Social Groups Identity.
1.3 Statement of Problems
In Nigeria, pidgin is the most widely used language, yet it has not been accorded the status of official language or as the language of instruction in schools. This may be the function of the prevalent attitude of Nigerians to pidgin. Unarguably, there are bound to have consequences, since societal problems are linguistic problems. Notwithstanding its under-utilization in the nation, it will be necessary to find if there is intrinsic values attached to the language in terms of show the distinctive of Nigerians.
English as a second language (ESL) in Nigeria is used in such a way that, the meanings of some lexical items often get changed, there by bringing about several misconceptions, especially with regards to acceptability of the usage to other English users outside the Nigerian environment. That is a problem that is caused as a result of adoption of English to the Nigerian socio-cultural environment.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to scrutinize the Language and Social Groups Identity using Nigerian Pidgin English as a case study. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To determine the features of Nigerian pidgin English in Language and Social Groups Identity,
- To identify the use of Pidgin English among social groups in Nigeria,
- To determine how lexico-semantic variation in pidgin affects international intelligibility and acceptability among Social Groups in Nigeria.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- What are the features of Nigerian Pidgin English in Language and Social Groups Identity?
- Does a social group make use Nigerian Pidgin English during communication?
- Is there any significant relationship between language and society group?
- To what extent does lexico-semantic variation in pidgin affects international intelligibility and acceptability among Social Groups in Nigeria?
1.6 Significance/Justification of Study
The Nigerian Pidgin is relevant to sociolinguists since contact in whatever form influences one’s choice of words and language. Again, pidgins are of considerable interest to sociolinguists because of the influence which society exerts on their forms. It serves as a tool of communication among speakers of two or more languages that do not have mutual intelligibility. That is, it is a contact language that came into existence as a means of communication among people and groups who do not share any common.
This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.7 Scope of Study
The study focuses on the Language and Social Groups Identity using Nigerian Pidgin English as a case study.
1.8 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
1.9 Methodology
Data used in this work is derived primary from secondary sources. The methodology therefore, is basically documentary in nature. This involves learning new facts and principles through the study of documents and records. The documents and records include journals, textbooks, newspapers, magazines, official publications etc. By putting together logically evidence derived from documents and records. Conclusion which either established facts hitherto unknown or sound generalization can be obtained.
1.10 Definition of Terms
This study contains some words or lexis and acronyms that are restricted to use only in this research work.
Jingles: a short simple tune, which is easy to remember and is used to advertise a product on the radio.
NPE - Nigerian Pidgin English Nig. E- Nigerian English
Far-fetched - very unlikely to be true and difficult to believe bereavement- the death of closer relative or friend
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