Myth-busting Pidgin Languages

True or False?

Myth-Busting Pidgin Languages

BBC World Service has begun offering news stories in English-based Pidgin, taking a step toward inclusion and shining a light on one of West and Central Africa’s most widely spoken languages.

By debunking myths related to the Pidgin language, we facilitate understanding and come closer to true inclusion.

Recently, the BBC World Service launched BBC Pidgin, a new language service for digital platforms in West and Central Africa in English-based Pidgin. Pidgin is one of the most widely-spoken languages in these regions and many are rejoicing that the BBC World Service has taken a step toward inclusion by recognising its importance in history. But what is Pidgin exactly?

Pidgin is just “broken English”. False. A pidgin language is actually a fully intact bridge between languages. Pidgins are a simplified language that develops between two or more groups who do not share a common tongue. Interestingly, Pidgin is believed to be a shattered version of English because it does not have any set grammar rules or restrictions as long as both groups are able to understand each other. As a result, pidgin languages are malleable; they can adapt and change over time and across social groups.

Pidgin languages are a result of the Atlantic Slave Trade. True. West African Pidgin began during the late 17th century as the result of colonisation and trade between Europeans and Africans. It combined basic English vocabulary with the grammar of languages of the various ethnic groups that British traders encountered. It strips speech to the bare necessities. Phrases such as ‘How bodi?’ means “How are you?” and its friendly reply: ‘Bodi dey inside cloth’ means “I’m still wearing clothes”.

Additionally, pidgins do not only utilise English. Among the first to trade in West Africa in the 15th century were the Portuguese, and some words of Portuguese origin remain in the pidgin. For example, “you sabi do am?” means “Do you know how to do it?” with sabi being derived from ‘saber’, the Portuguese word for ‘to know’.

Pidgin languages have no native speakers. True and false. In West Africa, adults and children learn pidgins as their first language. The catch is: once a pidgin language has evolved and its vocabulary has grown to the point that it can be learned as a first language, it is then considered a creole. Creoles are languages that were once a pidgin but are now a first language for a new generation of speakers.