CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

Nigeria is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world, with roughly 530 living languages recorded in the most recent edition of Ethnologue (Eberhard et al., 2025). Indigenous languages serve as the mother tongue or second language of most Nigerians, while foreign languages such as English, French and Arabic also have a presence. English is the official language and, for most people, a second language. Alongside these, Nigerian Pidgin (NP), an English-based contact language that grew out of encounters between English and indigenous languages, has become the country's most widely used lingua franca. Ethnologue-based estimates put its total number of speakers at about 120 million, which is more than any other language spoken in Nigeria (Encyclopaedia Britannica, n.d.).

How people speak reflects their social world. Studying language attitudes shows how a variety is used as a marker of identity or group membership, and it helps to explain why languages are maintained or abandoned. Attitude research is therefore important to linguistics and to language planning. Language is also the main means by which human beings share ideas, build communities and pass culture from one generation to the next, which is why the status given to any variety matters to those who speak it.

This study examines the effect of Nigerian Pidgin on students in the university community, using the University of Uyo as a case. The origin of Nigerian Pidgin remains debated, but it is commonly linked to contact between coastal communities and European traders from about the seventeenth century (Nwoda, 2023; Olajobi & Ofodu, 2023). Today it is heard in markets, offices, secondary schools and universities, and it allows speakers who share no mother tongue to communicate across ethnic lines.

Attitudes toward NP are mixed. A common view among Nigerians holds that it is a language of the uneducated or a corrupted form of English, and this prejudice is traced to the colonial period, when the language was regarded as low and corrupt (Akande & Salami, 2010, as cited in Nwoda, 2023). A study of Nigerian students at Coventry University in the United Kingdom found that participants generally held negative attitudes toward the language (Nwoda, 2023). Other studies point in a different direction. In a focus group study of 56 students at the Lagos State University of Science and Technology, most participants regarded Pidgin as an important part of their culture, although patterns of use differed widely between students, with some using it extensively and others only in certain situations (Akinkugbe & Adetola, 2023). NP is therefore both stigmatised and valued, and its place in university life deserves careful study.

1.2 Background to the Study

A pidgin is a language that develops where speakers of different languages need to communicate but share no common tongue. Once it is established, it is typically learned as a second language and used between people who speak different first languages. Because Nigerian Pidgin now serves millions of speakers across many domains, many linguists treat it as a language in its own right and not merely a simplified or supplementary form of English.

Every language is, in principle, adequate for the communicative needs of its speakers and should not be judged inferior merely because of its history. Nigerian Pidgin has nevertheless been repeatedly criticised, and various groups have tried to discourage its use. These attempts have not succeeded, because the language has real value for its users. It has brought people together across ethnic and linguistic divides, creating a shared local culture that draws on many sources.

The university is a particularly important setting in which to study this tension. English is the language of instruction and of formal academic communication in Nigerian universities, and undergraduates are expected to develop proficiency in it (Olajobi & Ofodu, 2023). At the same time, students come from many language backgrounds and use Pidgin to socialise with one another. Some scholars worry that its use affects students' command of Standard English. In a survey of 525 undergraduates in four Ekiti State universities, Olajobi and Ofodu (2023) found a significant relationship between Pidgin use and students' writing on social media. Others stress its social benefits, including solidarity and a sense of belonging (Akinkugbe & Adetola, 2023). Whether Pidgin helps or harms university life, and in what respects, is the question this study addresses.

1.3 Statement of the Research Problem

Nigeria's language policy favours Standard English in formal and official communication, and English is the medium of instruction in universities. Students are therefore encouraged, and sometimes cautioned, to use Standard English when speaking to lecturers and when writing academic work. In practice, however, Nigerian Pidgin is the most widely used medium of everyday communication among students from different ethnic backgrounds, and it is generally regarded as unsuitable for formal settings, where its use is often frowned upon.

Two positions are in tension. One holds that Pidgin weakens students' proficiency in Standard English and therefore their academic performance (Olajobi & Ofodu, 2023). The other holds that it is a legitimate language that supports communication, solidarity and identity across a multi-ethnic student body (Akinkugbe & Adetola, 2023). The studies reviewed for this work were conducted in other institutions and do not cover the University of Uyo, so little is known about how students there use Pidgin, how they regard it, and whether it affects their academic performance and the wider university community. This study therefore evaluates the use of, and attitudes toward, Nigerian Pidgin among students of the University of Uyo and examines its effects.

1.4 Research Questions

The study seeks to answer the following questions:

1. How widely is Nigerian Pidgin used among students of the University of Uyo?
2. What attitudes do students hold toward Nigerian Pidgin?
3. If Nigerian Pidgin serves useful communicative functions, why is its use and status often denigrated?
4. Does the use of Nigerian Pidgin affect students' academic performance?
5. Does the use of Nigerian Pidgin affect the university community positively or negatively?

The answers will support recommendations for policy and for further research.

1.5 Purpose and Objectives of the Study

The purpose of the study is to examine the use, status and effects of Nigerian Pidgin among students in higher institutions, using the University of Uyo as a case. Pidgin has long been a common means of communication among students, and the study will show whether its use has any effect on their academic performance and on life in the university community. Because the problem is not unique to Uyo, the findings may also be relevant to students in similar institutions. The specific objectives are to:

1. Assess the use and recognition of Nigerian Pidgin among students of the University of Uyo.
2. Determine the degree of Nigerian Pidgin use among these students.
3. Examine students' attitudes toward Nigerian Pidgin.
4. Determine whether the use of Nigerian Pidgin affects students' academic performance and the university community, and in what direction.

1.6 Significance of the Study

Nigerian Pidgin is often described as a marker of identity and solidarity and as an inter-ethnic code for Nigerians who have no common language (Akande, 2008, as cited in Nwoda, 2023). The study will help to show whether, among Uyo students, it functions as such a marker. The findings will help language policy planners to understand how widely and for what purposes students use Pidgin, so that policies on language and education can be better matched to reality. They may also help to explain students' positive or negative relations within the university community and their academic performance. The study will add to the literature in English and language studies in Nigerian universities and will provide evidence for educational planning at institutional and national level.

1.7 Scope and Limitations of the Study

The study is concerned with the effects of Nigerian Pidgin in the university community and uses the University of Uyo as its case. It will assess the use of Pidgin in its different forms and settings. It is limited to the University of Uyo community, although its findings may be relevant to other universities.

1.8 Definition of Terms

Nigerian Pidgin (NP): An English-based pidgin and creole language that serves as a lingua franca across Nigeria. It is commonly called 'Pidgin' or 'Broken' English and is also known in scholarship as Naijá.

Language attitude: The views, feelings and evaluations that members of a speech community hold toward a language or variety and its speakers.

Standard English: The variety of English used in formal education, official communication and writing.

University community: The students, staff and others who live and work within the University of Uyo.

References

Akinkugbe, A. I., & Adetola, A. S. (2023). Nigerian cultural diversity and the place of pidgin language: A study of LASUSTECH students. International Journal of Contemporary Research in Humanities, 1(1), 149–157.

Eberhard, D. M., Simons, G. F., & Fennig, C. D. (Eds.). (2025). Ethnologue: Languages of the world (28th ed.). SIL International. https://www.ethnologue.com

Encyclopaedia Britannica. (n.d.). Languages by total number of speakers. https://britannica.com/topic/languages-by-total-number-of-speakers-2228881

Nwoda, C. (2023). Attitudes regarding the use of Nigerian Pidgin English among Nigerian students at Coventry University. SOAS Working Papers in Linguistics, 21, 46–63. https://doi.org/10.25501/SOAS.00040383

Olajobi, O. M., & Ofodu, G. O. (2023). The communicative influence of Pidgin English on social media writing among university undergraduates in Ekiti-State, Nigeria. Multidisciplinary Journal of Arts and Language Education, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.68292/aba54h31