A United States (US)–based language scholar, Dr Foluso Okebiorun, has called for Nigerian Pidgin English to be formally included in the national school curriculum, describing it as a powerful cultural asset and unifying force in the country.
Okebiorun, a former lecturer at Northshore Community College in Massachusetts and ex-public school teacher in Lagos, made the appeal in a recent academic study on the evolving role of Nigerian Pidgin.
The research was first presented at the Society of Pidgin and Creole Languages Conference in the US in 2022 and later published in an academic volume in 2024.
She stated that while societal attitudes toward Pidgin vary, the language has become an indispensable medium of communication across different social classes, media platforms and public discourse. She cited the BBC News Pidgin service as a testament to its growing prominence and legitimacy.
"Nigerian Pidgin is more than just a language; it is a societal symbol that unites Nigerians. It reflects our history, resilience, and creativity," she said.
Her study, which analysed inscriptions on public transport vehicles, revealed a strong preference for Pidgin expressions over other languages.
These inscriptions, she observed, often convey themes of defiance, humour, protest, lived experience and advice, revealing its expressive capacity and cultural depth.
READ ALSO: DELSU Invites Applications for 2025 Nursing Programme via CODEL
Okebiorun believed that Nigerian Pidgin contains proverbs, idioms and linguistic structures characteristic of a fully developed language.
Integrating it into formal education, she argued, would enrich classroom learning, validate students’ identities and acknowledge the linguistic realities of everyday Nigerians.
In a nation with over 500 indigenous languages, she stressed that Pidgin functions as a neutral lingua franca that bridges ethnic and regional divides.
"It is time for Nigeria to embrace its linguistic reality. By incorporating Nigerian Pidgin into the school system, we can preserve our cultural identity, promote inclusivity, and foster mutual understanding among students from different regions," she said.
She recommended that Pidgin be introduced as a subject in secondary schools and called for the development of a standard orthography to guide teaching and formal usage.
To address challenges around teaching materials and curriculum development, she urged collaboration between the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, linguists and researchers to produce textbooks, dictionaries and teacher-training programmes.
The Scholar further appealed to policymakers, educators and parents to view Pidgin not as a threat to English proficiency, but as a bridge to it, arguing that its deep borrowing from English vocabulary can support literacy and improve learning outcomes.
Comments
Post a Comment