Audiences' perception of Pidgin English in Nigerian advertisements

Thèse de Bachelor , 2017 , 78 Pages , Note: A

Medias / Communication - Mass média

In a world of fierce competition and the emergence of the internet as a powerful, borderless medium, gaining and retaining the attention of consumers and customers and persuading them to buy products and services through the broadcast media is becoming more challenging and important.

Although advertising has been proven to be effective in providing market information about products and services, its understanding and comprehension by the masses has been questioned consistently. Thus, it is important for advertisers, advertising agencies, and the media to understand the role that languages play in reaching the target market audience with simple market information about products.

This research examines audience perception of Pidgin English advertisements in Nigerian broadcast media, using Benin-City as a reference point. The inhabitants of Benin-City municipal are mainly businessmen and women of various ethnic backgrounds, mostly Hausas, Igbos, and Yorubas. Hence, the use of Pidgin English is regarded as the best medium of public interaction and communication in carrying out their daily activities. These people mostly understand the surface structure of communicated messages in Standard English, while several others cannot even comprehend them at all.

Hence, this study examines if Pidgin English holds the interest of the audience when used as a vehicle for conveying advertising messages by the advertisers via the broadcast media and also found out if Pidgin English can help decrease misconception and misunderstanding as regards advertised products. It also intends to explore the potential of the Nigerian Pidgin English as a language as a medium of public and mass communication in Nigeria.

A survey research method was adopted in the study, and 200 well-structured questionnaires were administered to purposively selected respondents at random. Data gathered was analyzed using frequency counts, and simple percentages.

Findings showed that Pidgin English usage in advertisements helps to reduce misconceptions and misunderstandings of advertisement information and also holds the interest of the audience when used as a medium of communication. Based on the findings, it was that the use of Pidgin English in advertisements should be encouraged. The study also recommends further study to find out whether the public would embrace the culture of using Pidgin English more often for broadcast programs and perhaps adopt it as one of the country’s lingua franca.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Tables

Abstract

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION.
1.0. Background to the Study
1.1. Statement of the Problem
1.2. Objectives of the Study
1.3. Research Questions
1.4. Significance of the Study
1.5. Scope of the Study
1.6. Limitations of the Study
1.7. Operational Definition of Terms

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW.
2.0. Introduction
2.1. The Origin and Concept of Nigerian Pidgin English
2.2. The Pervasiveness and Influence of Pidgin English
2.3. The Origin and Evolution Advertising
2.4. Concept and Nature of Advertising
2.4.1. Classification of Advertisements
2.4.2. Types of Advertisements
2.4.3. Roles and Functions of Advertisement
2.4.4. Purpose of Advertisement
2.5. The Imperative of Using Pidgin English for Advertisements in Nigeria
2.6. The Interface between Pidgin English Advertisements and Broadcasting in Nigeria
2.7. Theoretical Framework
2.7.1. The Preponderance Theory

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.0. Introduction
3.1 Research Design
3.2. Population of the Study
3.3. Sample Size and Sampling Technique
3.4. Data Collection Instrument
3.5. Validity and Reliability of Instrument
3.6. Procedure of Data Administration
3.7. Sources of Data
3.7.1. Primary Source of Data
3.7.2. Secondary Source of Data
3.8. Method of Data Analysis

CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS.
4.0. Introduction
4.1. Data Presentation and Analysis
4.2. Discussion of Findings

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.0. Introduction
5.1. Summary
5.2. Conclusion
5.3. Recommendation
5.4. Suggestions for Further Studies

REFERENCES

APPENDIX

Questionnaire

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 - Sex of Respondents

Table 2 - Age of Respondents

Table 3 - Respondents Religious Affiliations

Table 4 - Respondents Educational Qualifications

Table 5 - Respondents Marital Status

Table 6 - Respondents Occupation

Table 7 - Respondents Residential Status

Table 8 - Respondents Pidgin English Speaking Ability

Table 9 - Respondents Views on Pidgin English

Table 10 - Respondents Views on the Impact of NigPE Usage in Advert

Table 11 - Respondents Comprehension of Pidgin English

Table 12 - Respondents Views on the Acceptability of NigPE

Table 13 - Respondents Views on the Popularity of NigPE

Table 14 - Respondents Views in the Numbers of NigPE Adverts

Table 15 - Respondents Views on Pidgin English Adverts

Table 16 - Respondents Views on Whether NigPE Adverts Should be encouraged

Table 17 - Respondents Views on the Advantages of NigPE Adverts

Table 18 - Respondents Views on NigPE Adverts Comprehension

Table 19 - Respondents Views on the Attractiveness of NigPE Adverts

Table 20 - Respondents Views on the Selling Value of NigPE Products

ABSTRACT

In a world of fierce competition and emergence of internet as a powerful, borderless media, gaining and retaining the attention of consumers and customers and persuading them to buy products and services through the broadcast media is becoming more challenging and important. Although advertising has been proved to be effective in providing market information about products and service, yet its understanding and comprehension to the masses has been questioned consistently. Thus, it is important for the advertisers, advertising agencies and the media to understand the role that languages played in reaching the target market audience with simple market information about products.

This research examined audience perception of Pidgin English advertisements in Nigerian broadcast media using Benin-City as a reference point. The inhabitants of Benin-City municipal are mainly business men and women of various ethnic backgrounds mostly Hausas, Igbos and Yorubas; hence the use of Pidgin English is regarded as the best medium of public interaction and communication in carrying out their daily activities. These people mostly understand the ‘surface structure’ of communicated messages in Standard English language and several others cannot even comprehend at all. Hence, this study examined if Pidgin English holds the interest of audience when used as a vehicle for conveying advertising messages by the advertisers via the broadcast media and also find out if Pidgin English can help decrease misconception and misunderstanding as regards advertised products. It also intends to explore the potentials of the Nigerian Pidgin English as a language of public and mass communication in Nigeria. Survey research method was adopted in the study and 200 well-structured questionnaires were administered on the purposively selected respondents at random.

Data gathered were analysed by the use of table constructs, frequency count and simple percentages. The findings of the research showed that Pidgin English usage in advertisements helps to reduce misconception and misunderstanding of advert information and also holds the interest of the audience when used as a medium of communication. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommended that the use of Pidgin English in advertisements should be encouraged. Since the study covers only Benin-City municipal, the researcher recommended for further study to find out whether the general public would embrace the culture of using Pidgin English language more often for broadcast programmes and perhaps adopts it as one of the country ’s lingua franca.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Background to the Study

Communication is the key to human evolution. It is what defines human existence and civilization. But without recognizable sounds, signs or symbols, or in a wider context, language, what we call communication -be it verbal or non-verbal or in any of it forms, would be non-existent. One of the most significant variances amongst man and animal is man’s ability to express himself effectively and make others comprehend him easily. Language is only possible because within each society, people agree to understand a particular pattern of sound in a particular way. For instance, all Anglophone countries understand the meaning of the word ‘fire’. Scholars and researchers have over the years given us wider and robust information about language from their fields: to the linguists, it is termed a set of arbitrary symbols; the communication experts deduced that it is a tool for sharing ideas from a sender to a receiver and so on.

However, language can be simply put as what members of a particular society or culture utilize in order to communicate or make mutual interaction possible. According to Akindele and Adegbite (1999p.l), language is a human phenomenon that has form which can be described in terms of units of sound (phonemes), word, morphemes, phrases, sentences and paragraphs or discourse. This definition shows that language has often been identified as the most unique attribute of man. It is through language that human beings grasp and understand reality and transmit it from one generation to emother. This view is buttressed by Blakar (1979p.4) who asserts that “we actually live and behave in a world of language”. Fromkin and Rodman (1980p.l) quoted Noam Avram Chomsky as saying that “when we study human language, we are approaching what some might call the human essence. The distributive qualities of mind that are so far as we know unique to man”. This underlines the basic fact that man is continuously using language, be it spoken, written or printed form and is constantly linked to others via shared norms or behaviour. Language has been a major tool, chiefly responsible for the social consciousness of any country’s citizenry, because it is essentially with the usage of language that information about the on-goings in the environment get to the people, either directly, through contact with any medium of mass communication, like the television, radio, newspapers, magazines, books and journals, and other forms of the mass media; or through indirect means such as conversations, meetings and discussions.

Thus, it is acknowledged that a language is essentially a set of items, what Hudson (1990) calls ‘linguistic items,’ such entities as sounds, words, grammatical structures and so on. Corroborating Hudson’s view, Oyewo (2005p.l5) describe language as “the medium or vehicle for conveying ideas, a system of arbitrary vocal symbol based on social cooperation; the totality of meaningful utterance in any given society” and this, is by far the most essential means of human communication. Consequently, it is these items, their status and their arrangements that have brought about creation of both spoken and written languages.

Among the many languages of the world are a few often assigned to a somewhat marginal position, the various lingua franca, pidgins and creoles have existed since time immemorial but have not been studied as full-fledged languages. Pidgin languages have their different histories majorly from language contact and subsequent borrowing and code-mixing. The origin of Nigerian Pidgin can be traced to the contact which was established between multilingual coastal communities and Portuguese merchants, who were joined later by the Dutch and the English. There is a paucity of historical records; the history of serious study of such languages goes back only a few decades, and because of the circumstances of their use, they have often been regarded as being of little intrinsic value or interest. Until recently, pidgins and creoles have generally been viewed as uninteresting linguistic phenomena, which have been said to lack articles, the copula, and grammatical inflections, rather than those they possess, and those who speak them have often been treated with disdain or contempt.

Hymes (1971) has pointed out that before the 1930s, pidgins and creoles were largely ignored by linguists, who regarded them as ‘marginal languages’ at best. Some linguists were often advised to abstain from them, lest they endanger their careers. He points out that pidgins and creoles ‘are marginal’, in the circumstances of their origin, and in the attitudes towards them on the part of those who speak one of the languages from which they derive.

Pidgin, as a word or a language has all through the civilization of man, characteristically made communication between two or more people simpler and has diminished the prestige and bottlenecks with respect to other languages. It is a language with no native speakers because it is no one’s first language but, is a contact language. That is, Pidgin is the product of a multilingual situation in which those who wish to communicate must find or improvise a simple language system that will enable them to do so. Perhaps, it is on this statement of intent that famous American anthropologist and motivational speaker, Dr Gary D. Chapman affirmed that "Language differences are part and parcel of human culture. If we are to communicate effectively across cultural lines, we must learn the language of those with whom we wish to communicate"

A Pidgin is therefore regarded as a ‘reduced’ variety of a ‘normal’ language. It is used to refer to a language which develops in a situation where speakers of different languages and socio-cultural origins have a need to interact but do not share a mutual language. Once a pidgin has emerged, it is generally learned as a second language and used for communication among people who speak differently.

Holmes (1989) defines Pidgin as a reduced language that results from extended contact between groups of people with no language in common; it evolves when they need some means of verbal communication, perhaps for trade, but no group learns the native language of any other group for social reasons that may include lack of trust or of close contact.

According to Whinnom (1971) the process of Pidginization requires a situation that involves at least three languages, one of which is clearly dominant over the others. He further explains that when three or more languages are involved and one is dominant, the speakers of the two or more that are inferior appear to play a critical role in the development of Pidgin. So, Pidgin is a simplified means of linguistic communication, as it is constructed impromptu, or by convention, between two individuals or groups of people.

Nigerian Pidgin English (henceforth NigPE or NPE) is in fact becoming very popular in the country, especially in the secondary schools and universities; even at public function as well as in the offices. It is a lingua franca for social integration among diverse ethnic groups in the country. It is safe to say that Nigerian Pidgin English (NigePE) has evolved from the basic early development to its present phase that it is now utilized even for sophisticated literary communication -Some of which include “Dis Nigeria Sef’ a poem written by famous Ogoni leader and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, “No Food No Country' a play by Tunde Fatunde, and “Grip Am ” a play by Ola Rotimi. Although some people consider its speakers to be of low social status NigPE has come to stay as the major lingua franca adopted for both public and mass communication among the many different speakers in Nigeria. According to Jowitt (2000):

The situation today is that pidgin flourishes as a medium of inter-ethnic communication, especially in the south, and especially in the large cities with many non-indigenous residents (Bendel, Benin, Port Harcourt, etc) or throughout States with small many ethnic groups...(p. 15)

Nigerian Pidgin in this case is a situation where normal language pattern is altered, but generally recognized to convey specific meaning. The language does not only evolve but also has its origin from a mixture of other indigenous languages spoken in Nigeria. Experiences have shown that among the residents of Benin-City for which this work was conceived, Nigerian Pidgin English has gained a wider audience in all sectors of the economy, especially in advertisements.

According to Bovee and Arens (1989p,13), advertisement is ‘a communication process, a marketing process, an economic and social process or an information process, a public relation and persuasion process depending on the point of view’. The import of this assertion is that in every communication endeavour, perception of individual differs, hence, perception is the key to how we define a phenomenon; it is a major factor that helps us defines or ascribes meanings to our perceived environment. Advertising has also been defined by Daramola (2012) as: a group of activities aiming at and including dissemination of information in any paid non-personal form, concerning an idea, product or service, to compel action in accordance with the intent of an identified sponsor.(p.201)

Corroborating these definitions, Dada (2010) affirmed that advertisements have the following indices in them:

- It has an identified author
- It is a non-personal communication
- It is paid for
- It is well planned
- It targets a specific audience
- It is purposeful

Therefore, advertisement is a communicative process that informs and influences the audience. This reveals advertisements as a vital marketing tool as well as a powerful communication force. It is further revealed as an action of calling the attention of people to something, especially by rapid announcement, usually in succession known as advertising campaign. What is more, it is a message designed to make known what we have to buy or sell, by using various channels of communication - radio, television, newspaper, magazines, posters, billboards and the internet. In view of the above-mentioned, the various aims of advertisement can only be realised through effective communication (Dada, 2013).

It is a communication tool for marketing, public relations, and promotional management, as well as social and political mobilization. It is the primary source of revenue for the mass media in a free market economy. It has not only become an integral part of man’s social, political, and economic life, but has also grown both as a business activity and as a profession.

Advertising has been one of the major sources of revenue for the media since the public media were commercialized. As argued by Pate, Adeyanju and Yahaya (2012), commercialization has affected the quality and quantity of news especially in the broadcast media. When print media prosper financially, it is because advertisers recognize their worth as advertising media (Nwabueze, Ezebuenyi & Ezeoko, 2012). Just as the Marxist saying that “he who pays the piper dictates the tune”, the mass media today strive to serve the interest of their advertisers and owners best so as to sustain them in the market (McQuail 2010). In modem societies, advertising so pervades our daily lives that Malickson and Nason (1997p.l7) assert that: ‘the average person is exposed to many hundreds of advertising messages between the time he opens his eyes in the morning and clicks off his light at night’.

In the newspapers, magazines, outdoor posters, handbills and direct mails; on radio, television, and the internet, as well as in the cinema houses, we are daily confronted with a myriad of advertisements. Thus, advertising has become a conscious daily activity and experience which man cannot ignore whether as a practitioner, advertiser or consumer. It is little wonder, therefore, that famous American President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was so sold on advertising that he once zestfully declared:

If I were starting life all over again, I am inclined to think that I would go into advertising business in preference to almost any other. This is because advertising has come to cover the whole range of human needs and also because it combines real imagination with deep study of human psychology (Okigbo, 1997p.2O7).

Nigeria is generally regarded as the most populous black nation in the world with an estimated 165 million citizens. It is a multi-ethnic, multi-party and multi-religious nation where the youths form an active and sizeable number of this population. One major feature of the Nigerian state is the preponderance of an illiterate youth and adult population whose understanding of the Standard English language [the country’s lingua franca] is very poor. It is paramount for the Nigerian populace to be informed on the new products available for consumption in the market, and also to be enlightened on happenings in the country, through a timely dissemination of information and updates on matters of national interest to reach every nook and cranny in the country. To achieve this, Nigerian broadcast media have over the years, employed Nigeria’s most mass-oriented language, which arguably is the Pidgin English.

In the course of this study, attempts will be made to establish the synergy between Nigerian Pidgin English (NigPE), broadcasting and advertisements (which is the message itself), highlight if, and how the fusion of the tripod has affected the perception of the intended audience, and if it propels them to accept the advertisement messages, as well as motivate them to take the intended action.

1.1 Statement of the Problem

It is clear that with the level of illiteracy and knowledge-gap between the literates and the illiterates in the country, there seem to be an ignorant discrimination in the rate at which information, especially advertisements, is disseminated, at the time it is, its accuracy and the populace in the country that it reaches. There is however, the general perception that majority of the Nigerian populace, especially those in the rural areas are not carried along on issues of national interest due to their inability to understand what is being broadcast or advertised on television and radio.

Consequently, there has been a lot of misinterpretations and misconceptions of advertisement messages by a good number of residents in Benin-City due to the elitist language used in disseminating these massages. They seldom understand broadcast advertisements made in Standard English language and as such, try to ignore these market information not made in Nigerian Pidgin English and develop a negative opinion or attitude towards the products or services as well as the communicated messages itself.

The problem motivating this research thus is that, to what extent are residents of Benin-City aware or informed on latest events and products or services availability in the market? How often and timely does information reach them and how has the use of Pidgin English assisted people in getting informed, and enhance their attraction to a product?

1.2 Objectives of the Study

The purpose of this study is to find out the dominant perception of the public with regards to the use of Pidgin English language for broadcast and advertising messages in Nigeria.

Along this line, the specific objectives of the study shall be to:

1. Investigate the rationale of Pidgin English use in broadcasting and advertising in Nigeria.
2. Examine Pidgin English as a language of popular communication in Nigeria.
3. Determine the basic challenges and prospects of Pidgin English use for broadcasting and advertising in Nigeria.
4. Provide reasonable recommendations for advertisers, advertising agency, as well as broadcasters in the media community for them to employ the advantages associated with the use of Nigerian Pidgin English in advertisements and broadcasting, should there be any.

1.3 Research Questions

The following research questions shall guide this study and in the course of this research, we shall attempt to find answers to the following questions:

1. What is the rationale of Pidgin English use in advertising in Nigeria?
2. What is the status of Pidgin English as a language of popular communication in Nigeria?
3. What are the basic challenges and prospects of Pidgin English use for advertisements in Nigeria?
4. Are there any advantages inherent in the use of Pidgin English in advertisements?

1.4 Significance of the Study

This study shall not be carried out solely for the purpose of meeting the requirements for the partial fulfilment of the award of Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Mass Communication, but shall also be of significance theoretically, practically and otherwise.

In terms of theoretical impact, this research could increase and add to the existing volume of literature available on the study of Nigerian Pidgin English and advertising. This could in turn lead to further investigations, thereby expanding existing depth of knowledge and at the same time, exposing certain areas that require further investigation.

By the same token, the result of the study could be of great value to advertising regulatory bodies such as APCON, ADV AN, BON etc., advertising agencies and the mass media as well as other relevant organizations as it could reveal areas where decisions should be made to improve effective utilization of Pidgin English as a potent language for broadcasting and advertising.

1.5 Scope of the Study

Although the study universe is Edo State, due to the fact that time constraints will not permit the sampling of residents in all the towns and villages in the state, Benin City has been chosen to serve as the case study for this research because it is the largest and the capital city in the state. The city, which is located in the Southern Senatorial District of the state, and due to the strategic location of the city, it attracts individuals from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, who have diverse views regarding the value of Pidgin English as a language of broadcast and advertising communication.

1.7 Limitations of the Study

This study is done within the larger framework of the Integrated Marketing Communication and Language. The focus on a single case study or single city in this instance, presents a challenge in generating the findings of this research to other cities in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, the techniques that shall be used to collect data may prove to be valuable as a framework for future research, even if the findings may not be effectively and comprehensively generalized.

1.8 Operational Definition of Key Terms

To foster a clear understanding of this research, the following key terms/concepts are here defined within their operational context.

- Audience Perception: Audience perception, which is the focal point of this study, is employed to denote the attitude, view, opinion and assessment of advertisements which they are constantly exposed to through the major broadcast media outfit operational in the environment of study.
- Pidgin English: In the context of this study, Pidgin English is a non-specific name used to refer to any of the many pidgin languages derived from mainly from Standard English language and two or more dominant languages present among the intended users. The researcher chooses to call Nigerian Pidgin English as NigPE or NPE in the context of this study.
- Advertisements: In the framework of this study, advertisements are the direct messages or sort of notice disseminated by the broadcast media channels such as radio and television, informing or telling consumers and potential consumers about the availability of products or services as well as necessary information needed to purchase or have access to them. However, it is used interchangeably with the conceptual word “advertising”.
- Broadcast Media: In the context of this research, are the modem channels of mass communication that disseminates its messages via electromagnetic waves, through the sky. The major of these media focused on are radio and television broadcast outfit.

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0. Introduction

This chapter discusses the concept of Nigerian Pidgin English, its pervasiveness and influence, origin and definitions of advertising, its classifications, role and functions as well. It also discusses the interface of advertising and broadcasting in Nigerian Broadcast media and the imperative of Pidgin English in advertisement. Besides that, the theoretical framework of Anthony Downs “Majoritarian” or Preponderance theory has been proposed for this study. The later framework, which is adopted in this study, will be discussed in detail. Finally, this chapter gives an overview of related studies in the field of advertisement.

2.1. The Origin and Concept of Nigerian Pidgin English

Nigerian pidgin is basically an English-based pidgin and a Creole language by nature. Wikipedia (2017), the free encyclopaedia states this is so because most speakers of the language are not native speakers, although many children do learn it right from childhood. Pidgin or “brokin”, as it fondly called, is spoken as a defacto lingua franca across Nigeria. Elugbe and Omamor (1991), in their effort to define the concept pidgin, opines that it is "some kind of a marginal language that arises to fulfil specific communication needs in well- defined circumstances.” The above position indicates that pidgin is not an official lingual- fianca, but a subsidiary language employed for interaction particularly by individuals who do not share the same language. Elugbe and Omamor, quoting Hall (1966), stated further that there are two indices that qualified a language as pidgin. In their idea, for a language to be eligible as pidgin, “Its grammatical structure and its vocabulary must be sharply reduced; secondly, the resultant language must be native to none of those who use it” (Elugbe & Omarnor, 1991). In agreement with the above statement, Rickford (1998) confirmed that:

A pidgin usually combines elements of the native language of its users and is typically simpler than those native languages in so far as it has fewer words, less morphology, and a more restricted range of phonological and syntactic options.

Nigeria, according to Awodiya (2006), has about 250 ethnic groups. Wikipedia (2017) states that each of the over 250 ethnic groups in Nigeria can interact in pidgin, though they usually add their own variations to it. The following examples are used to demonstrate this reality:

The Yorubas use the words such ‘Se' [pronounced Shay] and ‘abf when speaking pidgin. These are often used at the start or end of an intoned sentence or question. E.g., “you are coming right?” becomes “Se you dey come?” or “you dey come abi?”... The Igbos added the word “Nna” also used at the beginning of some sentences to show camaraderie. E.g. “Man, that test was hard” becomes “Nna, that test hard no be small.” (Igboanusi, 2008)

The origin of Nigerian Pidgin may be difficult to accurately ascertained, however, it could be traced back to the contacts between Europeans and Nigerians. Evidence in literature shows that, as far back as the eighteenth century, Nigerian Pidgin English was already being spoken particularly in the coastal city states of the Niger Delta (Agheyisi, 1984; Ogu, 1992).

Agheyisi (1984) opines that this early pidgin was restricted, if not exclusively, to the context of trade. But steadily, the social conditions as well as the introduction of schools by the missionaries and colonial governments led to its spread and development as noted by Flint (1960p.83):

The absorption of large numbers of Ibo (Igbo) east of the Niger produced an extra-ordinary cosmopolitan effect, in which most cities became trilingual, speaking the native Ijo; Efik; Ibo (Igbo); and Pidgin English, the language of trade with Europeans. By the end of the eighteenth century, there were even rudimentary schools in Calabar for the teaching of Pidgin English, reading and writing with the object of producing clerks and book keepers.

Equally, Elugbe and Omamor (1991) states that “Nigerian Pidgin rose from the contact between multilingual coastal communities of Nigeria and visiting European explorers/traders - first, the Portuguese, then briefly the Dutch and finally the English”. As a result of this, there was an urgent need to converse in a mutual language. A Portuguese-based Pidgin was developed initially but it was later swapped for an English based pidgin which is still widely spoken till today. Jowitt (2000p.l5) puts it this way:

Nigerian Pidgin undoubtedly originated and developed its standard forms during the period 3000 years that elapsed between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. Its vocabulary is drawn from English, with Portuguese probably the source of such common words as dash, palaver and sabby (or sabe).

This is because the visiting Europeans traders/explorer probably felt it was not important to learn the language of the locals possibly for the reason that they were more superior to their local hosts hence, reluctant to study a local language. On the other hand, it might actually be because of the myriads of dialects and languages that the local host speaks. Consequently, the foreigners began to interact with Nigerians in their language. Elugbe and Omamor (1991) put it that “Nigerians had to accommodate the visiting Englishmen by resorting to some makeshift form of English”. Hence, NigPE according to Jowitt (2000p.l5) “served as a language of trade for communication between Englishmen and Nigerians living along the Nigerian coast and Pidgin was useful because it could be learned easily by both races”. This was essentially because trade was the principal interest of each side, and the Europeans did not see any reason to penetrate the interior. However, in the 19th century, when the Europeans, especially, the Englishmen, developed other interest in the people and their land, hence, with their religious and political desires, the Englishmen did penetrate the interior. It was therefore expected for Pidgin to function as a vital means of communication between the indigenes and the invader. And after independence, the Standard English language became the official language of Nigeria.

Despite the use of Standard English language as the nation’s lingua franca, it is still evident that many a people of Nigeria still prefer to converse in NigPE. Mafeni (1971) notes that NigPE has grown into an extensively spoken language in Nigeria and that many town and city residents are at least bilingual in NigPE and one indigenous language, usually their mother tongue. In consonance with Mafeni, Faraclas (2004) submits that NigPE is spoken, today, by millions of people, especially the younger age bracket signifying various linguistic areas of the Nigerian society. Relating to the numerical strength of NigPE speakers in Nigeria, Ihemere (2006), states that Nigerian pidgin is the native language of approximately three (3) to five (5) million people and is a second language for at least another 75 million people. Faraclas (2004p.828) has this to say:

Well over half of the 140 million inhabitants of Nigeria are now fluent speakers of the language, making NPE the most widely spoken language in Nigeria, as well as the indigenous African language with the largest number of speakers. Given the rapid spread of NPE among younger Nigerians, this proportion should increase to cover over seventy or eighty per cent by the time the present generation of children reaches adulthood. There is no Creole language worldwide with nearly as many speakers as NPE.

Before now, NigPE seems to have no prominence as most speakers only embraced and associated themselves with the language by using it for communication when necessary. It is instructive to note that despite the common use of Pidgin in Nigeria notwithstanding, it has not yet acquire any official recognition in the country. However, the continuous use of NigPE by Nigerians has led to its rising status in the country. In other words, NigPE has remained one of the languages with vitality in the society despite its unofficial recognition.

Although hypothetically speaking, no language is linguistically minor or major, genuine or bastardised, people tend to perceive Nigerian Pidgin English as a corrupt, bastardised or substandard language (Igboanusi 2008; Mann 1996). As pointed out by Elugbe and Omamor (1991), these perceptions of general public to NigPE are not based on any sound or logical reasoning. In spite of the fact that NigPE is spoken by the majority of the total population of Nigeria today (Faraclas 2004; Igboanusi 2008) and despite its use by people from different walks of life including graduates and professionals (Akande 2008), the general attitudes of the majority of Nigerians towards NigPE are still not inspiring. In relation to this, Deuber (2005p.l83) says:

Although a major lingua franca, it has no official recognition; even without any policy statements, it performs a growing range of functions, including, for example, that of a medium of public broadcasting, but no efforts have been made to develop it in order for it to be able to cope with these functions, as has been done for the major and to some extent also for minor indigenous languages.

Deuber (2005) also opines that NigPE is the most mistreated language in Nigeria since no official status is assigned to it. Elugbe and Omamor (1991) and Egbokhare (2003) all in their notions proposed that NigPE be given the status of an official or state language while Igboanusi (2008) advocates for its use as an instructional delivery tool in the early stage of primary education programme especially for children who are already exposed to NigPE as a first language of contact. One major argument in support of the adoption of NigPE as a national language is that it is neutral as it has no ethnic origin in Nigeria, thereby eliminating the challenge of ethnic prejudice. Igboanusi (2008) examines how NigPE could be empowered in Nigeria and remarks that education is ‘the most important institution through which to raise the value of NP [NigPE]’. However, Igboanusi’s (2008) study indicates that there is no agreement among his subjects as to whether NigPE should be given any official status as some of them consider, among other things, that NigPE has no economic significance.

On the other hand, it has been regrettably observed that a large number of people across various sectors of the Nigerian society mostly those who are highly placed government officials, teachers, and some “elitist” students in the secondary schools and tertiary institutions tend to abhor its use. This is because they erroneously perceive NigPE as a mediocre or sub-standard language primarily destined for the semi-illiterates and illiterates members of the society (Agheyisi 1971). Instead, in place of NigPE, they have deified the use of English and the three officially acknowledged indigenous languages (i.e. Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba) for communication.

In spite of all these assumptions, NigPE has assumed a significant role in communication in Nigeria, especially between and among ethnic groups that do not share a common language. It has also acquired some status that emanates from the roles that it plays in Nigerian society. Furthermore, it could be argued that NigPE has improved the transmission of national ideas, socio-cultural, linguistic and political developments as well as peace and unity in the country since it is the only language that both the educated and the uneducated, irrespective of their ethnic affinities, can easily identify with. Akande (2008p.38) notes that:

There is a sense in which NigPE could be regarded as a marker of identity and solidarity. It is an inter-ethnic code available to Nigerians who have no other common language.

Nigerian Pidgin English could, for this reason, be seen as a language that in a sense projects national integration in Nigeria. Thus many linguists and scholars have called continually for the official recognition of NigPE, but such demands have been overruled (Awonusi 1990; Egbokhare 2003; Elugbe & Omamor 1991; Elugbe 1995; Mann 1998; 2000; Ndolo 1989). However, in recent times, the government at all levels have come to be aware of the vital role that NigPE plays in bridging the gaps between them and the masses. Nowadays, it is quite common to see jingles, posters, stickers and government campaigns for national awareness and mutual co-existence prepared in NigPE and disseminated in the same language through the mass media channels.

Whether we used it or not, Nigerian Pidgin is fundamental to the lives of many Nigerians and it has become first language for many in Nigeria today, especially in the Niger Delta states of Delta and Edo. It has even been assumed that Nigerian Pidgin has creolized in these parts of Nigeria (Dada, 2013). It is not uncommon to hear Pidgin English used when transacting business for instance in the markets and in the military bases and barracks across the nation where there are people of diverse culture and language, while, still been regarded as an informal language and thus best suited for informal situations where verbal interactions are incontestable. Informal interaction includes interpersonal communication, trade transactions and sometimes, formal situations like radio/television broadcasts and programmes. Thus, the deliberate and conscious use of an informal language in a formal communication setting entails the use of Pidgin English in advertisement dissemination in Nigeria and this is the very purpose of the present study.

2.2 The Pervasiveness and Influence of Pidgin English

Pidgin English is very pervasive in the entire Nigerian nation. Yinka (2010) echoes this point when he states that long considered the language of the uneducated, Nigerian Pidgin with its oscillating tones and playful imagery, is now spoken by Nigerians of every age, social class and regional origin. Underscoring the functionality of the Pidgin English in Nigeria, Yinka (2010) states pointedly that:

In a country with wide disparity in education provision, Pidgin operates as a de facto lingua franca; a bridge between social classes, ethnicities and educational levels. Public announcements and information campaigns are often made in Pidgin which has a wider reach than Standard English, the official language.

Yinka (2010) also states that it is with this understanding that Wazobia FM, the first radio station in Nigeria to broadcast all its programmes and sundry announcements exclusively in Pidgin, was established. Also, in a further attempt at giving official status to Pidgin English in Nigeria, the Naija Languej Akademi was set up recently, with a mandate to establish standard rules and official dictionary for Pidgin English spelling and grammar.

According to Yeye (2010), the Akademi is a project set up in 2009 with French Government funding, to promote research in the social sciences and the humanities, as well as enhance collaborative work between scholars in France and West Africa. In promoting the case for a standardized Nigerian Pidgin English, the Akademi argues that Nigerian Pidgin has acquired a mass of native as a means of communication between local people and European traders. Still on the importance of Nigerian Pidgin, Yeye (2010) states that:

Interest in Pidgin is not only intellectual but also political. Because similar forms of Pidgin are shared across West Africa’s English speaking countries, many believe it could evolve from a national lingua franca to a regional one.

Beyond these spheres, Pidgin English has also strategically dominated the Nigerian entertainment sector, especially with reference to music, comedy and home videos. Meanwhile, writing on NigPE, Jowitt (1990) remarks that recently NigPE has attained the feat of dignity not only among the illiterates but also the literate members of the society. He notes that the use of pidgin signals proximity and informality and, that it is good for cracking jokes. Hence, Yeye (2010) remarks that in Nigerian entertainment, a lot of songs sung in Pidgin have gained prominence just as most contemporary musicians and comedians have acquired fame by performing in Pidgin. Among past and present entertainers listed by Yeye (2010) in this regard are: Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Femi Kuti, Charley Boy, Mike Okri, Prince Nico Mbaga, Junior and Pretty, Tuface, D’banj, Sunny Nneji, Timaya, I Go Dye, Ali Baba, Basket Mouth, Gordons among several others. Ifode’s (1983) attempts to put NigPE in the general social context may also provide an insight as follows:

The main contexts of NPE use are markets, hotels, motor parks, government and private offices and schools at all levels. In markets and motor parks, it is the primary mode of communication. In the schools, NPE is prevented from becoming primary by the social stigma attached to it as a non-standard variety of the former colonial language. Some churches reproduce this stigma and hold on to Standard English, while others use NPE as the primary medium. The same can be said of offices, where social hierarchy is the primary determinant of pidgin use (p.201).

Nigerian Pidgin English is no longer restricted in its use. It could be rightly argued that Nigerian Pidgin is a lingua franca in the country. This is so because it is the most effective means of communication and interaction among the illiterate and even the literate people of different ethno-linguistic backgrounds (Bello, 2015). Jibril (1995) asserts that:

Today, the function of Nigerian Pidgin has become more extensive. Apart from expanding its territorial spreads as a lingua franca on ethnically heterogeneous areas... It is now used in radio and television broadcasts and in poetry and drama.

At present, there are many “areas of Nigeria where Nigerian Pidgin has acquired mother­tongue status” Elugbe (1991). In some areas, it is adopted as a second language. The peculiar use of Nigerian Pidgin as a first or second language is common among the people of Rivers, Port Harcourt, Delta and Edo-Benin parts of Nigeria, where it is predominantly used among the speakers for communication needs (Bello, 2015). However, this does not imply that Nigerian Pidgin is not spoken in other parts of the country, but the greater number of users is predominant in the areas mentioned above. According to a Nigerian playwright, Tunde Fatunde, who has adopted the use of Nigerian Pidgin in his work “Nigerian Pidgin is the only language possessed in common by all... people and their families” .In the academic and literary circle, Pidgin is increasingly gaining ground on playwrights like Tunde Fatunde and Ken Saro-Wiwa writing in Pidgin English as a primary mode of communication (Okome, 2001). These instances have proved that NigPE is imperative in advertisements and broadcasting in Nigeria.

[...]

• Université: National Open University of Nigeria
• Note: A
• Auteur: Adedeji Arijeniwa (Auteur)
• Année de publication: 2017
• Pages: 78
• N° de catalogue: V1281767
• ISBN (PDF): 9783346754561
• ISBN (Livre): 9783346754578
• Langue: anglais
• mots-clé: AUDIENCE, PERCEPTION, PIDGIN ENGLISH, ADVERTISEMENT, BROADCAST MEDIA