91:
29:
631:, etc. – are all derived from the early West African Pidgin English. These contemporary English-based pidgin and creole languages are so similar that they are increasingly grouped together under the name "West African Pidgin English", although the term originally designated only the original trade language spoken on the West African coast two hundred years ago.
495:. Many distinct regional variants of the language emerged. Looked down upon during the colonial era as a bastardization of proper English – a stigma still attached to it by some – Pidgin nonetheless remains in widespread use. In 2016, there were an estimated five million individuals who use Pidgin as a primary language for everyday use in
666:
in
Suriname, etc. Since the slaves taken to the Americas spoke many different African languages, they would have found West African Pidgin English as useful as a lingua franca on the plantations as they had found it back home in West Africa as a trading language. Their enslaved children born in the
448:
Those who visit Africa in a cursory manner ... are very liable to be mistaken in the meaning of the natives from want of knowledge in their language, or in the jargon of such of them as reside upon the sea-coast and speak a little
English; the European affixing the same ideas to the words spoken by
670:
The similarities among the many
English-based pidgin and creole languages spoken today on both sides of the Atlantic are due, at least in part, to their common derivation from the early West African Pidgin English. Note the following examples, all of which mean 'They are going there to eat rice':
400:
The language quickly spread up the river systems into the West
African interior because of its value as a trade language among Africans of different tribes. Later in the language's history, this useful trading language was adopted as a native language by new communities of Africans and mixed-race
436:
spoken in and around the coastal slave castles and slave trading centers by people permanently based there. The existence of this influential language during the slave trade era is attested by the many descriptions of it recorded by early
European travelers and slave traders. They called it the
388:
as a language of commerce between
British and African slave traders. Portuguese merchants were the first Europeans to trade in West Africa beginning in the 15th century, and West African Pidgin English contains numerous words of Portuguese origin such as
444:. Matthews refers to West African Pidgin English as a "jargon", and he warns Europeans coming to Africa that they will fail to understand the Africans unless they recognize that there are significant differences between English and the coastal pidgin:
564:. Nautical speech contained words from British regional dialects as well as specialized ship vocabulary. Evidence of this early nautical speech can be found in the modern pidgin and creole languages derived from West African Pidgin English.
540:
Like other pidgin and creole languages, West
African Pidgin English took the majority of its vocabulary from the dominant colonial language in the environment where it developed (English), and much of its sound system, grammar, and
397:. Later, as British merchants arrived to engage in the slave trade, they developed this language in combination with local African slave traders in order to facilitate their commercial exchanges.
634:
Some scholars argue that
African slaves took West African Pidgin English to the New World where it helped give rise to the English-based creoles that developed there, including the
667:
Americas would have adopted different versions of West
African Pidgin English as their "native" languages, thus creating a series of New World English-based creoles.
1061:""The only language we speak really well": the English creoles of Equatorial Guinea and West Africa at the intersection of language ideologies and language policies"
516:
Because West
African Pidgin English is a primarily spoken language, there is no standardized written form, and many local varieties exist. In August 2017, the
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506:, it became a "language of resistance and anti-colonialism", and political activists still use it to criticize their post-colonial political leaders.
334:
by English and local African languages. It originated as a language of commerce between British and African slave traders during the period of the
513:
countries currently being used as primary and secondary language has increased greatly, with speakers currently exceeding one hundred million.
857:
Gilbert, Glenn (June 1, 2005). "The Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages and the Society for Pidgin and Creole Linguistics, In Retrospect".
108:
155:
127:
532:, as part of its World Service branch. As part of that effort, the BBC developed a guide for a standardized written form of pidgin.
134:
440:
A British slave trader in Sierra Leone, John Matthews, mentioned pidgin English in a letter he later published in a book titled
502:
As of 2017, about 75 million people in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana and Equatorial Guinea speak the language. During the rise of
491:
West African Pidgin English remained in use in West Africa after the abolition of the slave trade by Western nations and the
449:
the African, as if they were pronounced by one of his own nation. is a specimen of the conversation which generally passes.
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338:. As of 2017, about 75 million people in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana and Equatorial Guinea used the language.
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Some scholars call this language "West African Pidgin English" to emphasize its role as a lingua franca
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used for trading. Others call it "Guinea Coast Creole English" to emphasize its role as a creole
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spoken by British sailors who manned the slave ships that sailed to Africa as part of the
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for West African Pidgin English was not the speech of Britain's educated classes, but the
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345:, there is no standardized written form, and many local varieties exist. These include
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The various pidgin and creole languages still spoken in West Africa today – the
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Over the last hundred years the amount of English-lexifer based creoles in
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571:, for instance, words derived from English regional dialects include
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57:. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed.
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Yes, my brother … gone for catch people; or they gone for make war.
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Well, my friend, you got trade today; you got plenty of slaves?
429:
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1103:"BBC starts Pidgin digital service for West Africa audiences"
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Matthews supplied an example of West African Pidgin English:
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583:('funeral'). Words from specialized ship vocabulary include
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No, we no got trade yet; by and by trade come. You can’t go.
384:
West African Pidgin English arose during the period of the
1019:
A Voyage to the River Sierra-Leone on the Coast of Africa
1002:
A Voyage to the River Sierra-Leone on the Coast of Africa
517:
442:
A Voyage to the River Sierra-Leone on the Coast of Africa
1134:
Richard Nordquist, "West African Pidgin English (WAPE)"
743:, linguist and scholar of pidgin and creole languages
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people living in coastal slave trading bases such as
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115:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
1065:International Journal of the Sociology of Language
473:What you go for catch people, you go for make war?
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545:from the local substrate languages (West African
1140:
829:Freytas-Tamura, Kimiko de (December 30, 2017).
828:
831:"The BBC in Pidgin? People Like It Well-Well"
393:('to know'), a derivation of the Portuguese
1149:English-based pidgins and creoles of Africa
175:Learn how and when to remove this message
73:Learn how and when to remove this message
1015:
998:
437:"Coast English" or the "Coast Jargon".
856:
767:
552:The English dialect that served as the
1141:
1058:
1034:"Pidgin - West African lingua franca"
974:"Pidgin - West African lingua franca"
946:"Pidgin - West African lingua franca"
918:"Pidgin - West African lingua franca"
859:Creole Language in Creole Literatures
602:
113:adding citations to reliable sources
84:
22:
770:"Working towards a standard Pidgin"
768:Kasaree, Najiba (August 22, 2017).
13:
1022:. B. White and Son, and J. Sewell.
1005:. B. White and Son, and J. Sewell.
14:
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1059:Yakpo, Kofi (January 1, 2016).
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421:. At that point, it became a
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320:West African Pidgin English
246:West African Pidgin English
190:West African Pidgin English
53:the claims made and adding
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713:Dey di go for go chop rice
709:Cameroonian Pidgin English
629:Fernando Po Creole English
625:Cameroonian Pidgin English
379:
359:Cameroonian Pidgin English
341:Because it is primarily a
724:Dem da gwain fa nyam rais
386:transatlantic slave trade
336:transatlantic slave trade
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524:, aimed at audiences in
493:decolonization of Africa
1016:Matthews, John (1788).
999:Matthews, John (1788).
871:10.1075/jpcl.20.1.09gil
698:Nigerian Pidgin English
687:Ghanaian Pidgin English
621:Ghanaian Pidgin English
617:Nigerian Pidgin English
363:Liberian Pidgin English
355:Ghanaian Pidgin English
1073:10.1515/ijsl-2016-0010
893:"Aku People of Gambia"
798:"The Origin of Pidgin"
451:
222:75,000,000 (2017)
547:Niger–Congo languages
446:
372:dialect of Krio, and
1154:West African culture
897:www.accessgambia.com
802:www.afrostylemag.com
702:Dem dey go chop rice
326:, is a West African
109:improve this article
1040:. November 16, 2016
980:. November 16, 2016
954:. November 16, 2016
926:. November 16, 2016
736:Languages of Africa
522:Pidgin news service
504:African nationalism
836:The New York Times
591:('beat, punish'),
38:possibly contains
1111:. August 21, 2017
691:Dem go chop rais
676:Sierra Leone Krio
613:Sierra Leone Krio
603:Historical impact
595:('to lift'), and
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664:Sranan Tongo
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1044:October 18,
984:October 18,
958:October 18,
930:October 18,
775:BBC Academy
741:Ian Hancock
638:in coastal
599:('floor').
520:launched a
165:August 2017
1143:Categories
1115:August 30,
748:References
374:Pichinglis
135:newspapers
47:improve it
1089:147057342
1081:0165-2516
879:0920-9034
536:Structure
330:language
292:Glottolog
280:ISO 639-3
51:verifying
1108:BBC News
1038:BBC News
978:BBC News
951:BBC News
923:BBC News
902:April 1,
730:See also
554:lexifier
332:lexified
299:west2851
203:Cameroon
1067:(239).
644:Georgia
585:kohtlas
497:Nigeria
419:Anomabu
380:History
312:cpe-011
199:Nigeria
149:scholar
45:Please
1087:
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720:Gullah
577:krabit
543:syntax
430:pidgin
328:pidgin
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778:. BBC
581:berin
549:).
395:saber
207:Ghana
156:JSTOR
142:books
1117:2017
1077:ISSN
1046:2018
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960:2018
932:2018
904:2021
875:ISSN
844:2017
809:2018
784:2017
642:and
589:flog
573:padi
528:and
526:West
417:and
391:sabi
368:the
307:IETF
128:news
1069:doi
867:doi
597:dek
593:eys
567:In
518:BBC
499:.
370:Aku
111:by
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