ABSTRACT
This research was propelled by the intention to investigate the creative ability of Nigerian Pidgin as an effective communication in a multi-ethnic society such as Ipodo Community Market in Ikeja. It explored the functions of language and that of Pidgin which is the language in discourse. The study was restricted to the type of Pidgin spoken among traders in Ipodo Market. It identified the morphology, syntactual process of this language and how useful it has been in terms of communication.
Chapter One
Introduction
Pidgin to some scholars is a language that has no function. To others, Pidgin is jargon, corrupt and a language that is not systematic. According to Fromkin and Rodma (1974). Pidgin is an unruly bastard jargon, filled with nursery embellishment, vulgarism and corruption. But many Nigerians who speak Pidgin sometimes feel ashamed to associate with the language in public. This is because Pidgin is considered to be a form of English and not a language in its own right.
The main focus of this work is restricted to the variety of English spoken in the vicinity of Ipodo Market in Lagos, known as Pidgin. Ipodo Market is situated in Ikeja area of Lagos which is known to be a densely populated area with people of different ethnic groups and Pidgin serves as a convenient means of communication. Nowadays, Pidgin enjoys a rather ambivalent status in community market among traders who are from various indigenous groups. This variety of English is recognized as a meaningful language of inter-tribal communications and as such makes people to realize its communication role.
In West Africa, Nigeria is distinguished in profuseness as far as Pidgin is concerned. Nigerians have continued to add flavor to the language which could be seen in the development of Nigeria Music and Film Industry, which the government is promoting through the presentation of programmes on radio and television stations, which are now broadcast in Pidgin.