investigated the syntactic analysis of reduplication in Nigerian pidgin using the formal descriptive method of analysis

ABSTRACT                                        

This study investigated the syntactic analysis of reduplication in Nigerian pidgin using the formal descriptive method of analysis. the study discovered that reduplicated forms in Nigerian Pidgin mainly belongs to the Open Word Class and only a few reduplication forms are found in closed class and they function as interjection. We also found that the type of reduplication found is full reduplication with its semantic functions as plurality in nouns, habitual or randomness, intensifying the meaning of verbs, extending the meaning of the original word.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background to the study

          Language is the pivot around which all human activities on earth revolve. There is no society that  exist without language. It is the blood of any society and the indispensible identity of any people. Ndimele (2007) views language as a semiotic system because it entails the use of certain agreed upon symbols or signals to convey meaning from one person to another within a given speech community. Hence speech communities their speech habits according to context leading to variation in language.

          Bolinger (1968) views language as “a system of vocal auditory communication using convention signs composed of arbitrarily patterned sound units and assembled according to set of rule interacting with the experiences of its users”. Thus it is basically the symbols used in order to communicate with one another and the rules that govern how to use them.

          The development of language was a turning point in the evolution of communication, Macbride et al (1981) it made human communication particularly powerful and gave human beings their pre-eminent position among all other creatures in the world.

          Nigeria is made up of diverse ethnic groups and each with a distinct language and unintelligible in most cases to the immediate neighbours. The number of languages in Nigeria is about five hundred (500) different local languages (Emenanjo: 1978). Therefore a language of communication that cut across ethnic groups  becomes a national concern. Designating a common language for government and education is seen as a key to bridge the linguistic differences in Nigeria, hence the use of English as an official language.  Unfortunately, the communication need for the illiterates is neglected as English has little relevance to them.

          The Nigerian pidgin has become a contact language for Nigerians whose local languages are mutually unintelligible to each other. It has developed from its base language, English, which is the lingual Franca in Nigeria and has become useful to the general populace.

          A pidgin is a communication system that develops among people who do not share a common language. Language is an arbitrary set of signs by which members of a speech community communicate and cooperate (Fromkin and Rodman, 1989). Pidgins are auxiliary languages which can be characterized as either restricted or extended. An extended pidgin is one which although, it may not become a mother tongue (MT/LI) but proves virtually important in a multilingual nation like Nigeria where Pidgin is used beyond the original limited functions. The restricted pidgin is used for minimal trading and tends to die out as soon as the contact which gave rise to it is withdrawn, (Todd, 1974).

          Today, Nigerian pidgin is central in the lives of many Nigerians, and it is essentially a product of urbanization. It is spoken throughout the country. Todd (1984) projects at least five million users of pidgin English in Nigeria with the growth of Nigeria’s population and repaid urbanization one can project a much higher figure.

          In this work, focus is placed on reduplication in Nigerian pidgin, an obvious feature that we find in the language.

1.2     Statement of problem

          Nigeria is the most densely populated country in west Africa and one of the most multilingual having approximately 500 indigenous languages. English and Nigerian pidgin are both languages of wider communication. While English is an official language, the Nigerian pidgin has no status.

          The United Nations children’s fund (2013) states that about fifty one percent of Nigerian population do not have access to education. They use Nigerian pidgin to communicate irrespective of the setting they find themselves.

          Since colonial period, the use of Pidgin by uneducated Nigerians attract negative attitude. This is because people think of Nigerian pidgin as a broken form of language (English).

          Reduplicated forms are used for different purposes, but often times without knowing it. To people who are very comfortable with using Nigerian pidgin, it is a manner of speech.

1.3     Objectives of the study

This study aims to find out the following

i.                   The grammatical function of reduplicated forms

ii.                 The semantic relevance of these forms

iii.              The position they occupy in a construction

1.4     Research questions

             i.            What are the grammatical functions of reduplicated forms?

          ii.            What are the semantic relevance of these forms

        iii.            What position does reduplicated forms occupy in aconstruction?

1.5     Significance of the study

          The Nigerian pidgin has extended beyond its original use as a trade language; it is used in the media for advertising, news reporting and political campaign because of the effectiveness in bridging communication gaps among people of diverse cultural groups.

          The study of reduplication in Nigerian Pidgin is a contribution to the development of the grammar of Pidgin English.

1.6     Scope of the study

          The study of reduplication in Pidgin is vast and studying every aspect of it is beyond the scope of this work. Hence, this work focused on just the classification of the reduplicated form into the word class they belong.

1.7     Limitations of the study

          Some of the problems encountered during this study are: Pieces of information derived from the internet do not have authors and date, thereby posing a problem of relevance to the researcher. Also there is limited literature on the subject under study.

1.8     Methodology

          The data for this study was obtained through “natural occurring causal speeches” of speakers of Nigerian pidgin. Discourse of speaker is mainly Port Harcourt variety of the language were recorded. The research was conducted in Port Harcourt where the use of the language was prevalent with the population of informants. Some library materials were consulted for purpose of background literature and some aspect of data analysis.

          The presentation and analysis of data in this work is qualitative. Responses and conversations are recorded and noted.