Abstract
This study was carried out in view of the influences of Pidgin English amongst the students in Nigeria using Port Harcourt Local Government Area in Rivers State as a case study. It was conducted on two hundred students and eight teachers from four selected schools, four government workers and eight staff from the media. This research was executed because of the high rate of communication in Pidgin English amongst secondary school students, which has become a threat to their educational career. However, it was discovered in the course of the study, that there are factors that enhance this issue. The negative impact of the socio-linguistic status of Pidgin English in the Nigerian society has necessitated some recommendations which include: The creation of awareness among parents, the media and the government against the dangers of habitual use of Pidgin English, introduction and training of teachers on introduce effective methods during the English language lesson delivery. The government should invest more resources and manpower in education to enable the children from poor homes improve in the English Language, and Pidgin English should be introduced in the curriculum, so students could know the structures and lexical, to avoid code-switching it with that of the English Language. Key words: Pidgin English, educational outcomes, socio-linguistic status.
Highlights
Pidgin English is well recognized in Nigeria
It was assumed that only those who reside in the ghetto areas or are illiterates are conversant with Pidgin English
This status given to Pidgin English is becoming a threat to students‟ proficiency in English language as well as impeding their successful performance in other subjects
Summary
Pidgin English is well recognized in Nigeria. It is spoken by seventy million people as a second language while over one million use it as a first language. The Nigerian Pidgin started as a language of non-literates according to Bamgbose et al (1995) This is because, acquiring English takes a longer period of time, needs people to go to school and not everyone has access to school and it seems tedious than. In recent times, it is serving as a lingua franca in higher institutions and even to some extent, among graduates. It is serving as a lingua franca in higher institutions and even to some extent, among graduates This variety of English was established due to the trade situation that took place between the Portuguese and Nigerian trade partners especially the coastal people of the Niger Delta from 1469 to about 1529. The English people arrived at the beginning of the 17th century and replaced the vocabulary of the Portuguese-based English with words drawn from the English language without changing the grammatical
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