An Ode To My Mother Tongue
I grew up around a lot of Nigerian-Pidgin. My mum is from Warri (The capital of Nigerian-Pidgin, argue with your keyboards) and at the time, her two siblings lived with us and they conversed in Nigerian-Pidgin and Uhrobo. I learnt how to speak Nigerian-Pidgin about the same time I learnt English. I don’t remember what language came first but I have always had Nigerian-Pidgin and it has become central to my identity as a Nigerian.
In an interview, the greatest writer of our time; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, spoke on Nigerian languages. She talked about how intentional she is in making sure her daughter speaks Igbo and Nigerian-Pidgin. She makes sure her drivers and other staff who don’t have a good grasp of the English language “speak to her daughter the way they speak to their friends” which is in Nigerian-Pidgin. People are so use to calling Nigerian-Pidgin the garage language meaning it belongs to the less privileged and touts, forgetting or rather ignorant of the fact that Nigerian-Pidgin is indeed a language just like Yoruba, Igbo and the likes. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is not less privileged and definitely not a tout but an intellectual who understands the nature of linguistics.
The dislike for Pidgin could stem from our reluctance to use Made In Nigeria products, holding onto our belief that everything and anything is better imported. It is why people would rather use words like “You was in the club” as opposed to “You dey club”. The former is a Black American colloquial just like the Nigerian-Pidgin is, but it is imported, hence its superiority. Some people support their disdain for Nigerian-Pidgin with things like; “It is not grammatically correct” “It ruins your English”. Maybe it has ruined some people’s use of the English Language, I wouldn’t know, but my household has been speaking the Nigerian-Pidgin for years and we speak the English language quite well. For the case of grammar, the American colloquial is insanely filled with grammatical errors. However, you can’t apply the grammatical rules of English to another language because they are different.
The Nigerian-Pidgin is home to me. Perhaps, it is because it’s the only other language I know. I am a product of an inter-tribal marriage and I can’t speak any of the languages (it’s not something I am proud of and I want to learn the Uhrobo language as it is the one I feel close to). It could also be because it is the primary language my family converses in. I usually say we are not really friends if the only language we converse in is English. When I entered the university, my roommate and I were awkward around each other as it is the norm with two strangers who just met, our ice breaker was Nigerian-Pidgin and it still is the language we use the most. She has also become one of my best friends. I am most comfortable in the Nigerian-Pidgin. It means, if I speak Nigerian-Pidgin with you, I am comfortable with you. It’s why when the boy I liked in secondary school told me to stop speaking Nigerian-Pidgin with disgust smeared all over his face, I withdrew. Comfort is an important factor of human relationships and if I can’t find that with you, it’s over.
I am fascinated by the Nigerian-Pidgin. It is the melting pot of Nigerian languages. It exists by borrowing from almost all the languages in Nigeria and mixing it up with English. Shege from Hausa, Kasala, from Yoruba, Ewu, from Igbo, Aproko, from Uhrobo, Koro, from Isoko, and so on. Nigeria is a country with culturally distinct people but Nigerian-Pidgin helps break the language barrier. The Hausa man at the suya joint who doesn’t speak any English understands Abeg I wan buy 500-hundred-naira suya so does the English non speaking Yoruba pepper seller. Because it is spoken all over the country, it acts as the country’s lingua franca. With a country as diverse as Nigeria, one can say the Nigerian-Pidgin is the major binding force of a country that always seems to be on the verge of snapping.
As a big fan of literature, the literary aspect of Nigerian-Pidgin excites me. It is why I fell hopelessly in love with Eloghosa Osunde’s Vagabonds. The Nigerian-Pidgin was employed in writing the book and it made me feel seen. The main character’s name, Tatafo, is derived from the Nigerian-Pidgin which means “to gossip”. Eloghosa’s work further solidified Nigerian-Pidgin as a language. I also enjoy seeing poetic devices used in Nigerian-Pidgin — I love poetry so no surprise there- each time I hear literary devices blended with Nigerian-Pidgin used in Afro songs, I am thrilled. Like Burna boy’s Its Plenty, I don’t want nobody to give my matter k-leg, a wonderful use of symbolism. K-leg symbolizes bad things. Or Seun Kuti’s Rise Up, Our ear don full for your word, our stomach still empty. A sentence that can be considered an oxymoron. I heard these words below from a Nigerian-Pidgin poem recently and was impressed by the use of simile and oxymoron. It felt good to listen to poetry that didn’t sound Shakespearian but Fela-ish.
One word leg wey fele dey stand like Iroko tree,
Eyes wey jam close dey shine,
Ears wey kpai don activate,
Tongue wey lebe don dey para.
I want more people, especially Nigerians to recognize Nigerian-Pidgin as a language. It is hypocritical to accept Western colloquial as a language and disregard the Nigerian one.
