ABSTRACT

This project was aimed at examine the effects of Pidgin English by the students of G.B.H.S Atiella case study (Form Two A). The reason was to establish the effects of Pidgin English on the students and their language acquisition. In order to achieve this, data was collected from the students of Form Two through questionnaire and interviews to some parents and teachers. The study reveals that out of 30 students that took the questionnaire, we identified certain mistakes commonly made by the students with their percentages for instance, transliteration 35.9%, omission 30.6%, spelling 20.9%, Wrong pronoun used 6.6% and wrong words use 6.0%. These common errors affects their academic performance in Standard English negatively and so, student’s language learning process is low. Also from the report through interviews with the teachers, we noticed that Pidgin English is gradually reducing the value of English language by the students, parents and even teachers therefore, students should be given enough motivation and encouragement both home and school to improve on their English Language than Pidgin English.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 General Introduction    

             Pidgin language is a language spoken by almost all the Cameroonians especially in the North West and south west region of Cameroon; it is a kind of local for communication and easy understanding. Just like other languages like English language, Pidgin language has a significant role to play and also has some short comings manifested within the school campus and the surroundings. Many learners of English language in secondary are under or adapt this language to be their local language in the school and even back at home; they use it every second, hours, minute and are fun of it. Thus, this might be because of their parental background, surroundings and even peer groups or friends since it eases communication and understanding a particular issue, talk or things because more fluent when using the language; expression of one self becomes easier and faster without mistakes or panicking. Most parents from a poor or middle backgrounds in the society always use this language as their means of communication, especially the illiterate ones and so their children are forced to adapt it as part of their language so, it becomes a welcoming language in school and even spoken by teachers in their various offices, administration. However, it is becoming a threat to the learning and even to teachers of English language wherein, in pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary of English students fine it difficult to improve on their way of talking, pronouncing and expressing oneself in English   language, communication and understanding becomes a process to take note on since teachers are forced to do extra work or more effort to improve on their reasoning and understanding of the language. The most difficult part are their surroundings and home where Pidgin language becomes official language spoken by anyone making it difficult for them to improve and thus need extra work and extra classes for catch ups. This becomes a problem and even teachers at times falls into such victims. As such, the hierarchies need to put in some remedies or effort in order to reduce the rate of pidgin language speaking especially in schools like giving extra hours on learning and studying of English language, parents making efforts to speak English language to their children back at home and even recruiting teachers for them and many other solutions not mentioned. Therefore, the effort of Pidgin English language embodies our long essay writing and analysis will be taken note on.

1.1 Background of the Study

West African Pidgin English, also known as guinea coast creole English is a West African pidgin language lexified by English and African language. It originated as a language of commerce between British and Africa slave traders during the period of the transatlantic slave trade. As of 2017 about 75 million people in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana and Equatorial Guinea used the language. There is no standardized written form and many local varieties exist which include sierra Leone krio, Nigerian Pidgin Ghanaian Pidgin English, Cameroon Pidgin English, Liberian Pidgin English, the Aku dialect of krio and pichinglis. The first Baptist missionaries who came to Cameroon in 1845 and introduced formal education in English, had to learned pidgin. Language variety of Cameroon also known as kamtok (from’’ Cameroon talk’’). Five varieties are currently recognized;

-Grafi kamtok, the variety used in the grass field and often referred to as” Grafi talk’’.

-Liturgical kamtok, the variety used by the Catholic Church for three quarters of a century.

-Francophone kamtok: Used mainly in towns such as Douala, Kongsamba, Bafoussam and Yaoundé. Especially francophone talking to Anglophones who do not speak French language.

– Limbe kamtok, spoken by the Bororo cattle rouders.

The terms ‘’Cameroonian Pidgin’’, “Cameroonian Pidgin English’’, Cameroonian ‘’creole’’ and ‘’kamtok’’ are synonyms for Cameroon pidgin English. It has it forms, instance in phenology, kamtok has seven vowels with two mid vowels open and closed (Schneider 1966:14-17).

The gradual decline of Standard English in Cameroon is due to Pidgin English since most Cameroonians sees it as a faster means of communication especially in the field of commercial areas and in school affecting the students, thus speaking English wrongly.

Cameroon Pidgin English resembles African language more than English for example while diphthongs and triphthongs exist in English language, they are not found in African languages and Cameroon Pidgin English (see chambas and Tananji, 1994; Mutaka and Tananji 2002; Neba et Al..2004).

        It is argue thus that Pidgin English has a negative influence on learning English (see Alobwede, 1998; Ayafor, 2004),

The fallen standard of English presupposes that there were once high standards respondents cite the performance of Educational instituted between 1945 and 1960 and those between 1960 and 1996. These periods indicate colonial stability and educational growth after the Second World War and as well relative and educational expansion after Independence.

African languages, have contributed immensely to the pidgin vocabulary for example, “wahala” means trouble,” nayo” means slowly. Pidgin vocabulary in the whole is derived from English, and words that have an equivalent meaning in both languages have quite different pronunciation and as a result, Cameroonians, especially students turn to pronounce Standard English words wrongly using Pidgin form.