Pidginization as a Communication Tool for National Cohesion: A Case Study of Chinua Achebe’s A Man of The People

Vollständiger Abstract

Worum geht es in dieser Arbeit?

Nigeria is a heterogeneous society with over five hundred languages used for communication among the various and diverse ethnic groups. Consequent upon the language and cultural differences of these groups, English language, bequeathed on Nigerians by the colonialists to facilitate communication, became the lingua franca. It is used for official purposes, commerce and industry, media and advertisement, politics, teaching and learning. However, Nigerian Pidgin (NP), otherwise known as Pidgin or Broken English, has in recent times taken the center stage as a vehicle of communication among the elite, the not- too- educated class, and the illiterates in the Nigerian society. It has almost assumed the status of lingua franca just like English, though not officially recognized. In order to bridge the gap of communication among people of divergent social, educational and ethnic backgrounds and status, prose writers do not only use the English language but also pidgin to accommodate everyone, and to further add aesthetic, linguistic and literary values to their works. This work is therefore focused on the use of pidgin in Chinua Achebe’s A Man of The People as a communication tool for national cohesion.