HE POOR PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND OTHER DISCIPLINES IS LARGELY DUE TO THE NEGATIVE INFLUENCE OF PIDGIN ENGLISH.

INTRODUCTION Critics on the poor performance of English language at the West African School Certification Examination have always commented that Pidgin English has not only affected students in their subjects area but also hampered their chances in other disciplines.

It is the mind of the researcher to investigate and verify the above claim and possibly ascertain the extent of the negative effect of Pidgin English among students in Secondary School in Nigeria The researcher in this work is out to investigate the influence of Pidgin English on the use of Standard English among secondary school students and suggest the possible means of eliminating the adverse effects and the possibility of it standardization in Nigeria SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY As more and more people including students speak pidgin, the need therefore arises for the examination of its influence on standard English among the secondary school students in Nigeria. Read more in Languages Re-conceptualizing English Words; the EAD Concept Swedish Vocabulary: Parts of The Body (A~l) However, the researcher will bring to light the possibility of standardizing the use of Pidgin English and finding solutions to the problems caused by Pidgin English in the proper mastery of the standard English. The result of this study may expose the teachers in secondary schools in Ika North East Local Government in particular and Delta State in general to the problems posed by pidgin in learning of English language and will enable them adopt corrective methods to suit students need especially in a multi-lingua society like ours. In addition, the result will aid future researchers who will want to carry out further research on Pidgin English or related topic in higher education. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERTURE The use of Pidgin English in our society has assumed a wider dimension than previous periods in history. The widespread is so much that it has spilled over into classrooms in schools. According to Akporero (1989), the use of Pidgin English by student and teachers in our school has assumed alarming proportions that there is no longer any unidentifiable factor as causative. From Akporeros assertion, only one characteristic remains prone factor- literacy. The implication here is that literacy is tending to accelerate the use of Pidgin English rather than eliminating it. Akporero is of opinion that Pidgin English is a language of its own, whose formation is consequent on a multiple borrowing of different words from more than one language. This in itself goes to emphasize the convenience of its use especially by persons from different linguistic communities who have no need for a bi-lingual intermediary. Gilbert Ansr (1971) observes that it is not quite correct to say that one language has influenced the other. By this, he implies that language it self is an abstraction from human social behavior and so one language cannot influence another except through the mediation of users of the two languages. Thus when we say one language has influenced another, we are merely inferring that the speaking of the language have incorporated items of another in their own.

Most of the influences result from the use of loan words or phrases and users are quite oblivious of the fact that they are loan words. Nevertheless, for every instance of a language influencing another, there has a mediator between the two languages. One of the biggest problems facing the teaching of English language in the third world countries says White-head is but the introduction of local languages 1964. From this remark, it is obvious that chunks of native language infiltrate into the English tends to have universal application in our society, its influence on English language cannot be over emphasized. Educators especially of English language discipline take strong disagreement to the adulteration of the language. They are at pains to conserve the purity of the language. In this context, Randolph Quirk et al (1975) positively identify the infiltrations of pidgin language into English as consequence of various factors which are social and psychological. They note that in the West African, it is only natural to expect that those countries which have had English colonial rulers and associates would have language that exhibit English influence. The mere co-existence within a society of two languages over a long period of time does result in the inter-change of items between them. The direction of the flow of these items, however, is determined by factors that can other than just their co-existence and the linguistic characteristics of these two languages. It is determined by socio-cultural factors. Given such co-existence, and also a situation in which the culture of the speakers of one language are regarded as socially and technologically dominant, the major flow of linguistic items will primarily be from the direction of the language of the dominant culture group to that of the dominated speech community. In this context, Todd (1974), considers Pidgin English as a marginal language when arises to fulfill certain restricted communication among people who have no common language. In the initial stages of context, communication as often limited to transactions where detailed exchange of ideas is not required and where a small vocabulary is drawn almost exclusively from one language suffices.

The syntactic structure of Pidgin English is less complex and less flexible than the structure of languages which they were in contact and though many Pidgin English features clearly reflect usages in the contact language, others are unique to the pidgin language. All language have element of redundancy. In English language for example, plurality is marked in the article, the adjective and noun as well as occasionally by a numeral. But pidgin language has no such complex syntactic rules; simplicity of usage therefore, accounts for its rapid spread. When a status of mother tongue, it proves very important in a multi-lingual society and because of its usefulness, it is extended and used beyond the original limited function. Pidgin English in Nigeria attained its present range `of use because having come into contact between white and black, it was soon used and further developed in multilingual areas. Children form this background therefore become so highly addicted to its use that they ever neologises pidgin words in the class. Read more in Languages Re-conceptualizing English Words; the EAD Concept Swedish Vocabulary: Parts of The Body (A~l) Rod Ellis and brain Tomlinson (1980) have reason to believe that the inter-ference of pidgin in English language performance by student is mostly form the stand point of the relationship that exist between the two languages. What Ellis and Tomlinson did not however examine is the nature of the influence of one language on the other nevertheless; the influence of Pidgin on English language is mostly marked on pronunciations, construction, syntax, generation and semantics. It is important to note that there are different degrees of influence. While acknowledging the inherent similarities in pidgin and English languages, it may be remark that the difference con be explained by reference to English language. Serious observation and experiments have shown that when two people who speak English try to communicate in English language one of them who is not as fluent as the other use a lot of pidgin words to fill in the gaps that exist in his language competence. John Spencer (1974) asserted that the initial case of pidgin language acquisition may exert on unacceptably high price the limiting of literacy for many to the pidgin. This price is doubly unacceptable when one realizes that a similar case of acquisition could be achieved by using culturally relevant material in the standard language. Educationists and theorists may argue for wide spread use of pidgin in the classroom, but such a policy is rarely in

keeping with the desires of the parents or with the mature needs of the pupils. Education is meant to open doors not to barricade them from within. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION As stated earlier, Pidgin English has greatly affected the performance of the students in the use of Standard English. It is also proved that pidgin has a negative effect and influence on the performance of students in other disciplines. It is also a fact that the constant use of Pidgin English reduces the vocabulary of the Standard English. It is also correct to say that with eighty percent (80%) pidgin affects negatively the pronunciation of Standard English. Finally, with ninety percent (90%) the researcher would say that Pidgin English should not be use side by side with Standard English and should not be made lingua franca in Nigeria. Read more in Languages Re-conceptualizing English Words; the EAD Concept Swedish Vocabulary: Parts of The Body (A~l)

The work has not been free from a number of problems. This involves the problem of time, finance and inadequate textbook. First is the Problem of Time. This has contributed greatly to the delay of this research work. This is because the researcher who has other academic commitment has to travel from place to place in search of materials. It is also time consuming administering the questionnaires to the different secondary schools which were located at different places in the Local Government Area. Finance was also a major problem. A research work of this nature involves much money to type both the questionnaires and the research work itself. Inadequate materials also posed problem to the researcher as she searches for textbooks and other materials. RECOMMENDATION AND SUGGESTION For a better result and effective research on the study of Pidgin English and its influence on the students in the mastery of Standard English, the writer however recommends that emphasis be layed on Pidgin English and the text dealing with Pidgin as its influence on the performance of students in Standard English should be published to compliment the section of literature review. The writer also suggests that the period of research should be extended for a better and positive result. This is because, the time involved in the research work is inadequate. If more time is given, this project work would have been more lucid than what it is now. Finally, the use of Pidgin English in the classroom situation should not be encourage as it negatively affects the performance of students on Standard English. Overview of Nigerian Pidgin English Nigeria is a land of many languages, with over 500 spoken by its inhabitants. As a result, the country has a great need for a common form of communication across ethnic groups. English, introduced to Nigeria during the colonial era, was chosen as Nigeria's only official language with this goal in mind. It is widely learned as a second language by speakers of many different Nigerian languages, and frequently used in business and education. However, not all the English spoken in Nigeria is the "standard" English recognizable in most English-speaking countries. As is commonly the case when a language is heavily used between non-native speakers, a new way of

speaking has developed, with its own unique grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary. This form of communication is Nigerian Pidgin English, often referred to simple as "Pidgin" by those who speak it. Nigerian Pidgin English Language Status There is debate among scholars and speakers as to how to formally classify Nigerian Pidgin English. Historically, some have looked down upon it as a type of "broken English", or dismissed as merely an uneducated dialect of the standard language. More recent understanding, however, recognizes it as a language in its own right, with sufficient differences in vocabulary and structure to distinguish it from standard English. Nonetheless, there is discussion as to whether it should still be considered a pidgin - as the name implies - or whether it has developed sufficiently to be considered a creole. In linguistic terms, a pidgin is a simplified language developed for communication between two or more groups of people who do not share common languages, and must thus speak to one another using a language in which none of them are fluent. In the process, they may dramatically change the language - greatly reducing the complexity of the grammar, adapting the pronunciation to eliminate difficult sounds, and adding words from their own languages as needed. Pidgins are thus created out of necessity, and do not have native speakers. They also rely heavily on context and non-verbal clues, although basic standards tend to emerge over time. A creole, in contrast, is what happens when children grow up speaking a pidgin as their primary language. At that point, it ceases to be merely a second language learned as needed and becomes the native language of a new generation. Creoles have a more stable form than pidgins, both in vocabulary and grammar. Not all pidgins evolve into creoles, however, and even when they do, the transition may be gradual, or may take place unevenly in different areas. Nigerian Pidgin English is a good example of a language on the border between a pidgin and a creole. It was formed during the colonial era early in the 1900s, when the region came under the rule of Great Britain and many native Nigerians who spoke mutually incomprehensible languages were required to communicate with each other in English. Even today, the vast majority of its speakers learn it as a secondary form of communication, not as a primary language. It is still used mostly between speakers from different ethic groups rather than speakers from the same group, and there are wide variations in how the language is spoken from place to place in Nigeria. Nonetheless, the language has become extremely widespread within the country, and communities of native speakers have developed in certain areas. The number of natives may be small compared to the total number of speakers, but it is sizeable enough to have drawn increased attention to Nigerian Pidgin English in recent years. The Pidgin English Alphabet and Pidgin English Pronunciation Because it evolved from English, Nigerian Pidgin English is written with the Latin alphabet. However, not all of the letters are used, and the pronunciation has been influenced by various native African languages. In particular, sounds that do not occur in many of those languages and may be difficult for their speakers to pronounce are usually eliminated. Spelling, too, is greatly simplified and usually phonetic. The result is that many words look and sound quite different from the standard English terms from which they were derived. Pidgin English Vocabulary The meanings of words in Nigerian Pidgin English may also differ from their standard English counterparts. During the formation of a pidgin, words often take on expanded meanings so that a limited vocabulary can cover a wide range of situations. As the pidgin evolves, some of the new secondary meanings may eventually become more widespread than the initial meanings. For example, in Nigerian Pidgin English, "chop" can mean "food" and "yarn" can mean "talk". Nigerian Pidgin English also draws a considerable amount of vocabulary from the other African languages spoken around it, particularly from Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba. It is not unusual to find words from these languages mixed into Pidgin English sentences, and some have become regular parts of the language. These terms often vary from place to place in Nigeria, depending on the ethnic and linguistic background of the speakers involved.

Pidgin English Grammar The grammar of Nigerian Pidgin English reflects the simplification process that is typical of pidgin formation. For example, tenses are usually indicated by context or time-related words, rather than by changes within verbs. The grammar, like the vocabulary, also reflects the influence of the surrounding languages. Speakers with different native languages may use different grammar structures when they speak Nigerian Pidgin English, based on what is most familiar and comfortable to them. Furthermore, speakers who are regularly exposed to standard English will tend to use a more standard sentence structure than those who rarely hear it. Transparent Language's Pidgin English software program can be a unique resource for those interested in Nigerian Pidgin English. Best of luck with your language learning endeavors! Nigerian Pidgin is an English-based pidgin and a creole language spoken as a lingua franca across Nigeria. The language is commonly referred to as "Pidgin" or "Brokin". It is often not considered a creole language since most speakers are not native speakers, although many children do learn it early. Nonetheless it can be spoken as a pidgin, a creole, or a decreolised acrolect by different speakers, who may switch between these forms depending on the social setting. Faraclas, Nicholas C., Nigerian Pidgin, Descriptive Grammar, 1996, Introduction. Ihemere (2006) reports that Nigerian Pidgin is the native language of approximately 3 to 5 million people and is a second language for at least another 75 million. Variations of Pidgin are also spoken across West Africa, in countries such as Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. Pidgin English, despite its common use throughout the country, has no official status. Variations Each of the 250 or more ethnic groups in Nigeria can converse in this language, though they usually have their own additional words. For example, the Yorbs use the words e and Abi when speaking Pidgin. These are often used at the start or end of an intonated sentence or question. For example, "You are coming, right?" becomes e you dey come? or You dey come abi? Another example, the Igbos added the word, Nna also used at the beginning of some sentences to add effect. For example, man! that test was hard becomes Nna, that test hard no be small. Nigerian Pidgin also varies from place to place. Dialects of Nigerian Pidgin may include the Warri, Sapele, Benin, Port-Harcourt, Lagos especially in Ajegunle, Onitsha varieties. Nigerian Pidgin is most widely spoken in the oil rich Niger-Delta where most of its population speak it as their first language. Pidgin English isn't hard to read at all. Infact, it makes whatever you are reading more interesting." obong: "IAH, you're right. pidgin is very sweet, reading and speaking." Scorpio: "[Google in Yoruba is ] really cool though, but I would've preferred it if it was in pidgin - everyone would be able to relate too" obong: "Universal Declaration of Human Rights ... Nigerian Pidgin English Version" (link)" Others are more skeptical: trae_z: "Pidgin English is a pain in the Bottom when reading, especially voluminous reading, but its cool all the same to speak and to write in" Imnakoya believes that Nigerian pidgin might be suitable s Nigeria's common/official language. He asked, "What are the short comings of pidgin English as a common language in Nigeria? Already, it is the unofficial lingo...why are we deceiving ourselves with this queens english that is only well spoken by few?" Should we restructure our educational system around pidgin English, a language spoken and understood by the majority, in place of Queen's English? Or should we just improve the quality of English Language education? Will it be a step in the right direction, or a terribly misguided step