DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND LITERARY STUDIES

FACULTY OF ARTS
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA

A SEMINER PRESENTAION ON:

QUESTION: EXAMINE THE THEORIS OF THE ORIGIN OF PIDGIN

SUBMITTED BY:

ALIYU SULEIMAN
and
AISHA SULEIMAN
P24AREN9007

LECTURER: DR. HAMZA MUHAMMED

JUNE, 2025

INTRODUCTION

Contacts between language communities have been recorded to have occurred more intensely in

recent centuries due to colonial, exploratory merchants as well as religious activities that took
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place around the world. As the result of these enterprises, European languages such as English,

French, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese came in contact with languages in other parts of the

world, such as: Africa, Native America, Asia, the Pacific as well as the Caribbean Islands.

However, this contact of various languages has unfolded when speakers interact. The features

include Pidginazation and Creolization.

Moreover, linguists who have studied pidgins have long been intrigued by the similarities they

have found among pidgins from different parts of the world exhibit remarkable similarities in

structure even when the standard languages with which they are associated are quite different.

Furthermore, pidgin based on the same standard language but found in places far distant from

one another may have a high degree of mutual intelligibility. Example, the various pidginized

varieties of French found geographically as far as the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, and the South

Pacific.

To this end, this paper has made an attempt to examine the theories of the origin of Pidgins

paying more attention to the strengths and weaknesses of each of the theory.

THE ORIGIN OF PIDGINS

Many theories of the origin of pidgins were postulated by linguists, experts such as De Camp

(1971), Todd (1974) and Mulhausler (1986). However, this study will examine the theories of

the origins of pidgins with particular emphasis to De Camp’s classifications which purports that

the origin of pidgins are classified into two main broad groupings (Monogenetic and Polygetic).

MONOGENETIC/ RELEXIFICATION THEORY

This theory is based on historical evidence which points out to the existence of a fifteen century

Portuguese pidgin which is assumed in some circles to have derived from ‘Lingua-Franca’ or

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‘Sabir’ termed the common auxiliary language of multilingual Crusaders and Mediterranean

trade Todd (1974: 33). What has been termed a fifteen century Portuguese Pidgin is the same

language as the one described in Koafoed (1979: 47) as a simplified Portuguese s the kind of

typical pidgin features developed in Portuguese effort to teach their language to Negroes who

could serve as interpreters. Koefoed’s references suggest that these statements on the special

form of Portuguese are based on Naro (1973).

The monogenetic theory assumes one origin for all pidgins and essentially the same method of

diffusion. According to this theory, in the fifteen century, Portuguese Sailors had spread the

Portuguese form of Sabir along the West African continent and all their other various parts of

call. This Portuguese Pidgin were expanded with the aid of dominant European language process

of developments with English, French, Germany or Dutch being supreme posed on the original

pidgin Portuguese through a process of relexification. It is noted that pidgin Portuguese may

have been used on the West African coast by the time the first British trade arrived on the scene.

The fact that such a Pidgin Portuguese if it existed, may not have been completely unfamiliar to

British traders who had also been mentioned. This is precisely why there is more presence of

words, possibly, Portuguese origin in Nigerian Pidgin (NP) or earlier forms of this language

cannot constitute conclusive evidence of the existence of a Portuguese Pidgin in these parts. In

other words, such words could easily have been part and parcel of simplified English used by

early British Traders in their dealings with their West African people and other far-flung

customers.

Naro (1973: 443-445) draws attention to some of the historical evidence suggesting that a Pidgin

Portuguese which he terms “the reconnaissance language” was in used in Europe from the

fifteen century. He also provides reasons why according to him, we have to assume that this

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language was transferred from Europe to Guinea-Bissau and Capeberde areas in the latter half of

the fifteen century and “remain in wide spread used until as late as the nineteen century”. The

question is whether or not this reconnaissance language any time gained currency in any part of

the areas that subsequently came to be known as Nigerian Pidgin English. This is a question for

which we have no definite answers, and which Naro’s story suggests none.

The fact that, according to Naro (1973:443), a poem dated 1445deale with an imaginary king of

Sierra Leone who is supposed to have offered “in a pidginized Portuguese to dance at the

wedding of a noble cannot strictly speaking be taking as conclusive evidence that may rose

reconnaissance language was spoken as closed to home in Sierra Leone. It should be noted in

this connection that Nairo…” mainly as a theoretical device “in fifteenth and sixtieth century

European literature where intended to be put in the mouth of Africans”.

The Strength of the Theory

1- The theory traced the emergence of pidgin and how it comes to existence.

2- It also traced the common origin of pidgin that is proto-pidgin.

3- It explained the lexical differences between pidgin and creoles, as they are historically

related and derived from common origin in West African Pidgin Portuguese (WAPP).

4- It explained the structural similarities between most of all European best pidgins with a

common origin.

The Weakness of the Theory

1- De Camp (1970) accuses this theory for lack of written materials that will support their

arguments.

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 2- The theory concentrates only on the structural similarities between all European based

pidgins and creoles with common origins.

3- Elugbe and Omurmor (1991) accuse monogenetic theory for being undefinitive as per as

pidgin ancestors languages are concerned

4- It does not consider the development of all pidgins and creoles that originated from West

African pidgin Portuguese.

5- A through this theory concern, more relexification but it does not account with the

structural similarities between pidgins and creoles worldwide.

POLYGENETIC THEORIES

This theory opens that pidgins and creoles developed independently to each other without

common based language uniting the one or more other languages. In other words, polygenetic

theory means multiple origin theories which address all cases of Pidginazation. There are no

restricted similarities between pidgins and creoles worldwide. Hall (1966) is a strong supporter

of the polygenetic theory. Though he was among the first to note the similarities among pidgins

and creoles he still insists that they must have originated from different sources and developed

independently.

However, theories that were postulated supporting the idea of polygenity of pidgins and creoles

fall here.

THE BABY TALK THEORY

This theory relate pidgin origin to second language acquisition ; either non-European indigenous

people learned and imperfect version of the target , superstrate language or European colonizers

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simplified their own language to make it easier for the substrate speakers to learn Elugbe and

Omarmor .

According to Jespersen and Bloomfield cited in Ikilama that the name of this theory derives from

the assumed similarity between pidgins and children’s languages. They also lend their weight to

this theory which diary that a dominant group adopts a condescending attitude to the local people

and talk down to them in what they believe as simple language as if they were children. In the

process, they eliminate inflection and grammatical irregularities and limit the vocabulary.

More forth, this theory Baby Talk assumes that pidgin came to existence as a result of the need

in the farm of plantation to communicate the master and the servants who found both languages

all unintelligible. So, the masters use a substandard form of language so as to make it easy for the

servant to communicate with the masters. By virtue of the constant practice, mimicking,

invitation from the part of the servant then pidgin language evolved.

The Strength of the Theory

1- The Baby Talk Theory is one which brings together through process which is initiated by

the offer or dominant group and another in which the lower or subordinate group simplify

the language thy hear while trying to acquire it.

2- It purports that pidgin is originated by invitation made by the lower group and the

reinforcement by the part of the upper group.

The Weakness of the Theory

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 1- Bickerton (1975) cited in Iklam (2005) accuses this theory for a creole like a Chinook

Jargon which is not based on European language but is the white man’s effort to speak

the nature’s language.

2- It fails to account for pidgins which are born out of non-domination situation.

THE FOREIGNER FOLK THEORY

The foreigner folk hypothesis argues that a pidgin or creole language forms when native

speakers’ attempts to simplify the language in order to address speakers who do not know their

language at all because of the similarities found in this type of speech directed to a small child

also.

This could explain why pidgin language have much in common while avoiding monogenetic

model, Blood field (1933) points out that Foreigner Folk is often based on the invitation of the

incorrect speech of nonnative, that is their pidgin. Therefore, one may be mistaken in assuming

that the former gave rise to the latter.

The Strength of the Theory

1- The theory points to the that pidgin was originated as a result of the imperfection of

second language learning. This to say that pidgins are primarily result from the

imperfection of the learning of the dominant lexifier language

The Weakness of the Theory

1- The Foreigner Talk model is often based on the imitation of incorrect speech of the

nonnative that is the pidgin

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THE NAUTICAL JARGON THEORY

The Nautical Jargon Theory as the level implies assumes a nautical jargons as the basis of many

jargons. The argument is that the crew of ships was historically composed of people from

different linguistic background such that communication had to be in some kind of “Sailor

Lingua Franca”.

Perhaps, the Nautical Jargon Theory makes essentially the same theoretical claims as the

approach to the investigation of language. According to the adherents of his view, there is a body

of facts, a core or universal grammar, common to all natural language although the actual

realization of this may vary from one language to the other.

According Reinecke (1937) one of the most favorable situation for the formation of such

dialects found abroad merchant vessels which ply the seven sea sand ship large members of

foreign sailors and indeed the sea man is a figure of the greatest importance in creation of the

more permanent make shift tongues

1. The Strength of the Theory

2. The theory traces the differences that exist between various pidgins of different parts of the

world.

3. The theory also traces the fact that nautical items spread in pidgin through interaction with

crew on ship and people whom the sailors come in contact in Africa. The theory also reveals

that the expansion of nautical Jargon is under the influence of mother tongues of its speaker.

The Weakness of the Theory

1- There are no valuable proofs to back these assertions

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 2- It does not account for structural affinities between pidgins which arose from the

different European languages

THE LANGUAGE BIOPROGRAM THEORY

The Language Bioprogram Theory, Bickerton (1981), holds that questions about origin is

directly related to questions about how children acquire language and how common language

and Creolization and first and second language learning according to his Pidginazation is second

language learning with a restricted input while, Creolization is first by learning with restricted

input.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we learnt that all these theories are controversial. This is so because all the

theories have different views about the origin of pidgin. More so, there is no a single theory that

encompasses all genesis of pidgin.

It is noted that pidgin arose during colonial situation where representatives of colonial powers,

officials, tradesmen, sailors, etc. came in contact with natives which they later developed a

jargon for communication between them and natives. Our stand here is a fact that a pidgin has no

one common source.

REFERENCES

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Nigeria: An Introdution. Ille-Efe: OAU Press.

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Publishers.

3- Elugbe and Omamar (1991). In Faride, R.O. and Ojo, J. O. (2005). Introduction to

Sociolinguistics. Nigeria: Lektag Publisher.

4- Elugbe and Omamar (1991). Nigerian Pidgin: Background and Prospects. Ibadan: Jenet

MS Ventures Ltd.

5- Gani-Iklama, T. O. (1959). ‘Function of Nigerian Pidgin’. Calabarin WACLAAS, No1

Series.

6- Gani-Iklama, T. O. (2005). Pidgin and Creole. Samaru: Onis Excel Publishing Ltd

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8- Le-Page, R. B. (ed) (1961). Creole Language Studies No 1 Macmillan.

9- Mafeni, B. (1971). “Nigerian Pidgin” in Spencer. J. (ed) The English Language in West

Africa. England: Longman.

10- Todd, I. (1974). Pidgin and English. London: Routlage and Kegan Paul.

11- Wardhaugh, R. (2010). Introduction to Linguistics. Oxford: Blackwell.

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