Good English first before Pidgin - Language expert
“Watsup”, “Wetin dey go on”, Charley I dey hung” are some common language discourse among schoolmates and friends for interaction and entertainment. These are part of pidgin language.
Pidgin is a simplified form of language, typically English, Dutch or Portuguese, some elements of which are taken from local languages used for communication among people who speak different languages.
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Recently, children from upper primary to students at the tertiary level are noted for speaking pidgin.
According to the Head of the English Department at the Ghana Institute of Languages, Mr Sampson Ezuh, the trend is negatively affecting the correct pronunciation of words.
Mr Ezuh told the Junior Graphic in Accra last Tuesday that speaking pidgin often affected the mastery of standard English. He explained that that was because children at their early stages were now building upon their vocabularies and might not know how to use the right words to express themselves.
The use of pidgin may, therefore, interrupt children’s use of standard English, since they may not be well acquainted with both languages.
He stated that some factors that caused children to speak pidgin with their peers included “copying what they see others do in society”.
“Children often imitate what they see and hear others do in the environment they live. Others also get influenced by what they see their peers do, hence the speaking of pidgin”
Mr Ezuh urged parents and the media especially, to help minimise the rate at which children spoke pidgin by not speaking the pidgin language when the children were around.
Also, the media should minimise the rate at which they display content which will expose children to the language.
Teachers and parents should ensure and monitor how their students and children speak and the kind of language they use to communicate.
Mr Ezuh suggested the holding of workshops to create awareness of the implications of speaking pidgin on academic work.
He explained that even though there was nothing wrong with being multilingual, children building their vocabulary should first get well acquainted with good English not for only academic purposes but also to communicate effectively and efficiently with others.