Perspectives and Problems of Codifying Nigerian Pidgin English Orthography

Abstract

The essence of the paper is to look for an orthography which would form the basis for a future development of a standard for Nigerian Pidgin English.  The paper begins the search by examining the views of scholars like Mafeni (1971), Elugbe and Omamor (1991) among others.  The paper considers the various views and agrees with the school that says Nigerian Pidgin English should be seen as a language in its own right and should be left to develop along its own lines.  Against this background, the paper in its conclusion aligns with the view that Nigerian Pidgin English orthography should be indigenized and seen as an evolving Nigerian language.