Background

Demography

Nigerian Pidgin (hereafter NP) is spoken as a second language in all parts of Nigeria and as a first language by a growing number of people in the southern part of the country (and perhaps in the urban centres of the North as well). Although no official figures are available, a conservative estimate of the number of speakers of NP at present would fall somewhere between 30 and 35 million, a number which can be expected to rise significantly in the near future, due to the rapid spread of NP among young adults and children, who together constitute well over 50 percent of the national population.

History

About 400 languages are spoken in Nigeria. Historical researchers are uncovering more and more evidence indicating the existence of a complex network of very vibrant mercantile (and often highly urbanised) cultures in all parts of the country. This linguistic diversity, alongside the need for interethnic communication in societies where speakers of different languages are in constant contact with one another due to geographic proximity, intermarriage, trade, travel, and the growth of cities and towns, makes it very likely that pidginised languages, learned as a common second language by people of different linguistic backgrounds who need to communicate with one another, have existed in Nigeria since ancient times.