A Dey Talk for Pidgin Small Small…

Hope everyone’s summer is going well (is it still summer? I don’t know seasons anymore). As of this weekend, I have about one year left in my Peace Corps service! The time has really flown and I truly am happy with my PC experience here in the best post in Cameroon.

This “summer”, or the beginning of the rainy season, has consisted of the comings and goings of international volunteers and ex-pats. It’s the time when volunteers finish their service, whether Peace Corps, VSO, or independent vols, and new ones arrive. It’s been super sad seeing people leave (special shoutout to Gabe, Catherine, Faith, and Nia!), but nice to see fresh faces. Not only do I learn from Cameroonians, but I also enjoy sharing experiences, technical skills, and networking with other Westerners. Families of volunteers have also been visiting. Since I live in Bamenda, I’ve been able to meet and explain the culture I’ve experienced. One common topic visitors have been asking about is the language and the use of Pidgin English. I’ve been meaning to blog about this for the longest time.

While Cameroon is a bilingual country (French and English, including over 200 local African dialects), French is the majority language. English is spoken in the Anglophone regions of the Northwest and Southwest, and I live in the Anglophone capital of Bamenda, Northwest. I’ve discussed the strained relationship that Francophones have on Anglophones in previous blog posts. In Francophone regions and to gendarmes throughout the country, Anglophones (here people call “anglos”, which is derogatory) are expected to speak French. Because they are the minority, they must know both French and English in order to succeed. However, most Francophones don’t know a lick of English. Blame it on the educational system here, where they have opportunities to learn German and Spanish, but barely the other bilingual language. But deep down, Francophones admire that Anglophones speak “grammar” (proper English) because this is the American language popular in Jay-Z and Beyonce songs (I’m mainly talking about the youth) and Obama speeches. As a result, Francophones express a holier-than-thou attitude that they’re better because they consist of the majority. It’s quite interesting.

Now, there’s a difference between grammar English and Pidgin in the Northwest and Southwest regions. There are signs at the schools that state “No Pidgin Allowed” (even though I hear teachers speak it on campuses) to enforce learning proper English. Parents advise me not to speak Pidgin to their infants because it will be harder for them to learn grammar as their brains develop. Once when I entered a taxi and spoke Pidgin to the driver, he told me that I shouldn’t learn Pidgin before learning grammar. When I explained that English is my first language (he thought I was from China), he said, “Okay great, you already know grammar. Then you can learn Pidgin.” Even Anglophone Cameroonians are biased about their own language.

Some people refer to Pidgin as “special English” or think it’s a simple language. I’m borrowing this history section from an unofficial Peace Corps publication on Pidgin, but it was believed to begin in the 15th century when the Portuguese settled in West Africa. With the arrival of more Europeans in the 17th century, Europeans and Africans interacted with each other by combining English, Portuguese, French, and local African dialect words. By the 19th century, Pidgin was spoken throughout West Africa, including West Cameroon, Southern Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. It was referred to as a trade language, or “language of contact.” For example, some common Pidgin words used today are derived from Portuguese, such as:

Pidgin: “pikin” ; Portuguese: “pequenino” – child
Pidgin: “dash”; Portuguese: “dache” – gift/tribute
Pidgin: “sabi”; Portuguese: “saber” – to know

Most Pidgin words are derived from English, but it consists of direct, literal translations from grammar and pronounced in an African sing-song voice.

Examples:
“wata” – water
“aks” – ask (my U.S. ex-boyfriend pronounces this word as Pidgin)
“shidon” – to sit, sit down
“wuside” (which side) – where
“komot” (come out) – come from (when I’m exit a taxi, I tell the driver “I komot for here”)

Pidgin from African dialects:
“ashia” – greetings, sorry
“wahala” – trouble
“ashawo” – prostitute
“okada” – motorcycle (this is actually a Nigerian Pidgin word; it used to be “benskin” in Cameroon, but with Nigerian movie influences people started using this)

There are even Pidgin sayings that come from African sayings and proverbs. For example:

“Small small catch monkey” – slow and steady wins the race
“Waka fine” – go well (literally, walk well)
“I don see my wifey…one plus one na one-oh” – I’ve seen my wife, one and one is one (this is actually a popular Nigerian song here and my favorite)

Did you know that Shakira’s 2010 World Cup song “Waka Waka” is from a Cameroonian song in the 1980s written by a group of presidential guards, Zangalewa, to support the Cameroonian army? Peep the video:



Zangalewa Waka Waka Song

“Zamina mina eh eh/waka waka eh eh/zamina mina zangalewa/anawa aa/This time for Africa”

I personally think Pidgin is a fun language. I make it a point to speak it when I’m in the public, so I’m more integrated in society and Cameroonians don’t rip me off by thinking I’m a tourist. However, I make it a point to speak grammar when I’m in the work setting, especially when facilitating workshops and seminars. Volunteers typically have mixed feelings about speaking Pidgin, or as some call “special English.” Some enjoy it, while others think it’s stupid and retards progress. I become offended when this perspective is taken. For me, Pidgin is its own language separate from grammar. You learn its history and its ties to colonialism. Call me Afrocentric, but I agree with this statement: “[Pidgin] is its own language – an African language – rich in proverbs and African wisdom, with an African grammatical structure, African concepts, an African accent, and African tones.”

While I understand that Pidgin should not be spoken in school and at work, I think it should continue in informal settings, such as the home and the market, in order to preserve the language. I will definitely speak Pidgin informally to other Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and African friends when I’m back in the States…and probably weird everyone else out. And I just found out that I can list Pidgin as a language on my USA Jobs career profile, so take that! ;)

Work dey fine and work dey plenty. Today na Sunday. A dey relax and A go for chop now. Waka fine and ashia-oh!

P.S. I am still fundraising for my NGO fair project. Please please please donate!
Visit here:
Carmen's Peace Corps NGO Fair Project