RELATIVIZATION IN NIGERIAN PIDGIN ENGLISH

Ofoegbu Cyril Okechukwu

Department of English

Anambra State University, Igbariam Campus

Email: ofoegbucyril@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

Relativization is a concept in syntax that deals with the relationship between an NP (or Noun) earlier mentioned and another part of that same sentence, represented by a relative pronoun. This other part of the sentence is headed by a pronoun and this gives us a reason to call it a relative clause. A relative clause is usually a subordinate clause that modifies a noun. It is formed when one clause is embedded into an NP of another clause to produce grammatical sentences. The questions are now then do we relativize in Nigerian Pidgin English and is it possible for relativization to take place in Nigerian Pidgin English given the fact that some people still look at it as a debased form of standard English in Nigeria? Nigerian Pidgin English is a pidgin, which has a geographic base in Nigeria. It is politically and sociolinguistically different form other pidgins in the world. This Nigerian Pidgin English is English based or English related because most of its vocabulary is derived from English. It also has Nigerian local languages as its underlying influence, it can be said that its vocabulary is English while its grammar is Nigerian. This paper will discuss the syntactic structure of relative clauses in Nigerian Pidgin English, a language spoken and understood by nearly all Nigerians (though with variations) in Nigeria. One thing worthy of mention here is that the process of relativization in Nigerian Pidgin English is quite different from that of English language (even when it is the parent language). The relativization structure in Nigerian Pidgin English allows the relative pronoun to come after the subject of the sentence. It can also come after the direct object in a sentence.. In some cases there are two relativizers in a sentence in which case the first relativizer is downplayed for the second to function properly. Finally, this paper will explore how the movements of relative pronouns are determined in the structure of the Nigerian Pidgin English.