Nigerian Pidgin as Lingua Franca: Emerging Communication Trend in The Anthropocene

This study examines Nigerian Pidgin as a lingua franca and an emerging communication trend in the Anthropocene. As Nigeria’s diverse linguistic landscape necessitates a common language of interaction, Nigerian Pidgin has risen to prominence, facilitating communication across various ethnic and social groups. Based on the Communication Accommodation Theory, the research explores pertinent literature on Nigerian Pidgin and other related materials. The study also conducted a content analysis of a Nigerian Pidgin tutorial and advertisements of two international brands, Colgate Toothpaste and Indomie Noodles displayed on YouTube. The analysis revealed that the Nigerian Pidgin content garnered a considerable amount of likes, views, subscriptions, and comments, which are all significant YouTube metrics that reflect a video’s popularity. Using determinants such as multilingual setting, national spread, number of speakers and widespread use in the media, it was argued that Nigerian Pidgin meets relevant criteria for designation as a lingua franca. The widespread adoption of Nigerian Pidgin is demonstrated by its prevalence in almost every sphere of human interaction, including education and advertising. The implications of these findings underscore the importance of Nigerian Pidgin in fostering inclusive communication within the context of linguistic diversity, while recommending the recognition of Nigerian Pidgin as an official language and lingua franca in Nigeria.