For everyone wey wan tok pidgin...

I felt bad for hi-jacking LCris' beautiful twin thread so I figured I should just start a new one and imported some of your posts...

Done.

So to answer Lucifer's question for everyone to understand:
It wasn't ONE guy who taught me, it was hundreds :shock:

...on an internet forum! :lol:


Ronja, my last bf of 1 1/2 years was an anglophone Cameroonian too but he never lived there (grew up in several other francophone West African countries and later moved to Canada, England, Holland) and with him I always spoke standard English which for me as a German woman living in Germany (we met while I was on students exchange in England though) is already a foreign language...
After we broke up I started to spend quite some time on a Nigerian forum though and over the last 4 months picked up some Naija pidgin. Na fun no bi small! (=It's a lot of fun!) That's also why my command of pidgin is stricty limited to written discourse

So if you're really interested in learning it I could send you what I collected so far (grammar and vocabulary) by email, or shall I put it here?

For starters (and because you asked):

bobo = guy

sabi = know

sotay = so that (?)

chop = eat

abi = isn't it

e be like say = it looks like

 

Now back to you ma fren...you dey shake already? :twisted:

So you wan jumpstart your Naija-ness abi? Then make you stop whining like say you be small pikin and yab me back o!
Make me - a Jaman chickito - help you discover your Naija-ness wey I sabi e dey somewhere inside you.

So make you show me pepper and make me hear wen or else I go call you LUCY!!! :twisted: :twisted:

 

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:
CHINEKE GOD OF AFRICA!
Lucy?????!!!!!
I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS!
LUCY???!!!!
Dem born you well?
Lucy????!!

Who send you?
Lucy?????
:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:
Why you dey besmirch my characta?

Chai! World do spoil o!

Dis babe dey yab me! A whole Lucifer!
You lucky say I still dey school! I fo don com efind you fo dat side!

Anyway, I dey hospital so I no go vex come mistakenly slap patient becos of you... :twisted:

Imagine The imagination of the Imaginary System!

E never finish o...Oyinbo woman...e never finish! :lol:

 

Oyinba thanks for posting some translation for the Pidgin challenged.... Lucifer, are you going to meet with me to teach me some as well? I am tired of reading through posts and don't understand a word lol (almost like reading english when I am drunk)

 

You will be a good student. :wink:

Lucifer can tell. :twisted:

 

I was going to send you a mail, and ask for your "dictionary", but seeing that others (Chi) might be interested, I say: put it here

Actually in your post just now, you wrote a good example of a thing I find really interesting in pidgin: they often seem to say almost the oposite of what they mean. Exagerations, understatments and irony almost apear to be the normal way of talking...

Like in your post, you wrote:
Na fun no bi small!

Of course that means "it's a lot of fun", but what they're actually saying seems to be "it's not a little fun". Of course if something is "not a little fun", it must be "a lot of fun"... but it's still an absolutely wonderful, extremely funny and just a little absurd way of communicating. (Absolutely love it!)

 

Chi, a lot of the pidgin is English (or extremely poor English- with a very wacky grammar), so if you use your imagination and figure out those words, you can just fill in the "blanks", and get a meaning out of it. It's not too hard when you get used to it.

Getting drunk first is not a bad idea

 

That's really helpful - now can you teach me how to speak Shona so I can nosy in on my boyfriend's conversations please??? :lol:

 

Alright, so for everyone who wants to learn a little Naija Pidgin, here's some of my selection (no guarantee, so guys please correct me if I made any mistakes)

there's also tons of stuff on the net btw


How are you? = How you dey? - I dey kamp(k)e (=at ease, complete)
or = How bodi (now)? - Bodi dey or "Bo, I dey o." (i.e., a weary, "I am fine.")
real Naija: "bodi dey inside cloth"
(=I am not yet so wretched that I don't have clothes to wear) :lol:

Where are you? = Where you dey?

What's your name? = Wetin be yua name?

What's wrong with you? = Wetin dey do you?

What is it? = Abi na wetin?

What's happening? = Wetin dey happun?

What's your stance in the matter? = Which one you dey sef?
(=Whose side are you on?/
What's wrong with you?)

Right! (Exactly!) = Abi o!

Please don't ... (pl) = Abeg, make una no

Please don't ... (sg) = Abeg, make you no

I don't .. . = I no (dey)...

I didn't... = I no...


I know/understand that (you're busy) = I sabi say (you dey busy)

I don't think that (you're crazy) = I no think say (you dey crazy)


I have eaten = I don chop o

I haven't eaten = I never chop o

He has eaten = Him don chop

Have you eaten? = You don chop?

(no indicator for simple past)


I will... = I go...

I won't... = I no go...

You want to...(verb) = You wan...(verb)

It is = na

can/could (be able to) = fit

Wow! = shoo! babo! Ibabo!

who/which (relative pronoun) = wey

Why? What? = Say wetin?!

ugly = worwor

Give him a break! = Alau (Allow) him!

him/her = am ('Warn am o!')

he/she/it = e

It's enough. = E don do.

What? What! = Eh?

No./not at all. = Eh-eh.

Sorry!/What a pity! = Eh-yah

Tell him how it happened! = Tell am as e take happun!

because = bicos

What did you expect? = Bifor nko?

(sweeter) than... = (sweet) pass... (comparative)

That's how it is. = Na so e be.

a 'pussy' is in great danger = hia/hear wen/wein
(sound a cat makes) ?

God is my witness/ by God = walai talai/wallahi tallahi (oath of Arabic/Muslim in origin)
e.g. "I go nak dat tin by nex week, wallahi tallahi."

person/somebody = persin

answer = ansa

have/got = get

Incredible!/ I can't believe it! = Na wa o! *


*(one bobo wey don adopt me for dat forum sotay e be Cyber-nna m think say e mean "It's war" - one guy who adopted me on that forum so that he's my Cyber-father (nna m is Igbo) thinks that it means "It's war") :shock:



What I still have trouble with and confuse sometimes is "na" and "dey" as for example in

Yabbis are yabbis = yabbis na yabbis (oh yes, very important: yabbis/to "yab" someone is when you make fun of each other)

I think it's funny = I think e dey funny


both can be forms of "to be" (although na is only 3rd ps. sg. from my understanding) and I'm never sure which one to use
"dey" can also mean "there" or "it's there," or "is there" or "here"
I dey like I no dey. (=I am there like I am not there.) or can be a progressive marker

it's pretty confusing... :?




O pari (I'm finished/it's over)

a great link for Naija pidgin vocabulary is:

http://www.ngex.com/personalities/babawilly/dictionary/pidgina.htm


Make una enjoy!

 

Di ting wey my eye don see, my mout no fit tok am! :shock:

Na dis your reply wey you wan call yabbis? Abeg comot for road! :lol:

Me I be good girl wey jus wan helep you small with dis your Naija-ness but now I sabi say e go be work no bi small ojare!

Make you slap your patient me I no care sha, dis babe here go yab you finish! :twisted:

See how you don disgrace yourself for hia, e be like say I don strip you of your cloth and tie you for bed (dis na real "Imagine The imagination of the Imaginary System!" haha!) I be woman and you no fit handle sef? Pheeeew!

Abeg make you try again if you no wan me call you ma sweet LUCY LUCY LUCY! :twisted: :twisted:

 

I must say that I don't quite agree with this notion of "poor" English, it's simply "different" English and it's not as if there were no grammar rules and that - in fact I have a really hard time understanding these rules...

Even though the speakers of various pidgins that exist often refer to them as "brokun" (broken English) that is not quite right IMHO (and linguists agree). There is no such thing as "better" or "worse" when it comes to languages, as long as there is a structure and you can express what you want it's alright and beautiful! Just my own $0.02

 

Das becos my TING big pass ya mouth so suck am like sucrose! :twisted:
who wan hear you yeye voice sef? :roll:
Abeg Sharraaaapp! :twisted:

:shock: HISSSSS! I just dey pity ya Oyinbo yansh o! If I begin yabbis, I go shame you, ya lifespan, ya village, and ya country. Infact, I go shame that ya EU. :twisted:

:shock: See ya head! Now I KNOW say you be blonde! Dat na my plan! You go help me sooootaaay you go get belle! Just like LadeezmanChris, you go gadda TWINS! No QUINTUPLETS! I be original Naija man! One drop of sperm fit fertilize Germany...Three times over!

:shock: I slap de patient sotay im lips run comot clinic, enter plane, fly go Germany so dey fit yab you for me! Make I tell you your own don finish! :twisted:

:roll: Ahhhh! You never see disgrace! I go show you say disgrace na my middle name!
I go standa with dat same bed wey you wan tie me to chase you, catch you, toast you, marry you, then give you and all de German babes them belle! 8)

:wink: Dis na evidence say you love me! You don dey call my name even before we begin dey tear for bed! Relax! Accept ya fate! Dat na good sign! You no fit resist my Naija Juju! :twisted:

 

Hey, understand me correctly. I consider the different varieties of pidgin as seperate languages. Hence for instance Kamtok is just that: Kamtok. It's not English. And so I agree with you: it's not English, and therefore it can't be poor English.

But- a lot of the elements in pidgin is English, or strongly influenced by English, so comparing it to English makes sence. However compared to the queens English the spelling is wrong and the grammar is wrong, so from the "English" point of view, the English elements in pidgin is poor English- (as it's not necessarily correct English at all).

(You had several good examples of what I mean in your post , for instance:
because = bicos
Ok, the words are pronounced the same- or almost the same- but the spelling is completely different. And an English teacher would definetly make you correct it if you for any reason chose to write "bicos"...)

 

:lol:

E be like say e don work o!....


....Abi na your sis wey don write dat ting for you?

:twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

All dis na talk...Word is di time wey you born dis ya TING dey small pass pea sotay for years ya Momma bin tink na babygirl wey she get! :shock:
Me I no wan suck dat, you wan me mistake e for breakfast sausage and BITE dat small small ting wey you get all OFF? :smt106 :cry:

Sharaap dia! No be men ask you for date when you call 'cos dis ya voice sound squeaky like say you be woman? Abi you say yes sometimes when you dey real desperate?

Aaah, you don come again! :roll:
You sef make you pity 'cos you no fit get dat my fine oyinbo yansh! :butthead:

I no dey shake, make you show me real pepper 'cos for now I already don tire ojare :smt015

Nonsense, me I no be blonde sef. But e be like say dis H2O2 wey you use for dye your hair e don enter ya brain! :shock: If I need baby daddy for di twins wey I wan I rather go ask LCris sef - Cris na joke I dey joke o - 'cos I no wan worwor pikin small pass di table we wan sit to chop! :smt016

:lol: Tssss! See how you wan other persin lips do am for you? Why you no enter plane sef, eh? Abi na you be coward wey sabi say if I sound you, I will soon slap you hard hard? :twisted:

You no need to tell me dat, I already sabi. :idea:

You be so weak say I no need rope sef to tie you, na my hair dey strong enough! Wit dat gbola you get na maybe bugs you fit give belle 'cos you sef no reach inside woman! :smt003

:shock: God forbid bad thing! I no dey give away di my sweet sweet tin like say na cheap groundnut! :!:

So you dey admit LUCY be yua name?

MAKE UNA HEAR AM, NA LUCY WEY E WAN WE CALL AM!!!

 

:shock: :shock: :shock:

E wor wor oooooo!

Dis omo get triple PhD for yabbis.

Abi you dey roll with Wafarians abi na Safarians?

Na only dem fit yab like dis for Naija!

You are officially Naija! :lol:

E just remain make you turn black! :lol:

I bow to your superior yabbis!

I done become your houseboy :cry:

Abeg, take am easy as you dey send send me o! :lol:

I pity the Naija bobo wey go date you :shock:

If he yab you, life go tire am! :shock:

Chai!
I no go fit sleep after this kin' yabbis! :cry:

E remind me of those Lagos days no be small! :wink:

 

:shock: :shock: :shock:

E wor wor oooooo!

JESU CHRISTI!!!!! WEY DE DAMN UNITED NATIONS WHEN YOU NEED DEM???!!

DIS BE CYBER BULLYING!!!!!

WHY YOU DEY HARASS SON OF MAN NOW?!!??


GERMANY dey attack NIGERIA!!!!
NA ILLEGAL WAR!
NA FOR OIL OOOO!!!!

WEY U.N. DEY SEF?????!!!

SEE ME SEE TROUBLE OOOO!!!!

BEFORE DIS YABBIS BEGIN RESEMBLE US-IRAQ WAR, LUCIFER DONE WITHDRAW 'IM TROOPS OOO!

MEN, FALL BACK, ABEG!!!! :shock:

DIS JAMAN BABE DEY CRAZE OOOO!

DIS NA MASSACRE!

E BE LIKE SAY LUCIFER NEED MORE TRAINING!

LUCIFER WAN YARN WIT YA CHANCELLOR!!!

ABI DEM SEND DIS OYINBO WOMAN???!!!

NA SO SO YAB, YAB!!!!

WETIN I DO YOU NOW????!!!!


ABEG TAKE AM EASY NOW!

SMALL, SMALL OOOOO!!!
:lol:

 

Chineke, una still dey here dey talk pidgin? Na wa for una ooo ......

 

MistressB!

Your man is Zimbabwean? I am trying so hard to learn Shona...no luck...

 

Notin spoil Ronja!
I think I understand what you mean I simply don't think it really makes sense to look at pidgins "from the Queen's/standard English point of view", it serves as a lexifier but has no "authority" over pidgins so to speak, hence there can be no "wrong". As far as the spelling is concerned I doubt that there are any real rules, you can just write it like you pronounce it basically. In the case of Jamaican Patois for example it is only quite recently that some novelists who actually write in Patois established some kind of spelling "rules". But for the most part pidgins are limited to oral discourse existing in addition to written standard English.

So it doesn't actually make much sense that I can write a bit but not speak it.

 

ooh, Lucy you don give up already?

Lagos, eh? You dey Yoruba or fit understand di language?
Ose mo dupe!

:lol: E no go happen!
Now for winter I dey pale like say I be snowflake and get some freckles for my cheeks sef! :lol:

Nah, I no wan you as my houseboy but abeg you fit do me favor? You fit check wetin I don write for mistakes and tell me (email) so I fit improve my pidgin?
If you do dat for me I no go call you Lucy again... Deal?

I be nice gal and I jus bin wan help you wit your Naija-ness small, no give you nightmares. You no need UN, all na good. We friends?