The Status of “Kom” and the Time, Aspect-modality system of Anglo-Nigerian pidgin

Abstract

Anglo-Nigeria Pidgin (ANP), a variety of English-based Pidgin/Creole is a modern urbanised phenomenon. Though it is widely believed that children of mixed families use ANP as their first language this research shares the view that a growing number Nigerians born in large cities even to parents sharing the same language and who have spent substantial number of years in those areas may infact be using ANP as a first language. In addition to these are those speakers who use it as a second or third language in the entire country.

Our research reveals that though ANP\'s tense-aspect-modality (TA) system shares many similarities with Bickerton\'s proto-creole TAM system, creolisation in Anglo-Nigerian Pidgin seems however to be pulling the language nearer to Nigerian languages by its unfoldment of an overt realis modality marker (Kכm). While this research shares the views of Agheyisi (1988) and Faraclas (1987) to some extent it however, contrasts in many ways with their conclusions.

ANP\'s tense-aspect-modality system, Creolisation, children and adolescent and Nigerian languages.

Global Journal of Humanities Vol.3(1&2) 2004: 27-32