Conference on Nigeian Pidgin at UI starting on Monday..
Conference on Nigeria Pidgin
(Ibadan : July 7-10th, 2009)
IFRA (Institut Français de Recherche en Afrique) will organise a conference on Nigeria Pidgin in the University of Ibadan from the 7th to the 10th of July, 2009. This conference proposes to explore the various dimensions of NP, and set the foundation for the Nigerian Pidgin Project aiming at producing a reference grammar, a dictionary and a teaching method for NP.
Nigeria Pidgin (NP) is spoken by more than 50 million speakers all over Nigeria, in a variety of forms that go from the vehicular “broken English” to the more elaborate and complex varieties developled by standup comedians, song writers, journalists and students. The broad intercomprehension that exists between the Pidgins spoken in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana and Sierra Leone give it a strong potential as a language for commerce and regional integration and could be useful in the present context of globalisation. Despite this powerful social and political potential NP suffers from a lack of recognition that hinders its development as a potential linguistic integrator for the Nigerian nation. The conference will center on the essential question:
What is Nigeria Pidgin ?
Programme:
· July, 7th : Arrival of participants
· July, 8th and 9th : Conference
- 1st day : Six 30 min. papers will be read, followed by 15
min. discussions.
- 2nd day : 2 workshops will be organized to debate the following :
Organization and launching of the Nigerian Pidgin Project (NPP)
Creation of a Nigeria Pidgin Academy
July, 10th : Departure of participants
Call for papers
You are invited to submit researched and data-oriented papers covering the following topics:
- The sociology/ function(s) of NP
- The geography of NP
- The history of NP
- NP in literature, the arts and entertainement
- The structure of NP
- The vocabulary of NP
- The future of NP
- What orthography for NP?
Deadline
All proposals must be sent by e-mail before May 31st, 2009, in
multiple copies, to :
Prof. Francis Egbokhare, University of Ibadan : [email protected]
Prof. Bernard Caron, IFRA, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria :
[email protected]
Secretary : Mr. Martin E. Mbella : [email protected]
For further information concerning IFRA and the Conference, please
check our website (http://ifranigeria.org/), or contact us by e-mail
or at the following phone numbers: ++234 (0)802 608 05 53 / ++234
(0)807 70 40 836.
Bernard CARON, Director
Institut Français de Recherche en Afrique
IDR -- Ahmadu Bello University
Zaria -- Kaduna State -- Nigeria
Posts
5 comments:
More money wasted by academics with nothing better to do...
I am bored right now, so I will answer your first question. I know you're not asking me personally, but I'm bored.....
Q. What is Nigerian pidgin?
A. A bunch of foolish slangs and a mockery of the English Language (which coincidentally is the official language of the aforementioned countries Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon - and could facilitate trade between these countries quite effectively, ya digg?) intertwined with words and concepts from the local Nigerian languages and cultures, with an emphasis on onomatopoeia and exaggeration/dramatization.
A form of vernacular, something like Cockney rhyming slang, that does not really need to be promoted to the status of an official language. To do so would be a mockery of all its component languages and an insult to the intellect of all who would speak it as an official language. It would be like buying a plastic Christmas tree and planting it in the middle of some real Pine trees and trying to imply that it is just as impressive and valuable as the real trees.
Where do I sign up? :)
ok seriously stop.
Pidgin has never and will never be THE official language in Nigeria. i have never heard anyone in nigeria promoting it as such or wanting it to be elevated to that level FULL STOP
@Mike: Really?
@Anonymous1: Maybe you should attend the conference in Ibadan. You could add a few more thoughts to your smattering of what "Nigerian Pidgin" really is.
@Anonymous2: Thanks.
@Mike: Really? Why?
@Anonymous1: Maybe you should attend the conference in Ibadan. You could add a few more thoughts to your smattering of what "Nigerian Pidgin" really is.
@Anonymous2: Tell them.
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