SYNTACTIC ANALYSIS OF PIDGIN ENGLISH (FOCUS ON THE PHRASE STRUCTURE)

Abstract

This study examines the phrase structure of Nigerian Pidgin English (NPE) with the aim of identifying its underlying syntactic organization in comparison with Standard English. The research was motivated by the perception that Nigerian Pidgin English lacks structural regularity and grammatical depth. Adopting the Phrase Structure Grammar (PSG) framework, the study analysed both spoken and written data obtained from undergraduate students of the Department of English and Literary Studies, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. Using a qualitative descriptive design, linguistic data were collected through audio recordings, semi-structured interviews, observation, and written samples from WhatsApp chats and social media posts. The findings reveal that Nigerian Pidgin English, contrary to popular belief, exhibits systematic syntactic structures similar to those found in natural languages. The phrase markers and tree diagrams constructed from the data show that Nigerian Pidgin maintains recognizable hierarchical relationships among its constituents, including noun phrases (NP), verb phrases (VP), prepositional phrases (PP), adjective phrases (AdjP), and adverbial phrases (AdvP). The study concludes that Nigerian Pidgin English is not a random or deficient linguistic system but one that follows identifiable grammatical rules.