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Chapter 10. Student Pidgin

A masculine code encroached on by young women
  • Kari Dako
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Gender and Language in Sub-Saharan Africa
This chapter is in the book Gender and Language in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The chapter describes Student Pidgin (SP), a relatively recent youth language in Ghana that we can trace from the late 1960 / early 1970. Pidgin has always been a male language in Ghana and can be traced to itinerant migrant labourers who brought pidgin from Liberia and Nigeria. Pidgin was also associated with prostitutes from the riverin/Niger delta areas of Nigeria. When the first survey of Student Pidgin (SP) was undertaken (Tawiah 1998), only four out of 50 female students admitted speaking the language and they had all learnt it from their brothers. Today I estimate that close to 50 percent of female students admit to speaking SP. The chapter investigates why some young women speak SP and why others do not. I argue that some young women speak the code in part to create identities for themselves as SP speakers.

Abstract

The chapter describes Student Pidgin (SP), a relatively recent youth language in Ghana that we can trace from the late 1960 / early 1970. Pidgin has always been a male language in Ghana and can be traced to itinerant migrant labourers who brought pidgin from Liberia and Nigeria. Pidgin was also associated with prostitutes from the riverin/Niger delta areas of Nigeria. When the first survey of Student Pidgin (SP) was undertaken (Tawiah 1998), only four out of 50 female students admitted speaking the language and they had all learnt it from their brothers. Today I estimate that close to 50 percent of female students admit to speaking SP. The chapter investigates why some young women speak SP and why others do not. I argue that some young women speak the code in part to create identities for themselves as SP speakers.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements xi
  4. Gender and language in sub-Saharan Africa 1
  5. Part 1. Gender and linguistic description
  6. Chapter 1. Issues of language and gender in iweto marriage as practised by the Kamba in Kenya 29
  7. Chapter 2. Language, gender and age(ism) in Setswana 53
  8. Chapter 3. Variation with gender in the tonal speech varieties of Kera (Chadic) 79
  9. Part 2. Public settings and gendered language use
  10. Chapter 4. Language, gender and social construction in a pre-school in Gaborone 97
  11. Chapter 5. Variation in address forms for Nigerian married and unmarried women in the workplace 117
  12. Part 3. Mediated masculinities and femininities
  13. Chapter 6. A new South African man? 131
  14. Chapter 7. The ‘Tinto’ image in contemporary Tswana songs 149
  15. Chapter 8.Language and gender in popular music in Botswana 177
  16. Part 4. Gendered struggles and change
  17. Chapter 9. Sex discourses and the construction of gender identity in Sesotho 205
  18. Chapter 10. Student Pidgin 217
  19. Chapter 11. Gendered linguistic choices among isiZulu-speaking women in contemporary South Africa 233
  20. Chapter 12. Homophobic language and linguistic resistance in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa 253
  21. Chapter 13. “I cannot be blamed for my own assault” 275
  22. Part 5. Epilogue
  23. African feminism? 301
  24. Gender, sexuality and language in African contexts 315
  25. Contributors 325
  26. Index 327
https://doi.org/10.1075/impact.33.15dak

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements xi
  4. Gender and language in sub-Saharan Africa 1
  5. Part 1. Gender and linguistic description
  6. Chapter 1. Issues of language and gender in iweto marriage as practised by the Kamba in Kenya 29
  7. Chapter 2. Language, gender and age(ism) in Setswana 53
  8. Chapter 3. Variation with gender in the tonal speech varieties of Kera (Chadic) 79
  9. Part 2. Public settings and gendered language use
  10. Chapter 4. Language, gender and social construction in a pre-school in Gaborone 97
  11. Chapter 5. Variation in address forms for Nigerian married and unmarried women in the workplace 117
  12. Part 3. Mediated masculinities and femininities
  13. Chapter 6. A new South African man? 131
  14. Chapter 7. The ‘Tinto’ image in contemporary Tswana songs 149
  15. Chapter 8.Language and gender in popular music in Botswana 177
  16. Part 4. Gendered struggles and change
  17. Chapter 9. Sex discourses and the construction of gender identity in Sesotho 205
  18. Chapter 10. Student Pidgin 217
  19. Chapter 11. Gendered linguistic choices among isiZulu-speaking women in contemporary South Africa 233
  20. Chapter 12. Homophobic language and linguistic resistance in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa 253
  21. Chapter 13. “I cannot be blamed for my own assault” 275
  22. Part 5. Epilogue
  23. African feminism? 301
  24. Gender, sexuality and language in African contexts 315
  25. Contributors 325
  26. Index 327
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