Pidgin English is not the native language of any community, but is instead learned as a second language. It is a grammatically simplified means of communication that develops between two or more groups that do not have a language in common, usually where both groups speak languages different from the language of the country in which they reside.įor example between Hausa and Yoruba speakers in Nigeria, or between Igbo speakers in Nigeria and Ashante speakers in Ghana This is different from Broken English in the sense that Pidgin-English is a highly formalised and restricted branch of British English. ![]() A note-worthy example was by Williams Shakespeare in Henry V:Ĭome, your answer in broken music for thy voice is music, and thy English broken therefore, queen of all, Katharine, break thy mind to me in broken English: wilt thou have me?īroken English has come to be a universal language that is spoken and understood almost everywhere, so general that in its usage, you will find someone somewhere on the face of the earth using it – anyplace where the need to improvise some level of command of English is required, usually by those for whom English is not their first language. It should be noted that Broken English isn’t just spoken by those with a limited grasp of the English Language, it has been used in literature to depict the foreignness of a character, or that character’s lack of intelligence or education. Some of the characteristics of Broken English are that it may be fragmented, incomplete, marked by faulty syntax and inappropriate diction. ![]() ![]() Broken English is a disparaging term for a limited grasp of English used by a non-native speaker.
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