Nigerian English Development Strategies by Crèche Pupils

This study investigates how Nigerian crèche pupils (aged 1–3) contribute to the use of Nigerian English (NE) through everyday classroom interactions. Guided by Labov’s (1972) variationist sociolinguistic theory, a qualitative approach was employed across twelve schools in South-West Nigeria, using participant observation and caregiver interviews. The findings reveal rich, systematic use of NE in pupils’ speech. Onomatopoeic expressions such as quack quack for ducks, muu for cows, and wee-wee for urination helped children associate sounds with objects and actions, fostering both naming and social interaction. Lexico-semantic generalisations were common: the speaker referred to phones or radios, and to pencils, crayons, and pens; papa described any older male. These flexible uses show children simplifying categories for ease of communication. Reduplication patterns such as cry-cry, beggy-beggy, and small-small functioned as intensifiers, emphasising behavioural traits, movement, or social evaluation. Pupils also coined original expressions such as Mr Do-Good (disciplinary cane) and Big Daddy (an older male figure), demonstrating their creative engagement with sociocultural norms. Language transfer was evident in the everyday use of Yoruba terms like dodo (fried plantain) and ponmo (cow skin), which were generalised to refer to various meats. Unique phonological strategies included substitution (told for gold), deletion (apoo for apple), and insertion (bikitifor biscuit), and syllable reduction (dwink for drink), while grammatical forms, such as he say and off the light, showed alignment with established NE patterns. These findings affirm that Nigerian crèche pupils are early adopters of a distinct variety of Nigerian English.