Pidgin a Socio-Cultural Realities among English Speaking West African Countries: A Socio- Linguistic Approach

Linguistics is the scientific study of human natural language and its communicative functions within speech communities. Socio-linguistics examines the interaction between language and society, emphasizing how culture and communicative practices shape linguistic forms. This qualitative study investigates how the linguistic content of English Pidgin varieties spoken in three West African countries: Nigeria, Ghana, and English-speaking Cameroon is built on the cultural experience of the selected West African countries.  This research bases its study on Sapir–Whorf’s theory of linguistic relativity, to explore how English Pidgin reflects and preserves African cultural heritage. Primary data are sourced from thirteen You Tube videos where English Pidgin is used in a normal conversation, while secondary data include books and scholarly articles. Findings from the data collected affirm that language embodies cultural heritage, and English Pidgin serves as a medium through which histories, identities, and socio-cultural values of West African people are expressed.