Open Access
American Research Journal of English and Literature
ISSN (Online): 2378-9026
DOI: 10.46568/arjel
Nigerian Pidgin Captions on Lorries in Nigeria: A Sociolinguistic Study
Abstract
Lorries are among the vehicles that convey goods across Nigeria. Many of such lorries have fascinating captions expressed
in Nigerian Pidgin. This paper attempts a sociolinguistic overview of selected captions on lorries. In using written language,
the writer is expected to convey relevant information in terms of making the message such that can be processed easily via
encoder-decoder shared knowledge. Indeed, language is the medium or vehicle for conveying ideas. The use of Nigerian
Pidgin on lorries is informed by its communicative potentials, being a language that conveys the users’ socio-cultural
nuances at individual and collective levels. Hinging on Stance and Engagement Theory, this study concludes that Nigerian
Pidgin is used as captions in lorries to transmit knowledge, lampoon societal vices, and awaken the readers’ consciousness
on states-of-affairs.
