Looking for sources to learn Nigerian Pidgin. Any recommendations?

[u/scarface4tx]

My fiancée is Nigerian (Edo and Yoruba), and while she doesn't speak Yoruba, she does sometimes speak Nigerian Pidgin. I'd really like to learn it as well. I'm hoping that if we both speak it, we might eventually be able to pass it on to our future kids.

For those who speak Nigerian Pidgin (TL), what resources would you recommend for someone trying to learn it well?

I know there might not be as many digital resources as more commonly taught languages, but I'm hoping there are some good ones out there that I haven't found yet.

I've come across apps/services such as Nkenne, uTalk, Linguama, World Schoolbooks, and TalkSharp (an AI tool).

Has anyone here tried any of these, or have other recommendations? Ideally, I'm looking for something that reflects how Pidgin is actually spoken in everyday life rather than something overly formal or textbook-like.

Thanks!

[u/CommercialCandid3660]

Random question but, are you Nigerian? Or just someone trying to learn pidgin? Just curious lol!  

[u/scarface4tx → u/CommercialCandid3660]

I'm not Nigerian, but my fiancée is (as I said). I'm an American man.

[u/Over-Contribution923]

https://www.jw.org/finder?srcid=jwlshare&wtlocale=PGW&prefer=lang&docid=102025000 - try this link. The magazines has a feature to change language to pidgin English. Also bbc and other news online has pidgin versions .

[u/Bobelle → u/Over-Contribution923]

Warning, Pidgin transalations online do NOT reflect everyday life pidgin and would sound highly unnatural IRL. Same goes for BBC pidgin. Also, you mention your wife is Edo. Also, make sure to ask your wife what variant of pidgin she speaks. If it's Edo Pidgin you're probably going to have to find an Edo Pidgin tutor because most online resources focus on Lagos Pidgin.

[u/Blooblack]

"Ideally, I'm looking for something that reflects how Pidgin is actually spoken in everyday life rather than something overly formal or textbook-like."

You're asking a lot, in this question.

Pidgin is very dynamic, and changes very quickly. Nigerians who live abroad and visit Nigeria after several years can find, to their surprise, that a lot of their Pidgin has become a bit out of date. Also, Nigeria is the 6th largest country in the world, with regard to population, and there are regional differences in the way Pidgin is spoken, as well as parts of the country where native languages are spoken more often than Pidgin. So, your source of learning material needs to be not just good but relevant to your circumstance, ideally.

The BBC has some Pidgin broadcasts, but quite often they're cringe-worthy and not exact. I'd say the best way to learn Pidgin is not digital; you'd need to interact with Nigerians fairly regularly and learn it from them. Doing the same thing with any kids you have - as well as taking them to spend extended vacations in Nigeria - would be the best way for them to pick up fluency in it, apart from learning it from their mother. Bear in mind that if people in Nigeria hear your kids speaking English with American accents, most people will simply speak to them in English and not in Pidgin, to be polite.

In other words, this is one case where immersion among fluent speakers is the best route to fluency. So, you may want to spend more time attending Nigerian functions near where you are in the US, and socialising with Nigerians there.