Pidgin English in Cameroon: To teach or not to teach

That Cameroon Pidgin English (CPE) is the most widely spoken lingua franca in Cameroon is no longer open to debate. In spite of its functional load in the complex multilingual make-up of the country, it does not enjoy the recognition given to the two official languages as governmental authorities completely ignore the language. This ongoing official neglect has affected the attitude of Cameroonians towards the language as most of them style it a ‘bad’ language that must be limited to the informal sector. This paper explores the possibility of projecting the language especially through its recognition by the state and its use in education given that ‘when a language is assigned significant functions, it grows and gains more respect’ (Adegbija, 1994, p. 71). Schröder (2003, p. 255) reinforces this assertion by stating that ‘if CamP were used as a medium of instruction for some school subjects . . . its utility and subsequently its prestige would certainly be enhanced.’ In a bid to achieving this objective, we analyzed the attitudes of 100 educated Cameroonians (with university education) towards its use and towards steps aimed at projecting it. The results reveal that although CPE is such a useful language in Cameroon and that attitudes towards the language have improved tremendously, it still needs to be given a push for it to gain overt prestige. The study identifies a number of challenges facing the promotion of CPE and proposes some solutions.