Culture BBC adds "Pidgin English" to its roster of foreign-language editions - It can't be April Fool's Day again already, can it?!

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-40975399

A new language service for digital platforms in English-based Pidgin for West and Central Africa has been launched by the BBC World Service.

Pidgin is one of the most widely-spoken languages across the region, even though it is not officially recognised.

The launch is part of the World Service's biggest expansion since the 1940s, following a government funding boost announced in 2016.

Pidgin will soon be joined by 10 more new services in Africa and Asia.

The WS also plans to offer more mobile and video content and a greater social media presence.

It will also enhance its television services across Africa, including more than 30 new TV programmes for partner broadcasters in sub-Saharan Africa.

Arabic and Russian programming will also be boosted in the 2020 project.

What is Pidgin?

• A mix of English and local languages enabling people who do not share a common language to communicate
• West African Pidgin English was a language of commerce spoken along the coast during the Atlantic slave trade in the late 17th and 18th Centuries.
• Widely used in Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea
• Primarily an oral language, without a standard agreed written form.

On the one hand, I think I can see where they're coming from with this decision, but on the other hand...

Why dem dey call Hurricane human being name

Di biggest storm wey United States of America never see for 13 years don land for Texas.

Dis Hurricane Harvey don scatter plenty houses and tori say e even don kill five people.

Hurricane Matthew wey bin happen for 2016 kill plenty people and scatter house join wen e happen.

Harvey and Mattew na human being name, so how hurricane dey take get dia name sef? In short, why dem dey give hurricane name at all?

...what in the actual living fuck.

 

[Trash Eater]

Is this some kind of /pol/ scheme? Because making the BBC type in the most racist looking bix nood gibberish under the guise of being inclusive seems like something /pol/ would do.

 

[HOMO INSPECTUS]

French people no still want make Mrs Macron collect any money from France to do any of her waka-waka.

i have never needed to know something so bad in my entire life: WHAT IS A WAKA-WAKA?

 

[vertexwindi]

i have never needed to know something so bad in my entire life: WHAT IS A WAKA-WAKA?

Cockney slang for Pac-Man.

 

[Tragi-Chan]

i have never needed to know something so bad in my entire life: WHAT IS A WAKA-WAKA?

Work?
The one I can't figure out is "wey."

 

[HOMO INSPECTUS]

Cockney slang for Pac-Man.

sold

i wey no wooty gooty beet boot e Mrs Macron any of her waka-waka neither.

in seriousness i've encountered "pidgin" before, but never as a proper noun - my understanding, and those of my conversation partners, has been that "pidgin" is whatever bits and pieces you manage to use to convey ideas back and forth between you and your foreigner pal(s), drawn from any languages you've got in common. in fact, in at least one old detective novel (A Catskill Eagle, part of a neat old "buddy cop"-type series) uses the word in exactly that context, too.

i wouldn't be surprised if this might be a fundamental misunderstanding of negro stuff on the part of upper-crust BBC execs looking to score social justice points by being inclusive of some po'-ass african communities. or, journos misunderstanding this move as being such a PR tactic, and reporting on it for some residual points. i'd ask if there are any haitian creole kiwis here that could confirm whether or not this is intelligible/accurate but i strongly, strongly suspect that's not a demographic we, uh, appeal to

 

[XYZpdq]

i have never needed to know something so bad in my entire life: WHAT IS A WAKA-WAKA?

Spoiler: Waka waka

 

[Sperglord Dante]

I've heard Belizeans speaking Kriol. It sounds like this shit read aloud.

 

[HOMO INSPECTUS]

I've heard Belizeans speaking Kriol. It sounds like this shit read aloud.

i am HOOKED.

"No ge wey your ass, and shit ch'roo ya ribs." = Don't give away your ass, or you'll be shitting through your ribs [instead]." it's like what i'd tell native africans to say to each other for my amusement! like that episode of Rick and Morty!

 

[Trans Fat 41g]

BIX NOODICUS SAVES THE DAY

 

[AN/ALR56]

It's interesting to see Africans can't speak English but french and Portuguese sounds fine to me.

 

[Audit]

Has the BBC finally admitted that the common African in incapable of learning a proper language and becoming literate?

 

[Chocolate Elvis]

I personally can't wait for British TV to be dubbed in Patois.

 

[Computery Guy]

This is so shockingly racist that I'm actually dying of laughter. Horseshoe theory is fucking real.

 

[Florence]

I'm just disappointed that it's not the Vanuatu version of pidgin, which refers to a helicopter landing as "mixmaster blong Jesus Kraes i foldaon" and to Prince Charles as "nambawan pikininny blong Missis Kwin".

 

[DICKPICSRUS]

Work?
The one I can't figure out is "wey."

It means do it but it directly translates to walk while workin

 

[The Great Chandler]

Racism in dey bix wey!

 

[CWCchange]

tfw Ebonics is easier to understand than this.

I don't see much of a difference.

 

[ZehnBoat]

when are we getting a translation into jive?

 

[Computery Guy]

I don't see much of a difference.

Racist cartoonists may be the stupidest motherfuckers alive when it comes to understanding history, but I'll be damned if they can't write out ebonics well.

 

[ICametoLurk]

Btw this isn't just limited to Africa, it's also used in Papua New Guinea.

You know, the place where they eat anyone who comes there.

And there are Pidgin translators.