Locale Pcm 001

Reference data for the Nigerian Pidgin locale — endonym Naijá, written in the Latin script, left-to-right (LTR).

Identifiers

• BCP 47 tag: pcm-001
• ISO 639-1: not assigned
• ISO 639-3: pcm
• Script: Latn (Latin)
• Region: 001 (World)
• Text direction: ltr — left-to-right (LTR)

Speakers (approximate)

• L1 (native): 5,000,000
• L2 (additional): 116,000,000
• L1+L2 (total): 121,000,000

Regional variants

This is the base/macro locale for Nigerian Pidgin. Region-specific variants in this dataset:

• Locale Pcm Ng (Nigerian Pidgin (Nigeria))

Pluralization

CLDR plural categories for this locale: one, other (2 forms).

• one — i = 0 or n = 1 (e.g. 0, 1)
• other — everything else (e.g. 2~17, 100, 1000, 10000, …)

See Unicode Messageformat for writing plural messages using these categories.

Translating into this locale

Nigerian Pidgin (Naijá) is an English-lexified creole widely spoken across Nigeria and used in media (for example BBC News Pidgin). It is a language in its own right with its own grammar, not broken English. There is no single legal orthography, but media style guides and community conventions have emerged. See Locale Pcm Ng. This guidance is lower-confidence; have a Nigerian Pidgin speaker review it.

Translate ideas, not words.

• Write natural Pidgin, not English with a few word swaps. Pidgin uses short, direct sentences and markers for grammar: dey (progressive), don (perfect), go (future), wan (intention), na (focus or copula), dem (plural), wey (relative), no (negation).
• Examples: I dey save di file (I am saving the file), I don save di file (I have saved the file), Di file no dey (the file is not there).
• Re-express idioms by meaning; Pidgin has many proverbs and vivid expressions that do not map from English.
• Use a consistent register; avoid caricature or stereotype, and avoid exaggerated spellings.

Grammar.

• No verb inflection for tense or person; time and aspect are shown by markers and context. Plural is shown by dem after the noun (di pikin dem), not by English -s.
• Pronouns: I, you, im (he, she, it), we, una (you, plural), dem (they).

Register.

• Pidgin is informal and friendly. Do not use it for legal, medical, or formal contracts unless the audience requires it. For public service messages, Pidgin is useful for reach; keep the tone respectful.

Orthography and typography.

• Follow one style guide consistently (for example the BBC News Pidgin conventions for dey, don, wey, di, na). Do not mix English spellings for the same words.
• Nigerian formats: naira (₦), decimal point, comma thousands separator, dates in English or Pidgin form.

Common pitfalls

• Translating word for word into English with Pidgin spellings.
• Using stereotyped or mocking spellings.
• Inconsistent spelling of the same word.
• Using inflected English forms (goes, saved) in Pidgin.

Learn more

• Locale for BCP 47 identifiers, locale-sensitive formatting, pluralization, and text-direction concepts that apply across all locales.
• Unicode Messageformat for writing plural/selection messages correctly for this locale's grammar.
• BBC News Pidgin style and usage (https://www.bbc.com/pidgin)
• Nigerian Pidgin dictionaries and community orthography proposals