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Cameroon na some special countri fo Africa because i get two government language dem.  Dis two tok dem na English and French. Di ting weh i make di countri kam bi as i deh again plenti na dis Pidgin English (Kamtok) weh di piple di tok am. Pidgin English nah language for piple weh dem no go skul but all Anglophone dem fit tok am. Countri tok dem too dem plenti for di countri na 270 contri tok deh fo Cameroon. Big difference deh between grammar (Standard English) and Pidgin English na why that weh teacher dem di vex plenty wen skul pikin dem tok pidgin for skul. Teacher dem tink say Pidgin di spoil skul pikin dem grammar. Today, man fit tok say plenti piple for Cameroon di tok two countri tok.

English tok bi first enter Cameroon na for 16th century di time weh British and  Dutch piple bi came for catch Nigger dem. Di tok cam waka. Soteh na yiweh dem bi use am for give doctrine for church. English kame strong again for dis country for di time  weh Britain bi win war and take di country from german. Dis colonial time as dem di call am, bi bi na time weh man fit tok sey English no go go again. I don kame for stay. For di big big farm dem weh german bi openam, piple dem bi kommot for all side for kame work. Inside this piple dem any man bi get i own countri tok so i bi hard for dem for stori. So di ting weh i kame happen na say, Pidgin start for grow small small soteh I kame turn for some kind tok weh all man di tok am today. (Kamtok). Grammar too i kame grow strong strong because British piple dem bi open skuls for teach Camroon pikin dem dist their tok.

Street in Tiko, Cameroon © Bridget Fonkeu 2010

Pidgin English na some tok weh government, book piple, and piple weh dem own no dey  no like am at all because dem member say i di spoil good grammar. Man fit di tok fo one language you wan see i change start tok fo another language (dis one na yi dem di call am say code-switching). Man no fit use am for government office and for skul  na only for market and for haus weh man fit feel free for tok pidgin. Dis one no change di importance for dis tok i dong kame important soteh plenti pikin dem weh dem born dem for south west and North west province dem no know their kontri tok again. Na only Pidgin English dem di tok before dem wan go skul go learn grammar. 

Here, you can listen to the Kamtok version.

© Bridget Fonkeu 2010