Is Broken English the Same as Pidgin English?

Broken English is a disparaging term for a limited grasp of English used by a non-native speaker.  Some of the characteristics of Broken English are that it may be fragmented, incomplete, marked by faulty syntax and inappropriate diction.

Example:

Manuel: It is surprise party.
Basil: Yes?
Manuel: She no here.
Basil: Yes?
Manuel: That is surprise!

It should be noted that Broken English isn’t just spoken by those with a limited grasp of the English Language, it has been used in literature to depict the foreignness of a character, or that character’s lack of intelligence or education. A note-worthy example was by Williams Shakespeare in Henry V:

Come, your answer in broken music; for thy voice is music, and thy English broken; therefore, queen of all, Katharine, break thy mind to me in broken English: wilt thou have me?

Broken English has come to be a universal language that is spoken and understood almost everywhere, so general that in its usage, you will find someone somewhere on the face of the earth using it – anyplace where the need to improvise some level of command of English is required, usually by those for whom English is not their first language.

What about Pidgin English?

This is different from Broken English in the sense that Pidgin-English is a highly formalised and restricted branch of British English. It is a grammatically simplified means of communication that develops between two or more groups that do not have a language in common, usually where both groups speak languages different from the language of the country in which they reside.

For example between Hausa and Yoruba speakers in Nigeria, or between Igbo speakers in Nigeria and Ashante speakers in Ghana

Pidgin English is not the native language of any community, but is instead learned as a second language. A pidgin may be built from words, sounds, or body language from multiple other languages and cultures.

An example is West African Pidgin English (WAPE) which is spoken and understood across such vast regions as from Gambia to Cameroon, and originated in the 16th-century from contacts between West Africans and English sailors and traders.

It has also been featured in Literature by West African authors, one of which is Chinua Achebe’s Man of the People:

Me? Put poison for master? Nevertheless!” said the cook, side-stepping to avoid a heavy blow from the Minister. . . . Why I go kill my master? . . . Abi my head no correct? And even if to say I dey craze why I no go go jump for inside lagoon instead to kill my master?

I hope the difference between the two is now clearer – one is improvised, the other is learnt as a grammatically simpler branch of British English.

This post was adapted from about.com