Abstract
This paper investigates four bilingual interjections: na wa, shikena, ehn, and ehen, with the objective of exploring their sources, meanings, frequencies, spelling stability, positions, collocational patterns and discourse-pragmatic functions in Nigerian English. The data which were obtained from the Nigerian component of the Global Web-based English corpus were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively, using the theory of pragmatic borrowing. The results indicate that na wa, which is loaned from Nigerian Pidgin, is actually a modified form of a Hausa expression, na wahala, shikena is borrowed from Hausa, while ehn and ehen are loaned from Yoruba. Na wa is an emotive interjection, shikena and ehen are cognitive interjections, while ehn can function both as phatic and as emotive interjections. Both ehn and ehen also function as pragmatic markers. The study thus extends research on the discourse-pragmatic features of Nigerian English.
About the author
Foluke Olayinka Unuabonah (PhD) teaches in the English Department of Redeemer’s University, Ede, Nigeria. Her areas of interest include discourse analysis and (corpus)pragmatics. She has published articles in international journals such as Journal of Asian and African Studies, Pragmatics, Discourse & Society, Pragmatics & Society, Journal of Pragmatics, English World-Wide, Text & Talk, World Englishes, and Corpus Pragmatics.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The author appreciates the critical comments of the journal editor, two anonymous reviewers, and Dr. Rotimi Oladipupo on earlier versions of this paper as well as discussions with Dr. Idowu Odebode.
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