Wetin una dey yan: Variation in the use of copula dey in Nigerian Pidgin English

Abstract The present study shows variability in Nigerian Pidgin English (NPE) through its frequently used copula dey. Previous works on copulas in NPE have rarely shown the extent to which the copula varies, the extent to which attested variation is complex, or the extent to which the simple or complex variation found is related to processing both the verb phrase in which the copula operates and the overall sentential context it scans. Contributing to this question, the study shows that copula dey exhibits complex variability, which is strongly related to the difficulty in processing the meaning and interpretation of both the verb phrase and that of the overall sentence. The article also shows that variants of dey (i.e. deh and de) are unrelated to the exhibition of this complex variability, though their choice of use is related to formality or text type. Framed within a construction grammar theoretical framework, the article identifies and classifies five contextual scenarios showing creative movement and placement of the copula, including how structural variability (or lack thereof) distinguishes between copula dey, verbal dey and metaphoric dey.