Ghanaian-Nigerian Cultural and Linguistic Transfer in the Pichi and Spanish of Equatorial Guinea

Abstract

This paper discusses cultural and lexical evidence of Ghanaian-Nigerian language contact in Pichi (an English-lexifier creole) and Spanish of Equatorial Guinea. Existing research on the lexicon of Pichi and Equatoguinean Spanish has centered primarily on the European and Bantu origins of guineanismos, that is, loanwords and neologisms in Equatoguinean vocabulary. Inasmuch as Ghana, Nigeria, and Equatorial Guinea remain in close proximity, research on cross-cultural and linguistic connections between these three multilingual countries is scant. This study seeks to fill the gap with an analysis of lexical and cultural data gathered from fieldwork and secondary online sources. The objective of this study is to increase visibility on the historical, cultural, and linguistic connections between two Anglophone countries and a Hispanophone country in sub-Saharan Africa. These connections can further inspire the design of pedagogical materials for Spanish language classrooms within and beyond the African continent.

Keywords: culture, lexicon, linguistic transfer, Spanish, Africa