"Our Pidgin": Language Perceptions among West African Students in Padua, Italy

In recent years, Pidgin has become a topic of interest among scholars, a language derived mainly from English vocabulary and influenced by local African languages. Its origin can be traced to centuries of trade, migration, and cultural exchange along the West African coast among native people, foreign explorers, and traders. Although there has been an influx of literature on this topic, few researchers have focused on Pidgin in diaspora communities in Italy. This research aims to examine and gain further understanding of the attitudes of West African students towards pidgin language, with a major focus on how the language is perceived and used in a multilingual diaspora context, specifically among West African students living in Padua, Italy. For the purpose of this investigation, a mixed-method approach was used; the main source of data collection was through an online questionnaire, which collected qualitative and quantitative data distributed within a convenience sample, the African student community. I wish to investigate whether West African students living in Padua, Italy, have positive attitudes towards the use of pidgin in informal settings, and if it creates a form of identity and cultural solidarity depending on the context and social factors.