CHAPITRE 08City culture

Nouchi

The street language of Abidjan

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Nouchi is a mixed language that emerged among Abidjan's street youth in the 1970s and 80s. It is built on French, with words from Dioula, Baoulé, Bété and other languages, and from English.

In a city of more than 60 ethnic groups, young people needed an urban common tongue that belonged to no single group.

CE QUE VOUS VERREZ · What you will see

Suddenly you cannot follow young people's French: 'On dit quoi?', 'Y'a pas drap', 'C'est comment?'. The same mixed phrases appear on billboards.

POURQUOI · So what

Nouchi has moved from fringe slang to part of national identity. It runs through Zouglou, Coupé-décalé and advertising, and it marks someone as an Abidjanais.

SAVOIR-FAIRE · How to use it

A few words of Nouchi can warm up a conversation in a maquis or a taxi instantly. Do not use it in formal settings, and do not overdo it to the point of mimicry.

Asian and European parallelsLike Taiwanese-accented Mandarin or Hong Kong's mix of Cantonese and English: it expresses a city identity, not just a way of speaking.