English was, is and will always remain one of the most popular languages spoken and taught practically everywhere around the world. As a multilingual country, each of nigerias more than 300 languages is spoken almost ethnically, and is restricted, as it were, to a specific geographical area in the. In nigeria where english is a second language it is imperative for the teaching and learning implications to be properly addressed in such a diverse l2 classrooms. Nigerian english presentation 1 linkedin slideshare. The languages in nigerian sociopolitical domains eric.
The major languages spoken in nigeria are yoruba, hausa, igbo, fulfulde, kanuri, and ibibio. The state of the english language in nigeria education. According to adegbite 2003 the over 400 languages in nigeria have. Institute of political studies, faculty of political studies, charles university in prague, czech republic. The blind glorification of english language by the elites as well as the. Pdf on oct 9, 2016, ife ajepe and others published english language. The christian missionaries who came from great britain introduced formal western education to nigeria, just before the middle of the 19 th century. Proof of proficiency in english language nigerians help. Already in the literatures of nigerian english, hausa, igbo and yoruba englishes have been recognized as the big three or the major second language varieties. The multilingual problem in nigeria, the use of english a foreign language as the countrys official language and the resultant conflict over which indigenous language should replace english as the official language stemmed from british colonization of nigeria. The instrument was divided into four parts to cater for four variables. The official language of nigeria, english, the former colonial language, was chosen to facilitate the cultural and linguistic unity of the country. The sociolinguistic drawbacks in the english learning environment. English language, as one of the recognized ligua franqer in the world over, is nigerias official language, and a means of communication, even while one is outside the country.
The official language of nigeria is english, the former language of colonial british nigeria. In a typical nigerian classroom, one finds students from diverse cultural backgrounds and mother tongues igbo, yoruba, hausa, efik, echie, to mention but a few who. Going by this historical position, it is safe to conclude that english predates colonization in nigeria. Igbo, as a language, is taught as a subject in primary and secondary schools, colleges of education and the universities in nigeria. The paper suggests that, the language policy can be used to foster a desirable and the real nigerianism philosophy of our forefathers. In this article, we will talk about the different uses of english language in nigeria.
English is the first and second language of most nigerians after their mother tongue. Language situation at the colonia era when britain took over as the colonial power in nigeria, english became the tool with which the new territory would be administered. English language is termed as nigeria second language, it is being used as a communication tool by everyone in the country. Language regression in nigeria openedition journals. Key words the territorial version, nigerian english, globalization, language policy, language perspectives. The domestication of the english language for literary. History of english language in nigeria english is the official language in nigeria was made so to unite the country linguistically and culturally. Ebscohost serves thousands of libraries with premium essays, articles and other content including factors affecting quality of english language teaching and learning in secondary schools in nigeria. In the course of colonisation, nigerian indigenous languages had. Grammar what is the functions of english language in. In the course of colonisation, nigerian indigenous languages had contact with. Communication in the english language is much more popular in the countrys urban communities than it is in the rural areas. The functions of english in nigeria from the earliest times to the present day article pdf available in english today 2502. The taxonomy of nigerian varieties of spoken english academic.
Nigerian english, also known as nigerian standard english, is a dialect of english spoken in nigeria. As reported in 2003, nigerian english and nigerian pidgin were spoken as a second language by 60 million people in nigeria. Pdf the functions of english in nigeria from the earliest times to. The functions of nigerian english in relation to other nigerian languages v.
Ironically, it is also nigeria s dominant language, with the use of english being taught at various levels of the nigerian educational system prenursery schools, nursery schools, primary schools, secondary schools and tertiary institutions of learning. English has been one of the major languages in the world. They speak english language either as their first language l 1, not in the sense of mother tongue, or as a second language l 2. English language in the face of the jim harries mission. Two main modern pronouncements on language policy in nigeria merit our attention, to wit the national policy on education 1977, revised in 1981, and the 1979 constitution, which is more cited than its 1989 reincarnation. Prior to then, education was done informally, as children were taught tradition, culture, history, and the likes by their parents who were in turn taught by their own parents. This article examines the role of english in nigeria as a medium of communication, political activitiessocial and academic guidance from its historical perspective, and the duration of gradual transition to the present status of bilingualism and its democratization of language in conformity with national unification. English has been more noticeable in use in nigeria. Five functions of language leech, 1974 1017 words 4 pages essay in english language. But it managed to affect the nigerian culture so much that people can still see its influence.
Pdf english language dominance and the fate of indigenous. Currently, english is the official language in most african countries, which are the former colonies of great britain. What future does the english language have in nigeria. The history of english language in nigeria has started many years ago. It is the most widely spoken language, although english is the official language of nigeria. This study being a linguistic inquiry into the language of the nigeria police force, aims at. The acquisition and use of english as a second language in nigeria tope omoniyi. Nnewi, nigeria ans english has been accepted as a second language in nigeria, right from the time the country was colonized by britain. This is not an example of the work produced by our essay writing service. This article examines the role of english in nigeria as a medium of. Known for its extreme linguistic diversity elugbe 1994, nigeria is home to languages numbering about 400.
Problems and prospects of english language in nigeria. A second language is one that comes after ones primary language. Effects of english language on national development. There are over 500 native languages spoken in nigeria. Even though most ethnic groups prefer to communicate in their own languages, english, being the official. Brief history of english language in nigeria library gurus. English language, being a borrowed language so to say, is a language worth speaking.
The difference between nigeria and italy is that nigeria claims to be an english speaking country while italy is not. A veritable instrument for fostering teachers education in nigeria obadare, f. Ironically, it is also nigerias dominant language, with the use of english being taught at various levels of the nigerian educational system prenursery schools, nursery schools, primary schools, secondary schools and tertiary institutions of learning. Each part has five 5 questions four 4 of which were in a yes, no, and not sure scale the fifth question in each part was openended. Functionally, however, the english language in nigeria outstrips all of nigerias indigenous languages. Despite the low comprehension of english in other formats, 48 percent of respondents understood the english text accompanied by a picture more than understood content in that format for hausa. Ikweres in the present rivers state and the igbankes in the present edo state, all in nigeria speak dialects of igbo language.
Speaking english language is not easy but learning to speak is easy. A greater population of speakers of english language in nigeria, at present, are either bilinguals or multilinguals. Though not officially declared in the nigerian constitution as the countrys. The study of sociolinguistics of the english language in nigeria has assumed great importance in nigerian universities. Additionally, loanwords and collocations have emerged from the native languages of nigeria, which come from the need to express concepts specific to the culture of. Since 1990, all new information was either collected in the field by roger blench or resulted from personal communications with him, hence his sole authorship of the present version. It serves various functions as well as official language as the second language. Secondary schools in aniocha south local government area of delta state nigeria augustine o evue school of general studies delta state polytechnic delta state abstract this study examines the challenges facing the teaching of english language in secondary schools in aniocha south local government area of delta state nigeria. The status of english language in nigeria the english language is nigerias second language. Language profile of five idp sites in maiduguri final. It is chosen to be the official language partially because people of some parts speak english because of the colonies ruled. Department of general studies education college of education, ikereekiti, ekiti state, nigeria abstract the paper examined teachers education in relation to english language. September, 2011 page 20 journal of the nigeria english studies association jnesa 14.
English is the lingua franca used in nigerian schools and society. Nigeria and the roles of english language from historical perspectives nigeria is a. In addition to english, hausa, yoruba, igbo, fula, and english creole are widely spoken. Against the background of key works from 1971 to 1991, and the growing debate over an optimal language policy for nigeria, he looks at the perspectives of an individual writer, to provide an overview of the language since its. In nigeria, language policy on education dates back to the colonial era when in 1927 the british advisory committee on native education in tropical africa recommended that indigenous languages should serve as medium of instruction in the lower years of primary education musa r. Effects of english language on national development olofin alabi olusoji principal lecturer, the federal polytechnic, adoekiti, ekiti state, nigeria. Hausa was an official language of the northern states from 1951 to 1967. It is being taught in schools from the prenursery down to the tertiary institutions. History of english language in nigeria and top 10 uses problems. History and importance of english language in nigeria. Even if you can speak only a little english, you can be assured you will not get lost in whatever corner of the world you find yourself.
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