Its use in the nigeria police force, onitsha the english language is nigerias official language and serves as the second language to most of its nigerian users. It is extensively used in the radio, television and news papers. The importance of each language depends on the number of areas, social or economic, where it is used. Strategy use and language performance by second language. For instance, english, hausa, igbo, yoruba are allowed for conduct of legislative functions in. History of the english language is a threeunit course available for students taking ba english and ba ed english programmes.
A second language is one that comes after ones primary language. The importance of instructional materials in teaching english. The instrument was divided into four parts to cater for four variables. It is unfortunate that those who speak english in nigeria far below nativelike control of grammatical, phonological and pragmatic competencies to claim literacy in the.
In shakespeares time, the number of english speakers in the world is thought to have. 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 the nation. Proverbs play an important role in language teaching as a. Examples of borrowing from english into yoruba by unilorin undergraduates abstract generally speaking, it seems unlikely that english will cease to be used elaborately in nigeria in a foreseeable future. How to translate a pdf from spanish into english it still works. It is also used metaphorically to refer to an aggressive remark directed at a person. Promoting the teaching and learning of english language in. Jul 27, 2011 the paper does not lose sight of the efficacy of the english language in the advancement of the nations technological, social, economic, educational and in facts, all round development. 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, mainly to allow the respondents to express themselves. The english language is used in the ict industries, the internet, medicine and others. Converting a pdf file from german to english can be accomplished easily with some free online tools. Jan 20, 2015 norms of usage and changing attitudes british english bre is the standard use of english in nigeria consequence of colonisation of nigeria by britain a target model for english language teaching.
A second language learner thinks in his language, tires to express himself in the second language which results to conflicts, and this conflict is as a result of mothertongue interference. According to barber 1999, in nigeria, the most populous of black african countries, there are three main languages. Nigerian pidgin, a pidgin derived from english, is mostly used in informal conversations, but the nigerian standard english is used. Use and attitudes towards nigerian pidgin english among. English language plays the vital roles of being the medium of instruction in nigerian schools from primary to tertiary level. The english language is used as a teaching medium in an increasing number of schools, particularly in nigeria. Also, apart from the level of educational attainment the mother tongue is another factor that interferes or influences competency in the use of the english language. The use of reflective thining in teaching english language to. When britain took over as the colonial power in nigeria, english became the tool with which the new territory would be administered.
Musa 16 reiterates that psychologically, the proper development of the child bound with the uninterrupted use of the language in which he has acquired this first experiences in life, the one in. The use of the english language in nigeria dates back to the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century when british merchants and christian. Communication in the english language is much more popular in the countrys urban communities than it is in the rural areas, due to globalization. Unit 6 distinctions between english as a second language esl, pidgin english, and creole. State, nigeria 1tata umar saad, 2rabiu usman 1nce, b. The paper examines the use of english language and indigenous language by the press in selected countries in africa. Sources1 one of the most difficult issues in lexicography is documenting usages in a semiwritten language. These 10 nonexistent english words make other languages look cool. English has developed a second language now referred to as l2 in nigeria.
Many countries of the world have a language policy designed to favour or discourage the use of a particular language or set of languages. Using qualitative descriptive method, the paper notes that the predominant place english language. These new forms of language use are likely to affect standard english. The english language is used in the better part of economic and social areas, such as ict, the internet, medicine etc. The english language, to a large extent, functions as a second language in nigeria. Use this simple guide to distinguish the levels of english language proficiency. This unifying role and its allied issues are discussed in this paper with a view to showing that the imposition or adoption of any language apart from english as the nations official language will lead to a chain of sociopolitical crisis that could threaten the corporate existence of nigeria.
It is obvious that for any student to be proficient in. Effects of sms texting on the writing skills of university. From cheesy to cool, all other languages borrow these indispensable terms from english words. The use of reflective thinking in teaching english language. The use of barb to mean have a haircut is entirely meaningless to native speakers of the english language. This study evaluates the use of instructional materials in teaching english language as a second language among secondary school students. Nigeria consists of a federation of separate regions based on tribal affiliations the main ethnic groups are those of the yoruba and igbo who both speak languages of the same name. However, in a second language l2 situation, in the case of english language in nigeria, they simply became words that are learnt but not absorbed. It is the primary language in which news are written and cast before being translated into the indigenous language. English language is the rope that ties members of the different speech communities together in continuing interrelationships.
Without the knowledge and communication of english, one cannot successfully go into this area of interest. The place of english language in the development of nigeria. The english language is the language of education in nigeria ndimele 2006. Rwandas native language, kinyarwanda, is spoken by 98% of the population. Economists in nigeria be lieve that english is crucial for economic growth, as it helps them trade more widely on an international scale. In nigeria, there are three main local languages yoruba, hausa, and igbo. As reported in 2003, nigerian english and nigerian pidgin were spoken as a second language by 60 million people in nigeria. Hence english became the language of administration bamgbose 1991, lawal 2004.
The role of english language in nigeria people and interests. The countries are nigeria, ghana, kenya and south africa. There are many words that exist in other languages, but not in english. Abstract the thrust of this work is the fact that phonology plays a vital role in language and communication both in localnative, national and international languages. Pdf the functions of english in nigeria from the earliest. In nigeria, use of ict in english language pedagogy is a novel tradition which is fastly eroding the former written culture. The course introduces you to the history of the development of english language from old english to its present status as a world language. Functions of english language in nigeria pdf fstatic. The acquisition and the use of english as a second language in nigeria. 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. The use of reflective thinking in teaching english. Why are more african countries adopting english as an. Empire such as india, pakistan, bangladesh, malaysia, nigeria etc.
The official language of nigeria is english, the language of former colonial british nigeria. Unit 7 language as an index of nationalism and nationism. When it is used as a verb, it usually means to provide with barbs, that is, to put barbs in a fence. The linguistic features of nigerian english and their. In sum, it is used in nigeria as the countrys official language in government, education, business, politics, most of mass media and religious worships etc. Key words the territorial version, nigerian english, globalization, language policy, language perspectives. First and foremost, learning english can help you pursue. English language proficiency as a predictor of academic achievement among efl students in nigeria 491 introduction the multilingual and multicultural nature of nigerian polity on the one hand and the absence of a national unifying indigenous language on the other have led to the adoption of english language as a.
Before the 18th century the language of literature was totally different from the language which was used by the common man in spoken or written. The function of english in nigeria is that english is used for communication in nigeria as the official language in nigeria, and english is an acceptable medium of. How to convert a pdf from german to english it still works. Pdf use and relevance of english as nigerias official language. Contrasting english phonology and nigerian english phonology saleh, a. Lets bring some examples where the english language appears to be important.
A good percentage of this population is not yet literate and therefore may not communicate fluently in the standard nigeria english. Although its land mass is less than 7 per cent of the total area of the african continent, most scholars concur that about 20 per cent of africas more than 2,000 languages are spoken in nigeria. The acquisition and use of english as a second language in nigeria tope omoniyi. 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. Therefore, english language is made compulsory all through students educational career.
For all this, there is need of a common language i. History of english language in nigeria and top 10 uses. It was the language to be used in official domains of the lives of the colonized. Pdf examining the use of proverbs in teaching english as. Marcos koffi ngoran has noted that in nigeria english language is extremely badly taught in nigerian schools as evidenced by the poor examination results. Mothertongue interference on english language pronunciation. Importance of english language english is critical for countries successful participation in the global economy, that it provides individuals with access to crucial knowledge, skills and employment opportunities and enables organisations to create and sustain international links. In nigeria, yorubaspeaking students learning in grades 16 in their first language yoruba, outperformed their peers, who had been learning in only grades in that first language, on all tests of achievement in the second language english. The importance of instructional materials in teaching english as a second language alabere rabiat ajoke education and modern languages, universiti utara malaysiacails, ilorin, nigeria abstract.
It is only a language which the peoples of nigeria can use to relate with one another that can be used to build the nation. It is the language of education and medium of instruction for all subjects expect the indigenous languages or french. Learn about english speakers around the globe, including how many people speak english today and how many countries have english as their first language. Adobe systems created the term portable document format, or pdf.
Language teaching and language policy in nigeria by david. The english language makes absolutely no sense, heres why. As a second language, its acquisition makes its nigerian users either bilingual or multi lingual. As a world language, and the worlds most widely used lingua franca, english is spoken by more than 75% of the world population today. History and importance of english language in nigeria. Further, india is trying to maintain a good foreign policy. Read full profile theres an ongoing debate on whether or not english is the most difficult language to learn. Council, 2011 recently i was in a wellknown hotel for a conference and while i was waiting i heard a. Jul 15, 2017 in nigeria, english is the language of official communication. Oct 17, 2016 it is a well established fact that english language has established itself firmly in nigeria thus, its importance cannot be over emphasized. Contrasting english phonology and nigerian english phonology. A second source of nigerian english is drawn from innocent grammatical errors initially committed by nigeria s media and political elite and repeated several times in the mass media. The status of english in nigeria and the world nicom iplan.
Reading, one of the four language skills, is regarded as a tool skill in the sense that a childs progress in other subjects depends substantially on his. They are used in some cases for the conduct of business in the civil service, law, commerce and education and all other official domains. Users of ict and computer in the teaching of english as a second language now abound in nigeria, especially in metropolis like. And when we borrow an alien language to sculpt or paint in, we. Pdf the functions of english in nigeria from the earliest times to. This view is informed by a commonly held belief that competence in the english language skills enhances students good performance in english and other subjects. Also, gbeyonron and galti 2014 study the way of utilising mobile assisted language use for the learning of english language in nigerian universities.
The english language used in nigeria is now referred to as nigerian english, which is the nativized form of the standard english. However, a variety of english called the nigerian pidgin has developed to accommodate the heterogeneous nature of the populace. This position explains the various varieties of english in nigeria discussed below. Feb 05, 2015 economically, english language is the avenue to sustainable development in nigeria. In nigeria, nigerian pidgin english npe used to be seen generally as the code of the nonliterate as well as a bastardisation of english and its use was, therefore, considered a mark of the level of ones proficiency in english. Unit 3 the spread of the english language in the world unit 4 english as a second language in nigeria. Importance of english language in nigeria free essays. These regional languages differ from each other so much that it is not possible to communicate with people of other regions without a common language.
There are over 525 native languages spoken in nigeria. When it comes to documents in spanish, it can be time consuming andor expensive to find a book or document in spanish. Siobhan is a passionate writer sharing about motivation and happiness tips on lifehack. Read full profile i am constantly glad that my native language is english as there is no way i could learn the languag. The major native languages, in terms of population, are hausa, yoruba, igbo fulf. Nigerian english, also known as nigerian standard english, is a dialect of english spoken in nigeria. The need to improve the quality of spoken and written english language among school children is further emphasized salami, 2002 as cited in oluwole, 2008. Some people learn them for work, others simply because they receive immense pleasure from the learning process, thus turning this activity into their hobby. Finally, it suggests that despite politically driven forces behind the use of indigenous languages in nigerian society, the prospects for the english language in nigerian national affairs are extraordinarily slim, and if the english language. Consequently, this paper sought to highlight the roles the english language performs in the building. English has been spoken since the early 17th century and the pidgin of english is used by between 5 and 8 million speakers and used on official or semiofficial. The role english language plays in human development in nigeria is the focal point of this paper.
This study critically exposes way in which the teaching and learning of english language can be enhanced through reflective thinking. The domestication of the english language for literary. The benefits of the english language for individuals and. It takes a look at the definition of phonology, the british english and nigerian. Study habit, use of library resources and students. You can choose to upload and translate your pdf file on the web or download a free program that will let you convert the file right on your.
It therefore follows that how well students would fare in academic attainment. Challenges in the teaching of use of english in nigerian. Nigerian english is influenced by mother tongues of the people of nigeria as well as indian english. Dictionary of nigerian english circulation draft roger blench 1 introduction these notes are intended to raise some issues on sources, interpretation and the definition of nigerian english. At the university level, the use of english course is also poorly taught iatefl esp sig 20, issue41, p. The functions of nigerian english in relation to other nigerian languages v. The english language and sustainable development in nigeria. Thus english has continued to play a dominant role in nigerian socioeconomic and political activities. Although nigeria is believed to have more than four hundred 400 languages with over two hundred and fifty 250 ethnic groups, emenanjo, 73, the english language is the only language used for all. This role falls on the english language which is the nations official and second language, as well as her lingua franca. This timeline offers a glimpse at some of the key events that helped to shape the english language over the past 1,500 years. Although english language is nigeria s lingua franca, more efforts are needed to teach it in schools before its full developmental potentials can be achieved in the country. This situation implies that all the ethnic groups will be using english language as a medium to communicate.
The use of reflective thinking in teaching english language to children in nigeria with abstract, chapter 15, references and questionnaire. The importance of instructional materials in teaching. English language has remained the language of government, law, administration, politics, mass media, commerce and all sorts of social engagement for people from different language groups in nigeria. This paper is a pure conceptual paper that examined the use of proverbs in teaching english as a second language in secondary schools and its implications for school principals in nigeria. Pdf nigeria, a state with well over 367 indigenous languages and dialects had during the colonial domination before the 1914 amalgamation. At this third stage also, three of the factors that help to place english in its preeminent position are that it is offered as a compulsory subject. Nigeria is located on the lands of west africa and is the largest state in these parts. Com other languages have words that mean false, tacky, or trying too hard, but only the english slang term cheesy can fully express something. In line with the protective approaches towards preserving english s purity, informal use of english language in a rather formal context notably an examination.
The absence of a lingua franca, and the lack of mutual intelligibility of most of the indigenous languages, has given room for the english language to become nurtured, robust and hegemonic. Even the nomadic education has to be done in english language because the concept to be used in teaching at a higher level right after primary three has to be provided in the english language. The language is used in a peculiar fashion to suit nigerians purpose and in such a way that as a domestic servant does what the master requires english in. Known for its extreme linguistic diversity elugbe 1994, nigeria is home to languages numbering about 400. Learning a new language is not an easy task, especially a difficult language like english. It is the language of education and medium of instruction for. The causes of poor performance in english language among. English on the rise in africa today, 26 countries in subsaharan africa use english either as an official language exclusively like nigeria and ghana or as an official language alongside another african language like in kenya or south africa negash, 2011. K dadzie and segun awonusi eds, nigerian english influences and characteristics. The knowledge of the contents of school subjects is transferred to the students at all levels of education via english language medium. Nigerian students desire the ability to use en glish correctly. Nigeria, pakistan, bangladesh and cameroon all have a wide variety of indigenous languages and are seeking to develop a degree of linguistic unity through the use of english.
English language dominance and the fate of indigenous. However, english language is chosen as the official language. The paper suggests that, the language policy can be used to foster a desirable and the real nigerianism philosophy of our forefathers. Nigerian pidgin, a pidgin derived from english, is mostly used in informal conversations, but the nigerian standard english is used in politics, formal education, the media, and other offici. We have different uses of english language, below here are the top 10 uses of english language in nigeria. The three major languages in nigeria perform official functions side by side with the english language. The use of reflective thining in teaching english language.
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