The christian missionaries who came from great britain introduced formal western education to nigeria, just before the middle of the 19 th century. Nigeria and the roles of english language from historical perspectives nigeria is a. As the official language in nigeria, english is the acceptable medium of communication all over the country. Nigeria history, language and culture world travel guide. Importance of english language in nigeria free essays. One of the ways through which feedback can be obtained from the learners on what the teachers had taught them is evaluation. Effects of english language on national development. 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. Consequently, this paper sought to highlight the roles the english language performs in the building. The instrument was divided into four parts to cater for four variables. 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. It is being taught in schools from the prenursery down to the tertiary institutions.
Nigerian english, also known as nigerian standard english, is a dialect of english spoken in nigeria. It is chosen to be the official language partially because people of some parts speak english because of the colonies ruled by the british which came to an end in the year 1960. 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. There are over 500 native languages spoken in nigeria. Though the constitution has been revised in 1979, 1993, and 1999. Grammar what is the functions of english language in. However, with the introduction of the english language in 1842, these numerous languages have influenced, or if we might say, interfered in the way nigerians. The use of the english language in nigeria dates back to the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century when british merchants and christian missionaries. Having been colonised by the british, the future of english language is 100% guaranteed in nigeria. The state of english language teaching and learning in nigeria and namibia. Aug 10, 2017 having been colonised by the british, the future of english language is 100% guaranteed in nigeria. Communication in the english language is much more popular in the countrys urban communities than it is in the rural areas. Ironically, it is also nigerias dominant language, with the use of english being taught at various levels of the nigerian educational system prenursery schools, nurser.
In nigeria, this option has been assiduously avoided, though the three majority languages perform some of the functions ascribed to the second and third categories, both regionally and nationally. A greater population of speakers of english language in nigeria, at present, are either bilinguals or multilinguals. The importance of english language is spreading geographically in the world there are many languages being spoken. The importance of english in nigeria obviously goes beyond the boundary of academic, administrative, political, commercial, and religious communication alone. English is used to perform official and national functions, while the various indigenous languages are used for interaction in their respective. In all of the revisions, english has been the official language in nigeria, as this was the language of the colonizers of nigeria, the british. Introduction of problems of teaching english as a second language in nigeria secondary school background of the study statement of the problems purpose of the study. 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. History of english language in nigeria english is the official language in nigeria was made so to unite the country linguistically and culturally. Thus, the english language which serves as the official language and the medium of instruction in schools in nigeria coexists with the language. Pdf the functions of english in nigeria from the earliest times to. 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. In the third category, a single elected language or demolect is symbolically attributed to the nation as a whole.
English language is termed as nigeria second language, it is being used as a communication tool by everyone in the country. 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 is the official language of nigeria, and it also functions as a lingua franca. What are the functions of english language in nigeria. The study also may set a basis for highlighting and expanding views on the danger of declining proficiency in the use of english in nigeria. Oct 14, 2019 english is the official language of nigeria, a former british protectorate. Nigerian english presentation 1 linkedin slideshare. It is important to note that, english language goes as far as to the. All over the country, and even increasingly in the conservative north, western music, dresses and movies are ever popular. 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. Since the 1990s the nigerian movie industry, sometimes called nollywood has emerged as a fastgrowing cultural force all over the continent.
In fact, we use language in many different ways, some of these are, the informational, the expressive, the directive, the phatic, the aesthetic. Department of languages english unit, northwest university, kano, nigeria. The main aim is to identify the various causes of linguistic variations. The state of the english language in nigeria education. English is one of them which become international language. What is the functions of english language in nigeria. English language is the interconnecting language amongst nigerians from different geopolitical zones and different ethnicities. A second language is one that comes after ones primary language. The paper does not lose sight of the efficacy of the english language in the.
Everything official in nigeria is been done with the use of english language, it is nigerias official language. Contrastive analysis of the segmental phonemes of english. The states of kanem and borno, which flourished on the shores of lake chad from about ad 10 onwards, were the first imperial states in the region, founded on control of transsaharan trade routes. Problems and prospects of english language in nigeria. Jeon 2006 identifies three functions of english in korea in. History and importance of english language in nigeria. What future does the english language have in nigeria.
English especially the variety known as nigerian pidgin english functions as a lingua franca in this multilingual country. History of english language in nigeria and top 10 uses problems. Activate your free month of lessons special offer for new users, with no obligation to buy and receive a level assessment. English is the official language of nigeria, a former british protectorate. In some areas of nigeria, ethnic groups speak more than one language. Abstractalthough english language is now the language of government, business and commerce, education, the mass media, literature and internal as well as external communication, there are still problems in the teaching of english as a second language in secondary schools. The english language remained the official language in nigeria, and it is one language that has been widely used throughout the country. Unit, emmanuel alayande college of edu, oyo abstract. The acquisition and use of english as a second language in nigeria tope omoniyi. Speaking english language is not easy but learning to speak is easy. Tackling the challenges of teaching english language as.
The use of the english language in nigeria dates back to the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century when british merchants and christian missionaries settled in the coastal towns called badagry, near lagos in the present day south western nigeria and calabar, a town in the present day south eastern nigeria. This course will expose you to the linguistic and sociolinguistic contexts of english as a second. English language teaching and learning is faced with myriads of challenges ranging from. Grammar what is the functions of english language in nigeria. 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. It is the most widely spoken language, although english is the official language of nigeria. The result also shows that multilingualism affects teaching and learning and general performance of students and the educational system in nigeria. 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. Functions of english language in nigeria information. Students presume that english language is a difficult language to learn and so do not make effort to learn it. Among the causes of difficulty in pronouncing english among the hausa speakers is the segmental deviation. September, 2011 page 20 journal of the nigeria english studies association jnesa 14. 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.
A person uses his language to many different purposes for example, to express his feelings, to ask for help and to apologize. Aug 10, 2019 in accordance with the nigeria constitution first written in 1963 when nigeria became a republic was heavily based on the us constitution. English is the official language in nigeria was made so to unite the country linguistically and culturally. This study compares and contrasts the segmental phonemes of english. Feb 16, 2017 english language in nigeria metzly ledon. Hausa was an official language of the northern states from 1951 to 1967. The functions of nigerian english in relation to other nigerian languages v. English language, being a borrowed language so to say, is a language worth speaking. Linguistic change, growth and development lyons 1987 posits that linguistics is the scientific study of language. Mar 28, 2009 functions of english language in nigeria. English language is a worldwide language, and its the means of communication in over 30% of all countries in the world. When christian missionaries arrived from the uk a long time ago, they introduced western education to nigerians.
Since the english language is used in schools to impart knowledge, as well as propagate education, it, therefore, a compulsory subject in nigerian schools. Implications for english language teaching and learning in nigeria. If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the faq by clicking the link above. In addition to english, hausa, yoruba, igbo, fula, and english creole are widely spoken. As reported in 2003, nigerian english and nigerian pidgin were spoken as a second language by 60 million people in nigeria. The state of the english language in nigeria education 2. It is hoped that ultimately, this research work will help advance the course of learning english to improve proficiency among users of the language in nigeria. Council, 2011 recently i was in a wellknown hotel for a conference and while i was waiting i heard a. This role falls on the english language which is the nations official and second language, as well as her lingua franca. The study also may set a basis for highlighting and expanding views on the danger of.
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. Students are exposed to the massive use of nigerian. The long period of the coexistence of the languages exerts pressure on the proper learning and use of english by students. Effects of english language on national development olofin alabi olusoji principal lecturer, the federal polytechnic, adoekiti, ekiti state, nigeria. The official language of nigeria is english, the former language of colonial british nigeria. In accordance with the nigeria constitution first written in 1963 when nigeria became a republic was heavily based on the us constitution. Since the english language is used in schools to impart knowledge, as well as propagate education, it, therefore, a compulsory subject in nigerian schools, particularly, at the primary and postprimary schools level. This article attempts to highlight the english language, of other functions, it performs in nigeria, unites the country. English has been one of the major languages in the world. The spectrum of english in nigeria ranges from standard english through a more general english whose structures are. The use of the english language in nigeria dates back to the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century when british merchants and christian missionaries settled in the coastal towns called. The functions of english in nigeria from the earliest times to the. The major languages spoken in nigeria are yoruba, hausa, igbo, fulfulde, kanuri, and ibibio.
English is also used as a medium of exchange of views among nigerian professional class, outside formal educational institutions of learning in nigeria. Pdf the functions of english in nigeria from the earliest. They are divided into a complex nexus of interrelated clans. We use language and that language is a part of society. Pdf the state of english language teaching and learning.
Finally, the study identified that the use of mother tongueindigenous language should be chosen to enhance academic performances of. Nigeria is famous for its english language literature and its popular music. The paper suggests that, the language policy can be used to foster a desirable and the real nigerianism philosophy of our forefathers. Going by this historical position, it is safe to conclude that english predates colonization in nigeria. What are the functions of the english language answers. The language situation in africa today was a government primary school which had swahili medium upto the fourth grade. Nigeria learn english as a second language and features of the hausa language are heavily evident in their spoken english. Singapore, the philippines, india, sri lanka, pakistan, bangladesh, kenya, ghana, nigeria, tanzania. Pdf the use of the english language in nigeria dates back to the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century when british merchants and christian. Implications for national development article pdf available april 2014 with 11,256 reads how we measure reads. Even though most ethnic groups prefer to communicate in their own languages, english, being the official. Tackling the challenges of teaching english language as second language esl in nigeria doi. The difference between nigeria and italy is that nigeria claims to be an english speaking country while italy is not.
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. English is the language of formal education in the country, so students seeking admission into any tertiary institution need to prove their capabilities to acquire tertiary education and express knowledge in correct and acceptable english language. Since english is the official language in nigeria, it is therefore used as a medium of learning, as well as, used as a medium of teaching in schools across nigeria. Prior to the middle of the 19th century, studies of the english language were informal. 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. Language is used to defining the characteristics of every nation. The significance of pragmatics in english language teaching. An examination of morphosyntactic trends in nigerian english nige.
Even usage of english in nigeria is another good evidence of the influence of language on social cohesion. 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. Domestication of the english language in the environments where it is used as second language l2 of foreign language efl is no more a bizarre phenomenon, but a welcome development because the language has today, emerged as a global one, therefore no longer an exclusive preserve of the british or its ancestral home. 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. Tackling the challenges of teaching english language as second language esl in nigeria oluwayemisi florence fatiloro department of general studies education, school of education, federal college of education sp oyo, oyo state, nigeria abstract. The english language is used for communication in nigeria.
Basically, children learned about culture, traditions, and history from older relatives who passed on their knowledge. It generally appears that the official language of a country is the one in which the laws of the country are made and publicised, whereas the national language is. The official language of nigeria, english, the former colonial language, was chosen to facilitate the cultural and linguistic unity of the country. The languages in nigerian sociopolitical domains eric. Nigeria history, language and culture history of nigeria. In political and social policy, language functions as a vehicle of interaction.
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