History and importance of english language in nigeria. Importance of english language in nigerian schools legit. 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. The official language of nigeria, english, the former colonial language, was chosen to facilitate the cultural and linguistic unity of the country.
As a second language, its acquisition makes its nigerian users either bilingual or multi lingual. This book will be useful for teachers and students of english language, for. Pdf on jan 15, 2015, nawar alsaadi and others published importance of english language in the development of tourism management find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. This article examines the role of english in nigeria as a medium of.
The state of the english language in nigeria education. Hegemony, english, global, dominance, resistance, nigerian. Laws that govern merger and acquisition in nigeria. Similarly, in nigeria language tests fail to take into consideration the environment and in experience of testtakers the city dweller has access to multimedia. The english language is used in the better part of economic and social areas. 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. The difference between nigeria and italy is that nigeria claims to be an english speaking country while italy is not. History of english language in nigeria english is the official language in nigeria was made so to unite the country linguistically and culturally. 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. Social and educational impact of language assessment in. Even though most ethnic groups prefer to communicate in their own languages, english, being the official. English language, being a borrowed language so to say, is a language worth speaking. 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.
Its seven most populous cities each house more than one million people, and about one out of two west africans is from nigeria. 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. Oct 14, 2019 english is the official language of nigeria, a former british protectorate. As the official language, the english language has come to be seen as probably the most important language. The country is also home to more than 520 languages, but there are many more languages which are yet to be classified. Nigeria is the most populous cou ntry in africa, the second biggest economy, the third largest military power and the biggest oil producer 10th oil producer in the world. The functions of nigerian english in relation to other nigerian languages v. Council, 2011 recently i was in a wellknown hotel for a conference and while i was waiting i heard a. English in nonemt situations, it should combine, as part of its goal, the ability of.
Tackling the challenges of teaching english language as. What future does the english language have in 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. Nigeria history, language and culture history of nigeria. If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the faq by clicking the link above. The spectrum of english in nigeria ranges from standard english through a more general english whose structures are. American council on the teaching of foreign languages pdf. Pdf the tyranny of english language and westernisation in. The instrument was divided into four parts to cater for four variables. The origin of english language in nigeria and its importance. English language in nigeria situation halliday 1976 identified three crucial aspects of a language events, these are i substance ii form and iii situation. 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 doing so, the different chapters in the book emphasise the importance of.
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. Pdf the functions of english in nigeria from the earliest. English has become a way to connect with each other even when you are from different ethnicity. Institute of political studies, faculty of political studies, charles university in prague, czech republic. Although english language is nigerias lingua franca, more efforts are needed to teach it in schools before its full developmental potentials can be achieved in the country. Importance of english language in nigeria free essays. It is the most widely spoken language, although english is the official language of nigeria. English language is termed as nigeria second language, it is being used as a communication tool by everyone in the country.
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. 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. The evolution of the english language in nigeria did not just end. An overview of mergers and acquisitions under nigerian law omotayo akinrinwa abstract this essay seeks to explore the legal framework governing the operation or activities of mergers and acquisitions in nigeria. As reported in 2003, nigerian english and nigerian pidgin were spoken as a second language by 60 million people 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. Nigeria is the most populous country in africa with over 186 million residents. Speaking english language is not easy but learning to speak is easy. Language policy and educational development in africa. English has been one of the major languages in the world. English language is the interconnecting language amongst nigerians from different geopolitical zones and different ethnicities. Quantitative indicators from cameroon, nigeria, rwanda, bangladesh and pakistan the findings of this study were developed through primary source interviews across a wide cross section of private and public sector subjects.
The principal law that governs the merger and acquisition in nigeria is the investment and securities act isa 2007. Tackling the challenges of teaching english language as second language esl in nigeria doi. A greater population of speakers of english language in nigeria, at present, are either bilinguals or multilinguals. International journal of language, literature and gender studies. Problems and prospects of english language in nigeria. 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.
Promoting the teaching and learning of english language in. Language education the process and practice of teaching a second or foreign language is. English is one of them which become international language. The acquisition and use of english as a second language in nigeria tope omoniyi.
Social and educational impact of language assessment the. Regulation of mergers in nigeria afoke igwe, bayo onamade i. English as a second or foreign language is the use of english by speakers with different native. The importance of each language depends on the number of areas, social or economic, where it is used. September, 2011 page 20 journal of the nigeria english studies association jnesa 14. Students presume that english language is a difficult language to learn and so do not make effort to learn it. Why is english chosen as nigerias official language. Effects of english language on national development olofin alabi olusoji principal lecturer, the federal polytechnic, adoekiti, ekiti state, nigeria. The major languages spoken in nigeria are yoruba, hausa, igbo, fulfulde, kanuri, and ibibio. The result also shows that multilingualism affects teaching and learning and general performance of students and the educational system in nigeria. Atlantic creating digital texts that combine his writing, drawing, poetry and photography. Evidencebased learning of students performance in english.
But what is the importance of english language for students. 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. Aug 10, 2017 having been colonised by the british, the future of english language is 100% guaranteed in nigeria. English especially the variety known as nigerian pidgin english functions as a lingua franca in this multilingual country. African states the colonial language english, french, spanish or portuguese is the.
See northern cities vowel shift, and pinpen merger. In addition to english, hausa, yoruba, igbo, fula, and english creole are widely spoken. In nigeria today, three languages have been raised to the status of official languages. 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. In addition to english, which is the nations official language, arabic and french are also taught in nigerian schools as foreign languages2. Apart from the first three years of a childs life in the primary school that was mentioned. Discover the captivating history, language and culture of nigeria. According to him, this salvage would combine action. Nigerian english, also known as nigerian standard english, is a dialect of english spoken in nigeria.
The functions of english in nigeria from the earliest times to the present day article pdf available in english today 2502. The domestication of the english language for literary. 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. English performs the following major roles 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. An overview of mergers and acquisitions under nigerian. Communication in the english language is much more popular in the countrys urban communities than it is in the rural areas. The english language is the language of education in nigeria ndimele 2006. Teaching and learning english language in nigerian schools. It is being taught in schools from the prenursery down to the tertiary institutions. Lets bring some examples where the english language appears to be important. In l2 classrooms like nigeria english has become the dominant.
English than bilinguals because tests are normed in english. International journal of english language teaching vol. See northern cities vowel shift, and pin pen merger. They are divided into a complex nexus of interrelated clans. It is a unique field in the nigeria legal system, and this is connected to the limited expertise in this area. Language is used to defining the characteristics of every nation. At rakuten, mikitani signaled the importance of the englishlanguage policy to. 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. A second language is one that comes after ones primary language. Nigeria is a multilingual country comprises of different ethnic groups, which occupied geographically, a complicated landscape from its historiccultural, political, economic and educational developments. The paper suggests that, the language policy can be used to foster a desirable and the real nigerianism philosophy of our forefathers. Aug 01, 2019 nigeria is a multilingual nation with over 520 languages being spoken in the country. Hausa was an official language of the northern states from 1951 to 1967.
Pdf a keynote speech on the occasion of the 2011 annual. History of english language in nigeria and top 10 uses problems. The christian missionaries who came from great britain introduced formal western education to nigeria, just before the middle of the 19 th century. The foreign or exoglossic languages in evidence in nigeria are english, arabic and french, spoken by 30%, 15% and 510% of the population respectively. 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. English language teaching and learning is faced with myriads of challenges ranging from. 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.
Negotiations regarding a merger or acquisition are complicated enough. Pursuant to the provisions of the isa, the key regulator for merger and acquisition is the securities and exchange commission sec rules. The state of the english language in nigeria education 2. 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. Apart from the first three years of a childs life in the primary school that was mentioned in the national policy on education, the rest of the. They include ghana, india, kenya, malaysia, nigeria, pakistan, philippine. Language, being a potent vehicle of transmitting cultures, values, norms and beliefs from generation to generation, remains a central factors in determining the status or nature of any nation. After stating the many numerous functions of the english language in nigeria, the problems msilitating against the effective teaching of the language were stated to include. English as a second language is also available for students whose first. Mar 28, 2009 functions of english language in nigeria. This is the linguistic materials made up of phonic sounds or graphic symbols letter.
The importance of english language is spreading geographically in the world there are many languages being spoken. The importance of english language cannot be overemphasized. There are over 500 native languages spoken in nigeria. The benefits of the english language for individuals and societies. Ready or not, english is now the global language of business. Introduction in nigeria, mergers by private or public companies are principally regulated under the investments and securities act 2007 the isa and the rules and regulations made pursuant to the isa the sec rules. English language is a worldwide language, and its the means of communication in over 30% of all countries in the world. The english language and sustainable development in nigeria. Going by this historical position, it is safe to conclude that english predates colonization in nigeria.
Finally, the study identified that the use of mother tongueindigenous language should be chosen to enhance academic performances of. The place of english language in the development of nigeria. English language as a global language and the survival of the other languages. 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. English language in nigeria which has since changed the linguistic statusquo in nigeria. It became the language of corporate environments such as airports, school, post offices, etc. The official language of nigeria is english, the former language of colonial british nigeria. Effects of english language on national development researchgate. This paper stresses the importance of english language, as a world language, and a powerful factor for. 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 benefits of the english language for individuals and. Effects of english language on national development. It is chosen to be the official language partially because people of some parts speak english because of the colonies ruled. In some areas of nigeria, ethnic groups speak more than one language.
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