English especially the variety known as nigerian pidgin english functions as a lingua franca in this multilingual country. Unit, emmanuel alayande college of edu, oyo abstract. It then proceeds with the basic, theoretical concepts of generative grammar from which students can develop abilities to think, reason, and analyze english sentences from linguistic points of view. Adegbija 1987, asserts that one basic premise of speech act is that utterances are not made in vacuum. As a second language, its acquisition makes its nigerian users either bilingual or multi lingual. So one stop and think perhaps, this can in fact, remained the major function of the english language in the nigerian society. History of english language in nigeria and top 10 uses problems. The study of languages spoken around the world is becoming more and more popular every day. 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. The spectrum of english in nigeria ranges from standard english through a more general english whose structures are. Asked in literary devices and figures of speech, word games. The three major languages in nigeria perform official functions side by side with the english language. Still, stylistic devices are painted with all bright national and cultural specifics. Mar 28, 2009 functions of english language in nigeria.
English is the official language of nigeria, and it also functions as a lingua franca. The english language is nigerias official language and serves as the second language to most of its nigerian users. English language is the interconnecting language amongst nigerians from different geopolitical zones and different ethnicities. Show full abstract english is today an indian language and even functions as a vernacular indian language. I am going to discuss these functions and take some examples of each one. As the official language in nigeria, english is the acceptable medium of communication all over the country. As of october 2008, the official government website for foreigners the provides 8 foreign language services including english, french, spanish, arabic, vietnamese, russian, chinese, and japanese. We have different uses of english language, below here are the top 10 uses of english language in nigeria. Basically, children learned about culture, traditions, and history from older relatives who passed on their knowledge.
The english language is used for communication in nigeria. English language specifically in community secondary schools in tanzania because there is pronounced poor performance of english language subject in recent years. 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. Jan 17, 2019 categories assignments tags discuss the functions of english language in nigeria, english language and national development in nigeria, functions of english as a second language, functions of english language pdf, importance of lingua franca in nigeria, is english language a curse or blessing to nigeria, the unifying roles of english language. English is used to perform official and national functions, while the various indigenous languages are used for interaction in their respective.
Consequently the speech act approach is used because greeting rituals are speech act, i. The status of english language in nigeria library gurus. The use of the english language in nigeria dates back to the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century when british merchants and christian missionaries. The functions of english in nigeria from the earliest times to the. Prior to the middle of the 19th century, studies of the english language were informal. In this regard, this research aims to examine the challenges of using participatory methods in teaching of english subject in community secondary schools in moshi. It unites the country, from the north to the east, west, and south.
Roles of english language in nigeria english language is the interconnecting language amongst nigerians from different geopolitical zones and different ethnicities. The korean government does not use english as an official language, but it provides english service on the web. Going by this historical position, it is safe to conclude that english predates colonization in nigeria. Pdf the use of the english language in nigeria dates back to the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century when british merchants and christian. Note that this syllabus is for both internal and external candidates click here to download waec english syllabus as pdf view text version below. Nigeria had not adopted english as a second language. Nigeria and the roles of english language from historical perspectives nigeria is a. This paper takes a look at the teaching of english language in nigerian tertiary institutions. Multilingual linguistic heterogeneous nigerian society. One of the ways through which feedback can be obtained from the learners on what the teachers had taught them is evaluation.
As the official language, the english language has come to be seen as probably the most important language because it. Jamb syllabus for english language nigerian scholars. Nigerian english, also known as nigerian standard english, is a dialect of english spoken in nigeria. English has been one of the major languages in the world. Without the knowledge and communication of english, one cannot successfully go into this area of interest. The functions of english in nigeria from the earliest times. 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.
In explaining the functions of tone, copious examples were draw from yoruba, hausa, igbo, batonu, nupe, idoma, bini a dialect of edo, kahugu, afo and. In political and social policy, language functions as a vehicle of interaction. If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the faq by clicking the link above. Pdf the functions of english in nigeria from the earliest. Grammar what is the functions of english language in nigeria. English is the official language of the federal republic of nigeria, a country that hosts over 270 indigenous languages. When christian missionaries arrived from the uk a long time ago, they introduced western education to nigerians. This article examines the role of english in nigeria as a medium of. Functions of english language in nigeria information. This can be achieved through specific activities based on a literary text little women by louisa may alcott and, of course, by adjusting the text with. Though the constitution has been revised in 1979, 1993, and 1999. Sep 26, 2018 discussion of the use of language functions to teach and learn english using language tasks to focus on key phrases used to accomplish each function.
For instance, english, hausa, igbo, yoruba are allowed for conduct of legislative functions in. English language is termed as nigeria second language, it is being used as a communication tool by everyone in the country. 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. An attempt to dismiss english as the language of the coloniser is endeavouring to. English has been widely used in the propagation of education in nigeria and this is used in all facets of education. They are used in some cases for the conduct of business in the civil service, law, commerce and education and all other official domains. The english language remained the official language in nigeria, and it is one language that has been widely used throughout the country. The english language is used in the ict industries, the internet, medicine and others. I will explain the relationship between language and social organization. What are the functions of the english language answers.
Other exogenous languages with less influence are arabic and french. The functions of english in nigeria from the earliest times to the present day article pdf available in english today 2502. English language has played a very important role in connecting nigerians from different tribes and ethnicity,this is ideal because english language is regarded as the worlds language because its spoken by millions of people around the world. Also, the basilectal variety of the english language in nigeria called the nigerian pidgin is a neutral language spoken across every ethnic and social boundary in the nation.
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. English language is a worldwide language, and its the means of communication in over 30% of all countries in the world. Consequently, the education ordinance and codes of 1882, 1896, 1918 and 1926 were enacted for english language to be as the official language. What are the status and functions of the english language in.
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. Language is very important factor of communication among society. A second language is one that comes after ones primary language. The languages in nigerian sociopolitical domains eric. 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.
Some people learn them for work, others simply because they receive immense pleasure from the learning process, thus turning this activity into their hobby. Institute of political studies, faculty of political studies, charles university in prague, czech republic. The promotion of english language in nigeria the existence of english in nigeria and its wide acceptance and spread are caused by several factors. This is a brief history of english language in nigeria. African, asian and south american countries are called developing, underdeveloped or third world countries. Since english language is the major language used in nigeria, for both communication purposes and for the propagation of education, it is sensible to conclude that, so much important is attached to the use of english language hence, english language has served many functions. Jan 31, 2018 the word nigeria itself was coined from an english phrase niger area, i. In other words, there is a poor condition of living in such countries. History and importance of english language in nigeria.
The common denominator among these studies appears to be the linguistic hegemony of the english language as a global language and the survival of the other languages of the world. The arabic language has a major political and religious weight in the northern. They are characterized by hunger, diseases, poverty, and a high death rate. History of english language in nigeria through civilization. Oct 14, 2019 english is the official language of nigeria, a former british protectorate. Pdf the functions of english in nigeria from the earliest times to. Jamb syllabus for english language pdf document it is designed to test their achievement of the course objectives, which are to. It is being taught in schools from the prenursery down to. This paper discusses tone and what constitute the functions of tone in tonal languages. The english language in nigeria reflects the uniqueness of african reality and african mentality in its own way and, in general, the linguistic picture of the world of nigerians. Jun 21, 2010 english is the official language of nigeria, and it also functions as a lingua franca.
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