After Nigerian had gained independence on October 1, 1960, English language was declared an official language in Nigeria, and in Nigerian school system, English language is compulsory subject, if you do not pass English language … It originated in England and is the dominant language of the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand. Its ever-increasing roles have detrimental effects on the survival of the minority languages, with most of … There are an estimated 400 million people who speak English as a first language and 7-800 million people who speak English as a second language. Language historian Nicolas Ostler agrees that the spread of English will have to contend with nationalistic pride. It’s the description of Twi – the Akan language spoken by my family – as “the vernacular”, a term which implicitly compares it with the colonial language, English, and somehow finds it wanting. It’s the description of Twi – the Akan language spoken by my family – as “the vernacular”, a term which implicitly compares it with the colonial language, English, and somehow finds it wanting. It has become the world’s lingua franca. English is a global language. English language is Nigeria’s ‘second’ language. As a Booker prize judge last year, I was struck – although not surprised – by just how many entries there were from Nigerians, with two on the longlist, and the joint winner, Bernadine Evaristo, of Nigerian heritage. Portuguese currently has its greatest number of speakers in Brazil – where Yoruba and indigenous languages have moulded vowels and expressions utterly different from the language of Portugal – but some believe that by the end of the century, the growth of Angola and Mozambique will make Africans the most numerous speakers of Portuguese. 13 also revealed that high English language proficiency could also aid academic reading which is in a view to aptly indicate the influence of English language on students’ academic performance in other disciplines. Now they are making English their own, Last modified on Wed 29 Jan 2020 19.30 GMT. In a country with more than 250 individual tribal languages, English is the only language common to most people. 2. the English language and future of English language in Nigeria. The resulting ambivalence towards English is shared not just on the African continent but in the diaspora as well. It belongs to the Western branch of the Chadic language superfamily within the Afro-Asiatic language phylum. English threatens Nigeria's native languages Nigerian middle and upper classes increasingly speak English with their children. But, Baldwin conceded, “it might be made to bear the burden of my experience, if I could find the stamina to challenge it.”. Citation: Department of European Languages, Federal University Birnin-kebbi, Language Policy on Education in Nigeria: Challenges of Multilingual Education and Future of English Language American ReserachJournal of English and Literature … We need to decolonise storm names!” Why storms always have European names can be added to a growing list of questions: why don’t British schools teach the history of empire; why does it have no national museum; why do we glorify colonial violence as personified by figures like Cecil Rhodes; why do we know the name of William Wilberforce but not Equiano, a key abolitionist as well as celebrated author? Several years ago I wrote about how the situation of “the Queen’s English” in Ghana – once associated with superior education and intelligence – has become more perilous, with the potential to attract derision under the acronym LAFA – locally acquired foreign accent. [But] Oxford is not validating Nigerian English, only recognising previous efforts made by researchers," he said, trying to … View all Course 2021. Which means why are you … r���m� '�o��\�m����Bx 2�O��2��މ���s`��x�vp��C1?�7�c;g�4�p�!� �$NL�v0 �a&a�r��A.hA)�NsF��^������{��2t�^~X&V� ce����D��e�N�;]�8��Q�}`�Cq���5$�b�E���N���u�����4F4�h�hF�� ��|���>N.��G��D�!B��� t}�#]"D�'�!ȗE�ҙr�,����[$�˟��m�>g�����η����Шi�Wk­Q���N�lh�3o��9��5��SO���h�9���� �FF�L�B�,%�LkOq���������'��JѲ��+�7�]?f�|$4�����9�gK��'�~|�DΊ�#���?J`�Q�F������2�`bx�6�\��}T�$��D�H��Na��!B��c� z�c�\�шщD&)8�!�$Fٖ}�$��l�e� ��?�ǃ�����O��x�K���,��"�S4OO���'%iG�}1@���'_��C`�|���ɣ y��D�dT��>P���Q-h��� z�!50j=R����0"��� �����!u2�{���'�$F����n�^�߁�����4 ^�)H�A�!M?�4F�!%�-d@i&�" A�,H���!id"�e4B�o�+g!-�l���An�_PyHK-�|�eP�'��B��P�t4�P�t��X(EZ eH�P�� This month the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) added Nigeria’s first entries to already recognised gems like “howzit” from South Africa. Studying English can help you get a job. AUN has a direct partnership with the American University (AU) in Washington DC. The African capacity to survive the brutality of colonialism means French is now the fifth most widely spoken language in the world. English language, a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family that is closely related to the Frisian, German, and Dutch languages. Language Policy on Education in Nigeria: Challenges of Multilingual Education and Future of English Language Pdf : Views Download Jalaludeen Ibrahim *. It has one of the largest river systems in the world, including the Niger Delta, the third largest delta on Earth. One of the first global literary successes by a black author was The Interesting Narrative, by the Igbo writer Olaudah Equiano, the beautifully written 1789 account of his enslavement and subsequent freedom. "[Pidgin English], it can be argued, has had a much more important function than English in Nigeria, at least in the southern provinces, since about 1860. On order of Language Preference, fluency among the languages sampled, 18.5% indicated an English-only Language Choice, fluency, which reveals that some section of young Nigerians are moving Nigerian English, towards a monolingual English-only proficiency. The British empire forced its colonies to abandon their own languages. Exactly 100 years into the future! Unlike Crystal, however, he predicts that English will lose the struggle, and local languages will push it out. The official language of Nigeria is English, but the country does feature multiple languages. The sheer number of legendary authors from the nation makes it often overrepresented in the English canon. One out of five people can speak or at least understand English! English Tests Can Get You Into School. Students have access to … Many French speakers from surrounding countries have influenced the English spoken in the border regions of Nigeria and some Nigerian citizens have become fluent enough in French to work in the surrounding countries. “the English language will continue to be at the centre of the Nigerian development because there is no immediate alternative among the various indigenous languages”. The most common non-English languages include the language of Hausa, the language of Yoruba, and the language of Igbo. English language is very important to any course in Nigeria educational system especially Science and Technical Education courses. The Global Language “English has become the second language of everybody. 3���l8i���NF:�'0��΃S�·�! The sheer number of legendary authors from the nation makes it often overrepresented in the English canon. There is one expression I have grown up hearing from relatives of a certain age, but never been able to accept. This "has put Nigeria on the map of the English-speaking world. It wouldn’t be stamped out entirely, but it might be reduced to native speakers only, putting it roughly on par with other major languages. A second language is one that comes after one’s primary language. In Nigeria, education continues to be tuned to the advantage of wealthier city people who have better chances of converting it into real jobs. Everything official in Nigeria is been done with the use of English language, it is Nigeria's official language. Nigerian English is sort of a Pidgin English - Broken English spoken across Nigeria. Nigeria is a patchwork of distinctive regions, including deserts, plains, swamps, mountains, and steamy jungles. The Executive Programme is a 13-week programme for all (both non-academics and academics) interested in attaining a solid foundation, also with archetypal personal development for higher aims in life, teaching, politics, and business. Nigeria hosts the American University of Nigeria (AUN) in Yola, Adamawa state. The instrument was divided into four parts to cater for four variables. Part of our online education program focuses on English literacy. New forms of 'English' are swiftly evolving. Example – Why you dey give me wahala? As such, some languages, including English, is considered a world language. Hausa language, the most important indigenous lingua franca in West and Central Africa, spoken as a first or second language by about 40–50 million people. Africans the most numerous speakers of Portuguese, fifth most widely spoken language in the world. 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. Much of Nigeria is covered with plains and savannas. Nigeria Religion, Economy and Politics It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the area of Great Britain that later took their name, England.Both names derive from Anglia, a peninsula on the Baltic Sea. occurring and what the ramifications are and will be for the future. “In Kenya, English became more than a language: it was the language, and all the others had to bow before it in deference,” wrote the great Kenyan novelist Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. Just as nations like the Yoruba, with a population of more than 40 million, were patronisingly described as “tribes”, when in fact they were substantial nations, African languages were downgraded to “the vernacular”. This discovery has English-only Fluency, implications for the future of English in Nigeria. Twinkl resources aligned to the Nigerian curriculum that focus on the topic 'Expressing future actions in the negative'. The attempt to discourage Africans from speaking our own languages not only failed, but has had the glorious result of backfiring, to the extent that now Britain’s own inhabitants are officially adopting African vocab. Answered October 7, 2018. The paradox of empire is perhaps most visible in its legacy of language. Other Africans will recognise lots of the latest lingo to get the OED stamp – “chop”, to eat or to misappropriate funds; “next tomorrow”, the day after tomorrow; “sef”, a great Pidgin flourish for emphasis. the beginning of the implantation of English in Nigeria. You have decided to brave the uncertainly of the future for this very purpose. His words reflect a fatigue with the colonial story, which I often share. Nigeria is the largest source of students from sub Saharan Africa to the U.S. Ironically, it is also Nigeria’s dominant language, with the use of English being taught at various levels of the Nigerian educational system – Pre-Nursery schools, Nursery schools, Primary schools, Secondary schools and Tertiary institutions of learning. The psychology of colonisation could not have worked without suppressing expressions of existing culture, and “educating” its subjects to believe in their own inferiority. Anthony Ikolo, former president of the Nigeria Scrabble Federation, arranges his tiles during a competition in Abuja, January 2020. here is one expression I have grown up hearing from relatives of a certain age, but never been able to accept. Not just English but other European languages are finding their centre of gravity shifting to Africa. “Yo why storm Brendan?” wrote the doctor and TV presenter Dr Ronx earlier this month, “I’m out here waiting to be blown away by storm Oluwatunde! Into the future you go! English is definitely the de facto language of the future. Life And Evolution Of The Language. While calls to decolonise curricula – and weather – seem likely to continue falling on deaf ears, culture moves on. As the great African-American writer James Baldwin once wrote, “my quarrel with the English language has been that the language reflected none of my experience”. If you learn English well enough to pass tests like the TOEFL … Unofficially, the country's second language is Hausa. But Nigeria’s relationship to the English language, like that of all English-speaking African nations, is a complicated one. It’s a term more befitting of a regional dialect than a nation’s language, with its own history, politics and literature. The home territories of the Hausa Nigeria as at today is practicing a democratic system of government, this system of government, including the Nigerian constitution were all products of Great Britain, with the English language we are speaking today. Crystal estimates that around 60-70 new 'Englishes' have emerged since the 1960s in countries across the globe. Nigeria History, Language and Culture History of Nigeria. ��P ���@�Z���WP�H�Ai��*�%L�j��P�t"�"�uѽp�#��Nat*4D��i0�tFg@#�ab�s8 &!=��&���� =�F?��1:�!�ӑ� But at the same time, we always did find the stamina to challenge it, whether or not that was recognised by dictionaries. Wahala – Problem/Trouble. speakers. English performs the following major roles in Nigeria: The Place of English Language in the Development of Nigeria A�f��j�7�4�͔0 “In Nigeria or elsewhere, I think, as far as America remains the world’s number one superpower, the English language will attain the status of a true and sole international or global language… It's superstrate is English with Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba as the main substrate languages. English language wields great power in Nigeria, as an official and national language. 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 trans-Saharan trade routes. It’s a term more befitting of a regional dialect than a nation’s language, with its own history, politics and literature. Alternatively, Nigerian English is a very sweet language as it allows you freestyle. The official language of Nigeria, English, was chosen to facilitate the cultural and linguistic unity of the country, owing to the influence of British colonisation which ended in 1960. English is the language of science, aviation, computers, diplomacy, and tourism. Chinua Achebe – one of the legends – wrote of the English language, “we may go on resenting it, because it came as part of a package deal that included many other items of doubtful value, especially the atrocities of racial arrogance and prejudice which may yet set the world on fire … If [English] failed to give them a song it at least gave them a tongue for sighing.”. Many refused to consider how the concept of English as an international language might fit into course materials and language teaching. Having been colonised by the British, the future of English language is 100% guaranteed in Nigeria. One of my favourite grievances with that colonial legacy, and the ongoing failure to give the descendants of empire equal status, came via the unlikely topic of weather systems. Into Irrelevance. ]��cX3�.�YH3z̎~�C�%Њt)��`N�CXs���yHW�|�g���X��ft ,Bz&,Fz�� �f�X��\X��. English as a lingua franca (ELF) When the concept of English as a lingua franca was first discussed by teachers, academics, writers and trainers, it was controversial. The word itself is a revealing symptom of the colonial project. English is a West Germanic language first spoken in early medieval England, which has eventually become the leading language of international discourse in the 21st century. There are 6,568 Nigerian … You arrive spot on! It is often considered a creole since most speakers are not native speakers although many children do learn it early. In his seminal book Decolonising the Mind, he described children at his English-speaking school in Nairobi being beaten if they were caught speaking Gĩkũyũ. English is the official language of Nigeria, used in all government interactions and in state-run schools. Nigerian pre-eminence in the English language is nothing new. The history of colonialism by France and Belgium means that since 2010, 68% of the world’s new French speakers now live in West and Central Africa. 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 open-ended, mainly to allow the respondents to express themselves Just as nations like the Yoruba, with a population of more than 40 million, were patronisingly described as “tribes”, when in fact they were substantial nations, African languages were downgraded to “the vernacular”. Its importance in trade, technology arts and science cannot be gainsaid. The number of its speakers, the frequency of its uses and the range of its functions have been expanding ever since its first formation from local jargons of Antera Duke's type when the need for an interethnic lingua franca arose. The future of the English language is at stake, and it is up to you and the likes of you to take all possible measures to prevent this catastrophe. The great thing about language though, is that it waits for no one. Those three languages are the most widespread, apart from the language of English. Sadly, Nigeria faces low enrolment rates, so even though a lot of emphasis is placed on literacy in elementary school, the number of illiterate people in the country is quite high. Going by this historical position, it is safe to conclude that English predates colonization in Nigeria. English is the most commonly spoken language in the world. English was imposed on Africans by force. The word itself is a revealing symptom of the colonial project. But the independence of the African continent in the 20th century could not have come about when it did without the unity that was forged out of common languages brought by colonisers – English, French and Portuguese.