English International Communication - Essay Example

Factors Associated with English Language Nativisation in Nigeria Name Institutional Affiliation Factors Associated with English Language Nativisation in Nigeria Introduction In recent years, many African countries have adopted English as a universal language and African people are increasingly using it to communicate, especially in trade. In addition, most African countries adopted positive attitudes towards their respective colonial languages, including Nigeria. Nigeria has become one of the fastest-developing African countries with other West African countries cultivating significant interests in its business growth. As such, this paper addresses the importance of understanding the progress in the English nativisation process. According to Osundare (2004), the following three attitudes made Africans adopt and nativize English: accommodationist, gradualist, and radical attitudes. Accommodationists include those who had a strong preference for the use of the imperialist's language, gradualists refers to those who advocated for de-Anglicization of the English language and its Africanization, and radicals strongly advocated for the use of indigenous African languages in literary expressions. However, most Africans, including Nigerians, gradually nativized the English language to be one of the major languages to be taught is schools. According to Pandharipande (1987), English language was promoted through three methods including the transference of the logic of English to the local languages as a system of variable patterns and nativisation and the different types of deviation. In the Nigerian context, the English language went through all three methods of the language’s promotion that lead to English nativisation. This paper argues that five external factors affected English nativisation as a second language among Nigerians. In "The factors that influence the acquisition of a second language" (n.d.), the factors included curriculum, instruction, culture and status, extrinsic motivation, and access to native speakers. These five factors played an important role in English language nativisation given that they became a growing concern among Nigerian linguists. Curriculum According to Bryam (1995), teaching in an intercultural setting requires an understanding of the social-cultural complexity of the students in a class. For instance, in Nigeria, English is part of the country’s mainstream education program and all children going to school are required to study it. However, the main challenge of English nativisation arises from the Nigerian Pidgin English (NPE), where the curriculum and the education system through the National Policy on Education have never considered Pidgin English as a part of their learning programs (Akande & Salami, 2010, 75). In other words, most Nigerians are born into English-speaking environments and later adopt the English language as their native language, resulting in Nigerian Pidgin English. Arguably, Nigerians have nativized English but never considered the English Language as the origin of the Nigerian Pidgin English in spite of holding it with high regard. Nigerian Pidgin English arose from the influence and contributions from several Nigerian local languages. The main local languages that contribute to the Nigerian Pidgin English include Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba, as well as several other minor languages. As a result, the connection between native English and Pidgin has led to varying attitudes towards English nativisation in Nigeria’s education system. According to Akande and Salami (2010, 83), a negative attitude towards Nigerian Pidgin English involved the majority of the students and teachers holding it with very low regard and dismissing it as a contact language. In addition, the process of nativizing the language influenced the instructor’s attitudes and curriculum implementation to create a clash between communicating in native English and the logic used to express English. The clash arises when the differences in language use and culture arise in improper communication that may arise in misunderstanding. A party using either language with good intent may be misconstrues for evil intent by another party. In most cases, nativizing a language requires embracing a culture and language in both instructional and non-instructional settings. Nigerian Pidgin English has been the hybrid of Nigerian culture and the Imperial language, and, in a way, it made the English spoken by Nigerians unique to them and unique to their classrooms. It is clear, therefore, that Nigerian curriculum barely recognizes the impact of gradualisation or adoption of English from the Nigerian cultural perspective even if most Nigerians recognize NPE more than native English. Instruction Instruction in Nigeria is often set in native English grammar, syntax, lexical items, and vocabulary, meaning there has never been room for NPE and students have had to learn and understand their lessons in native English. Therefore, instruction in Nigeria has been limited to native English, and has never included instructions or lessons on NPE, with the Nigerian teachers not even considering teaching in Nigerian English. The challenge of nativizing English was highly appreciated but barely adopted by most African countries, and closing the gap between Nigerian English and native English has been the biggest hurdle in instructional settings. Mgbemena (2014) observed that one of the reasons for poor performance on English tests in Nigerian schools arose from teaching methods. However, Mgbemena also argued that there was a serious clash between NPE and native English, which constituted native English-oriented lessons. Instructors intended to observe native English punctuation, tense forms, and syntax, but that was only important to the curriculum. Mgbemena further argued that language development was often supply-led and not demand-led, and, as such, teachers were either ignorant to or aware of but chose not to consider the need for NPE instruction. Instruction in native English became a major issue in most scholarly works by Nigerian linguists. The issue in adopting Nigerian Standard English (NSE) codification indicated that classroom instruction would meet the required standards but would be challenged by the dynamism of nativisation. Culture and State The culture and social stratification in Nigeria determined and influenced the process of nativisation. As Holliday (2011, 170) states, “Once again the purpose is not to speak for the newcomer but to make it clear to the Center-Western vision that commonly perceived behavior of New Comers is not an indication of their deficiency but rather an indication to take very proficient ownership”. Jackson (2013, 69) adds that “In fact, culture remained one of the most sensitive dynamics in multilingual settings”. Therefore, the challenge faced by most second language speakers constituted necessary competition and forced them to meet the standards of native speakers. The attitude conveyed by Holliday is the same attitude found in higher class Nigerians towards those of lower status. The fact that those from the city were perceived to speak better English than those from more remote areas led to discrimination between NPE and Broken English (BE) speakers. Little regard for NPE in an instructional setting developed, but Nigerian Pidgin came off as a better option than BE, and those who spoke BE made every effort to dis-own it. Apart from social stratification, most Nigerian’s attitude towards NPE, especially those from the city with higher education or better social status, is that native English is far superior. There seems to be a vicious cycle and competition to own English in various capacities. People from cosmopolitan areas or neighborhoods preferred conversations in English while people from rural settings struggled to speak like those from the city. Disparities in Nigerian cultural settings become clear as a result of these varying social interactions. Extrinsic Motivation Extrinsic motivation refers to the kind of support offered to learners both in instructional and family settings. Most often, parents who encourage children to speak English at home help them learn the language faster than families that speak the indigenous language or have little regard for the English language. Extrinsic motivation was evident in private schools and homes that were considered to be of a higher social stratification. However, English nativisation could still be spreading its roots in Nigeria despite the inherent gaps within the processes involved. In addition, the fact that many Nigerian natives show a positive attitude towards the English language and felt challenged to learn it indicates motivation to indigenize it. Nigerian English (NE) was often held in high regard by the society at large and highly encouraged across statuses and a high motivation to learn it developed. Yeibo (2011) studied the lexical semantics, transliteration, and compound neologism, among other aspects of the bilingual text that resulted in English nativisation in communities. In Yeibo’s study, there were strong indications for the presence of the natives who picked English idioms or metaphors and used them to express their concerns. For example, "his eyes were not right" means "insane" as a transliteration that is understandable to Nigerians but strange to native English speakers. The adoption of the aspects of native English constituted extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation spiraled from the classroom or family into society through the adoption of the elements of native English such as idioms. The phonology and syntax deviated from the original English and evolved into a completely different language unique to the indigenous groups. This observation implies that Nigerian society acknowledged English and went further to adopt the manner in which it expresses intentions or emotions. However, the indigenized English, or Nigerian English, is still a challenge to curriculum and official language use. Access to Native Speakers Most Nigerians, including instructors, used Pidgin and misplaced accentswhen pronouncing different words. Tunde-Awe (2014) observed errors in phrasal, lexical, and clausal structures, such as pronouncing the word ‘investigate’ as ‘investiGATE’ instead of ‘inVEStigate’. The first English lessons by colonialists had the correct aural aspects, but with time, the English aural aspects evolved into the indigenous oral aspects, meaning the English spoken in Nigeria has a discernible accent. Because of the autonomy resulting from a lack of Native speakers, Nigerians codified the language to suit their culture. In the process of nativizing English, Nigeria has created dynamic dialects, with some having different verbal expressions and others having different idiomatic expressions. As such, depending on the specific culture, phonology differs greatly among Nigerian citizens. Nigerian English speakers took the place of the original English speakers and taught lessons in their Nigerian accents to create a new language similar in many ways to the native language. African English, then, might be as unique as American English is to British English. However, the lack of a standard Nigerian English might explain the reluctance to adopt it as a teaching tool even though a number of language rules might be agreeable to most Nigerians. Conclusion Nativizing any language takes time and effort. Nigeria has a vibrant people with enigmatic socio-cultural aspects that have allowed the country to be among the fastest growing African economies. Most of the concerns raised by scholars regarding English language nativisation in Nigeria focus on whether or not to recognize Nigerian Pidgin English as a language. Nativizing Pidgin English would enable the adoption of Nigerian English into the education system and as the country’s official language, which would make it easier for the country to reduce the challenges faced facing English language education. Nigerians must accept that NPE has never been a lesser language, but is in fact a valid language as it is an expression of their culture, heritage, and identity. In fact, a native English speaker visiting Nigeria for the first time would recognize NPE or NE before being able to tell the difference on how much of the native English was evident in speech. In addition to Nigerians needing to accept the validity of NPE, it is also crucial for native speakers to understand both the dynamism behind languages and the fact that it is possible for a language to be encultured to meet various expression needs. The understanding of the concepts would curb the clash that is common between NPE and NE. The challenge with Nigerian English indigenization is that some Nigerian natives could view it effort to devalue the original language. Still, NPE has become Nigeria’s cultural identity and incorporating it into the education system would not negatively impact Nigeria’s trade and economic concerns, but would make them different from the rest of the African countries and the world. The fact that curriculum and instructors do not consider NPE to be language at all, let alone a concern, leaves the country divided on what to do with it. However, the truth is that NPE is Nigeria’s national language despite being invisible in print and barely recognized in classrooms, as it is very much alive in society. References Akande, A. T., & Salami, L. O. (2010). Use and attitudes towards Nigerian Pidgin English among Nigerian university students. Aberdeen: Forum for Research on the Languages of Scotland and Ireland. Byram, M. (1997). Teaching and assessing intercultural communicative competence. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Holliday, A. (2011). Intercultural communication and ideology. London: Sage. Jackson, J. (2013). Handbook of language and intercultural communication. London: Routledge.  Mgbemena, J. (2014). The sociology of Nigerian English: Trends in English usage in Aba Example. International Journal of English Linguistics, 4(6). doi:10.5539/ijel.v4n6p22 Osundare, N. (2004). What is the Nationality of your idiom? African writers and the language question. in Owolabi & Dasylva (eds) Forms and functions of English and Indigenous Languages in Nigeria. Ibadan: Group Publishers. Pandharipande, R. (1987). On nativisation of English. World Englishes, 6: 149–158. doi:10.1111/j.1467-971X.1987.tb00189.x The factors that influence the acquisition of a second language. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://esl.fis.edu/teachers/support/factors.htm Tunde-Awe, B. M. (2014). Nativisation of English Language in a multilingual setting: The example of Nigeria. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 3(6). doi:10.5901/ajis.2014.v3n6p485 Yeibo, E. (2011). Nativisation of English in African literary texts: A Lexico-Semantic study of transliteration in Gabriel Okara's The Voice. International Journal of English Linguistics, 1(13), 202-208. doi:10.5539/ijel.v1n2p213 Read More

The main local languages that contribute to the Nigerian Pidgin English include Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba, as well as several other minor languages. As a result, the connection between native English and Pidgin has led to varying attitudes towards English nativisation in Nigeria’s education system. According to Akande and Salami (2010, 83), a negative attitude towards Nigerian Pidgin English involved the majority of the students and teachers holding it with very low regard and dismissing it as a contact language.

In addition, the process of nativizing the language influenced the instructor’s attitudes and curriculum implementation to create a clash between communicating in native English and the logic used to express English. The clash arises when the differences in language use and culture arise in improper communication that may arise in misunderstanding. A party using either language with good intent may be misconstrues for evil intent by another party. In most cases, nativizing a language requires embracing a culture and language in both instructional and non-instructional settings.

Nigerian Pidgin English has been the hybrid of Nigerian culture and the Imperial language, and, in a way, it made the English spoken by Nigerians unique to them and unique to their classrooms. It is clear, therefore, that Nigerian curriculum barely recognizes the impact of gradualisation or adoption of English from the Nigerian cultural perspective even if most Nigerians recognize NPE more than native English. Instruction Instruction in Nigeria is often set in native English grammar, syntax, lexical items, and vocabulary, meaning there has never been room for NPE and students have had to learn and understand their lessons in native English.

Therefore, instruction in Nigeria has been limited to native English, and has never included instructions or lessons on NPE, with the Nigerian teachers not even considering teaching in Nigerian English. The challenge of nativizing English was highly appreciated but barely adopted by most African countries, and closing the gap between Nigerian English and native English has been the biggest hurdle in instructional settings. Mgbemena (2014) observed that one of the reasons for poor performance on English tests in Nigerian schools arose from teaching methods.

However, Mgbemena also argued that there was a serious clash between NPE and native English, which constituted native English-oriented lessons. Instructors intended to observe native English punctuation, tense forms, and syntax, but that was only important to the curriculum. Mgbemena further argued that language development was often supply-led and not demand-led, and, as such, teachers were either ignorant to or aware of but chose not to consider the need for NPE instruction. Instruction in native English became a major issue in most scholarly works by Nigerian linguists.

The issue in adopting Nigerian Standard English (NSE) codification indicated that classroom instruction would meet the required standards but would be challenged by the dynamism of nativisation. Culture and State The culture and social stratification in Nigeria determined and influenced the process of nativisation. As Holliday (2011, 170) states, “Once again the purpose is not to speak for the newcomer but to make it clear to the Center-Western vision that commonly perceived behavior of New Comers is not an indication of their deficiency but rather an indication to take very proficient ownership”.

Jackson (2013, 69) adds that “In fact, culture remained one of the most sensitive dynamics in multilingual settings”. Therefore, the challenge faced by most second language speakers constituted necessary competition and forced them to meet the standards of native speakers. The attitude conveyed by Holliday is the same attitude found in higher class Nigerians towards those of lower status. The fact that those from the city were perceived to speak better English than those from more remote areas led to discrimination between NPE and Broken English (BE) speakers.

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