The importance of english language is spreading geographically in the world there are many languages being spoken. The english language is the language of education in nigeria ndimele 2006. English is the official language of the federal republic of nigeria, a country that hosts over 270 indigenous languages. In addition to english, hausa, yoruba, igbo, fula, and english creole are widely spoken. The importance of english in nigeria obviously goes beyond the boundary of academic, administrative, political, commercial, and religious communication alone. However, a variety of english called the nigerian pidgin has developed to accommodate the heterogeneous nature of the populace.
Pdf the functions of english in nigeria from the earliest times to. Importance of english language in nigerian schools. The importance of instructional materials in teaching english. Request pdf on mar 19, 2007, matthew iwuchukwu and others published the importance of french language in nigeria today find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. B 2031, yola adamawa state, nigeria richard kamai department of english, federal college of education, adamawa state, nigeria abstract the typical nigerian english language classroom has a large class size and lacks qualified language teachers. Jul 23, 2018 factor affecting the teaching and learning of english language in primary school nigeria uthman saheed july 23, 2018 education project topics and materials download complete project materials on factor affecting the teaching and learning of english language in primary school nigeria from chapter one to five with references and abstract. The efficacy of english communication in nigerias business. In 1882, the english language which was already well spoken in nigeria by the elites and children of the elites, was accepted and implemented as the main channel of instruction and was the generalized approved communication language in corporate environments schools, post offices, corporate organizations, airports, federal and state parastatals, and so on. 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 light of the above discussions, business communication should be taught in every school. The importance of each language depends on the number of areas, social or economic, where it is used. Nigeria, characterized by cultural diversity, language problems exist which. In the world there are many languages being spoken. The instrument was divided into four parts to cater for four variables. However, it is believed that the first intimate contact between the british and some ethnic groupings in nigeria was in southern nigeria. In language pronunciation does not follow the written form but the written form in fact follows pronunciation. Effects of english language on national development olofin alabi olusoji principal lecturer, the federal polytechnic, adoekiti, ekiti state, nigeria.
The paper tries to highlight the challenges of teaching. The place of english language in the development of nigeria. A nigerian student needs good reading, writing and oral skills pertaining to english language in order to fit into the local and global market. 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.
Implications for pedagogy 283 the population of the country. As a personal thing, language is not only a mode of communication between individuals but is also a way for the expression of their personality. In addition, some fraction of the population is made up of other languages that are nevertheless able to speak at least one of the major languages as an additional. This paper stresses the importance of english language, as a world language, and. They are characterized by hunger, diseases, poverty, and a high death rate. The status of english in nigeria and the world nicom iplan. The functions of english in nigeria from the earliest times to the present day article pdf available in english today 2502. The importance of english language cannot be denied in the cultural and social setting of nigeria. The varieties of the english language that are used in the federal republic of nigeria, the most populous country in africa. The importance of instructional materials in teaching english as a second language alabere rabiat ajoke education and modern languages, universiti utara malaysiacails, ilorin, nigeria abstract.
Examinations cannot be conducted without the use of english at any level. For example, keehn, harmon, and shoho 2008 suggested that students using rt can develop word decoding and cognition skills. The exact date that english language usage started in nigeria is not certain. This article examines the role of english in nigeria as a medium of. The official language of nigeria,english the languages spoken in nigeria are said to be 521. This situation cannot be totally divorced from the language policy in nigeria and the past colonial experience of the country where english was placed at vantage position compared to french language in all spheres of life in nigeria. This paper discussed the importance of english language as official language of communication in nigeria. 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. Consequently, this paper sought to highlight the roles the english language performs in the building. Mothertongue interference on english language pronunciation of senior primary school pupils in nigeria.
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. 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. One of the dominant and pervasive problems in nigeria, and in africa at large, is the language question. Also, the basilectal variety of the english language in nigeria called the nigerian pidgin is a neutral. English language is the interconnecting language amongst nigerians from different geopolitical zones and different ethnicities. The benefits of the english language for individuals and. Ict will inset, never play a central role in educational renewal and innovation. Importance of english language in nigerian schools legit. Factor affecting the teaching and learning of english language in primary school nigeria uthman saheed july 23, 2018 education project topics and materials download complete project materials on factor affecting the teaching and learning of english language in primary school nigeria from chapter one to five with references and abstract. Another important feature of language is that it is evolutionary and never static.
Oct 14, 2019 english is the official language of nigeria, a former british protectorate. In other words, there is a poor condition of living in such countries. Even usage of english in nigeria is another good evidence of the influence of language on social cohesion. The english language is used in the better part of economic and social areas. The english language and sustainable development in nigeria. The relevance of french language to journalism education. The importance of english language learning and teaching in.
The importance of language for man and society cannot be minimised. In nigeria, english is the language of official communication. Problems, prospects and perspectives morakinyo ogunmodimu linguistics department. 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. It is important to note that, english language goes as far as to the. Language is one of the most marked, conspicuous, as well as fundamentally characteristic of the faculties of man. The importance of english language cannot be overemphasized, due to its role in social, political economical, and environmental development. History and importance of english language in nigeria. English is one of them which become international language. Jan 17, 2019 brief history of english language in nigeria. Hausa was an official language of the northern states from 1951 to 1967. English has become the lingua franca of travel, business, and international communications. Nigeria can use to relate with one another that can be used to build the nation. The importance of english for students nigeria is a country where different cultures and ethnic groups are mixed.
Pdf the use of the english language in nigeria dates back to the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century when british merchants and christian. May 29, 2018 english has been chosen as the international language of every country, so we can communicate in one common language. Brief history of english language in nigeria library gurus. The christian missionaries who came from great britain introduced formal western education to nigeria, just before the middle of the 19 th century.
Lets bring some examples where the english language appears to be important. Effects of english language on national development. The relevance of french language in the field of journalism education in nigeria is yet to be established. The importance of english language is spreading geographically. A second language is one that comes after ones primary language. The english language is used in the better part of economic and social areas, such as ict, the internet, medicine etc. 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.
English language is a worldwide language, and its the means of communication in over 30% of all countries in the world. The importance of french language in nigeria today. This must have been at some period before the atlantic slave trade. English is the official language of nigeria, a former british protectorate. As of 1882, the english language which was already well spoken in nigeria by the elites and educated ones and was used in public offices and government establishments. English has been chosen as the international language of every country, so we can communicate in one common language. The importance of the knowledge of english language is. The origin of english language in nigeria and its importance. The korean government does not use english as an official language, but it provides english service on the web. African, asian and south american countries are called developing, underdeveloped or third world countries. Currently, this is the first language for the majority of the population in several countries, including the united states, the united kingdom, ireland, australia, canada, a few caribbean nations and new zealand. It is hard to imagine the modern world without the english language. There is a variety of tribes and each of them have their native languages. English is an indoeuropean language and belongs to the west germanic group of the germanic languages.
The spectrum of english in nigeria ranges from standard english through a more general english whose structures are. Teaching and learning english language in nigerian schools. The importance of english around the world udemy blog. This study evaluates the use of instructional materials in teaching english language as a second language among secondary school students. I assume english was chosen because england was in the business of colonization, and, africa, india, as well as many other countr. Language is used to defining the characteristics of every nation. Factor affecting the teaching and learning of english. Whether youre just starting out in english, or you need some motivation to keep going, understanding the importance of the language will help you reach fluency and change your life. It is the most widely spoken language, although english is the official language of nigeria. English is an important language for all kinds of professional and personal goals. 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.
The official language is english while the major ones that are spoken are hausa, igbo, yoruba and fulfulde we. The importance of instructional materials in teaching. In many countries it is shown that without appropriate. 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.
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. 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. French is meanwhile the main rival language to english in cameroon, nigeria and rwanda, thanks to the colonial legacy of these countries. English is the official language in nigeria was made so to unite the country linguistically and culturally. English is now a global lingua franca, but was first a west germanic language spoken in medieval england. It recommends also that the english language should remain the official and national language in nigeria as its removal from this exalted position will definitely. Effects of feedback intervention on teamteaching in english. What are the status and functions of the english language in.
What are the status and functions of the english language. Korea such as the methods of learning and teaching english language in korea, and policy makers impact on the way english language is being taught and learnt in korea. As of october 2008, the official government website for foreigners the provides 8 foreign language services including english, french, spanish. These factors reflect in the quality and quantity of.
This role falls on the english language which is the nations official and second language, as well as her lingua franca. It also reveals how english is being widely used in scientific. Perspectives for english language teaching in nigeria in. A good percentage of this population is not yet literate and therefore may not communicate fluently in the standard nigeria english. Professional diary entries written by the researcher during a one year english language teaching experience in korea provided the core data for this research. Change is the golden rule in pronunciation, grammar, and usage of words, in any language. The present paper highlights the importance of english as a global language as most of the worlds communications is done in english. History and importance of english language in nigeria by vastfinderblogm. It is in the top three of the most spoken languages in the world. The relevance of french language to journalism education in. English became an official language after the 1994 genocide, but more extensive language policy changes occurred in 2008, when the government created plans to present english as an official language of instruction in rwandas public schools, replacing french as the dominant second. These smaller minority languages have the linguistic importance in their respective local communities. English especially the variety known as nigerian pidgin english functions as a lingua franca in this multilingual country.
English language functions as a vehicle of interaction and an instrument of communication. In fact, nigeria is ranked 4th among countries with the highest population of english speakers. Language there are hundreds of languages spoken in nigeria. Old english originated from a germanic tribal and linguistic continuum along the frisian north sea coast, whose languages gradually evolved into the anglic languages in the british isles, and into the frisian languages and low germanlow saxon on the continent. The importance of english language learning and teaching. The education ordinance and codes of 1882, 1896, 1918 and 1926 was subsequently enacted for english language to be as the official language in nigeria.
In the study, the performance of students taught with instructional materials and gender influence in the use. 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. Why are more african countries adopting english as an. Jan 31, 2018 the word nigeria itself was coined from an english phrase niger area, i. The word nigeria itself was coined from an english phrase niger area, i. Besides other reasons, this knowledge is significantly important for czech people, because there are words coming from english that are becoming fully accepted terms in the czech language. Apart from the first three years of a childs life in the primary school that was mentioned. Effects of feedback intervention on teamteaching in. Importance of english language in nigeria free essays. Pdf on jan 15, 2015, nawar alsaadi and others published importance of english language in the development of tourism management find.
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