The official language of nigeria, english, was chosen to facilitate the cultural and linguistic unity of the country postcolonization by the british. Sources1 one of the most difficult issues in lexicography is documenting usages in a semiwritten language. While old english is a heavily inflected language, the use of grammatical endings diminished in middle english. Aug 31, 2011 what is the origin of the english language in nigeria. Nigeria was officially declared a british protectorate in 1900. West african pidgin also known as guinea coast creole english is an english based pidgin and a creole language spoken as a lingua franca across nigeria and beyond. The british administered the country in english, established schools, and required all students to be taught in english. The nigerian national senior secondary schools curriculum and. Dictionary of nigerian english circulation draft roger blench 1 introduction these notes are intended to raise some issues on sources, interpretation and the definition of nigerian english. English has been one of the major languages in the world. History, language and culture in nigeria world travel guide.
The origin of english language in nigeria is connected with the colonial period. The christian missionaries who came from great britain introduced formal western education to nigeria, just before the middle of the 19 th century. The fourth discusses language maintenance and language shift in nigeria with respect to the indigenous languages and english, the exoglossic language. Its speakers usually refer to it simply as pidgin when speaking english. The history of english is conventionally, if perhaps too neatly, divided into three periods usually called old english or. The history of the english language really started with the arrival of three germanic tribes who invaded britain during the 5th century ad. 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. Bilinguals and monolinguals perfor mance in english language. Education helps men and women claim their rights and realize their potential in economic, political and social arenas. Dominics high school, ilesa road, akure, nigeria 2federal university, oye ekiti fuoye, ikole ekiti campus.
English began to be spoke in nigeria as far back as the early 1800s, due to the large british naval presence which had been sent there to attempt to. History of english language in nigeria and top 10 uses problems. The exact date that english language usage started in nigeria is not certain. It is broken english like patois and creole, spoken along the coast of west africa and it has extended to the diaspora, due to nigerian migrants. Pdf history of english language in nigeria researchgate. English language is termed as nigeria second language, it is being used as a communication tool by everyone in the country. Nigeria and the roles of english language from historical perspectives nigeria is. Additionally, loanwords and collocations have emerged from the native languages of nigeria, which come from the need to express concepts specific to the culture of. Roles of english language in nigeria english language is the interconnecting language amongst nigerians from different geopolitical zones and different ethnicities. History of english language in nigeria and top 10 uses. Nigeria s bestknown writers are wole soyinka, the first african nobel laureate in literature, and chinua achebe, best known for the novel things fall apart 1958 and his controversial critique of joseph conrad. English literature is about the english people in their language while literature in english is about any people, say, yoruba or hausa people in the english language.
English language is the interconnecting language amongst nigerians from different geopolitical zones and different ethnicities. The number of languages currently estimated and cataloged in nigeria is 521. The impact of lagos on the english language of nigeria 1. It is chosen to be the official language partially because. Nigerian english, also known as nigerian standard english, is a dialect of english spoken in. Bilinguals and monolinguals perfor mance in english language learning in nigeria. Since nigeria has over 500 documented languages currently spoken throughout the country, the decision to make english the official language was due to. This is a brief history of english language in nigeria.
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. What is the origin of the english language 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. This paper traces the history of english language in nigeria, is unique role in international politics and examines the manner in which it has come to assume a. It is being taught in schools from the prenursery down to. Commonly referred to as brokin, it is often not considered a creole language since most speakers are not native speakers, although many children do learn it early.
Over the centuries, the english language has been influenced by a number of other languages. 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. It appears to be the second language in lots of countries. English language is termed as nigeria second language, it is being used as a communication tool by.
Nigerian citizens have authored many influential works of postcolonial literature in the english language. After the departure of the missionaries, this lingua franca did not go with them but remained and is the most widely spoken language in nigeria today compared to english. Old english 4501100 ad, middle english 1100circa 1500 ad and modern english since 1500. History of english language in nigeria the christian missionaries who came from great britain introduced formal western education to nigeria, just before the middle of the 19thcentury. Prepositional and collocational abuse in nigerian english. Today the english language could be named as one of the most widely used languages in the world. However, it is believed that the first intimate contact between the british and some ethnic groupings in nigeria was in southern nigeria. 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. Consequently, the education ordinance and codes of 1882, 1896, 1918 and 1926 were enacted for english language to be as the official language. English might be the official language, but in a country with well over 250 other local languages, pidgin was developed to aid communication among people from different parts of the country, as well as between locals and europeans.
The nigerian national senior secondary schools curriculum and its implications for admission into universities 1mrs. Mar 21, 2020 nigeria, country located on the western coast of africa. The history of the english language has traditionally been divided into three main periods. The functions of english in nigeria from the earliest times to the present day article pdf available in english today 2502. Nigerian pidgin english is a version of english and ethnic nigerian languages spoken as a kind of lingua franca across nigeria and is referred to simply as pidgin, broken english or broken. For example, the name of the creole language tok pisin derives from the english words talk pidgin. Jan 29, 2020 the english language is the primary language of several countries, including australia, canada, new zealand, the united kingdom and many of its former colonies, and the united states, and the second language in a number of multilingual countries, including india, singapore, and the philippines. Nigeria history, language and culture history of nigeria. Pdf on jan 1, 20, oreoluwa solomon and others published history of english language in nigeria find, read and cite all the research. The taxonomy of nigerian varieties of spoken english academic. Advent of english language in nigeria global academic group. The first english language literature in nigeria the real indigenous literature in english was pioneered by the legendary amos tutuola in the 1950s. These tribes, the angles, the saxons and the jutes, crossed the north sea from what today is denmark and northern germany. Pidgin is an englishbased creole language and nigerias real lingua franca.
Ironically, it is also nigerias dominant language, with the use of english being taught at various levels of the nigerian educational system prenursery schools. Nigerian english became a nativized language that functions uniquely within its own cultural context. English language is a worldwide language, and its the means of communication in over 30% of all countries in the world. It originated in england and is the dominant language of the u. Pdf on jan 1, 20, oreoluwa solomon and others published history of english language in nigeria find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Pdf the functions of english in nigeria from the earliest times to. A fulltext pdf of this document may be downloaded free for personal, noncommercial.
The use of nigerian pidgin english can also function, in some contexts, as an act of identity when speakers need to stress their nigerianness, as opposed to their ethnic group identity. His debut, the palmwine drinkard, published by faber in london 1952, kind of served as a monumental link in the transition to the western literary tradition. Brief history of english language in nigeria library gurus. Grammar distinctions were lost as many noun and adjective endings were levelled to e. The origin of english language in nigeria and its importance legit.
Department of educational foundations, faculty of education, university abakaliki, ebonyi state nigeria. Hundreds of languages are spoken in the country, including yoruba, igbo, fula, hausa, edo, ibibio, tiv, and english. English language, a west germanic language of the indoeuropean language family that is closely related to frisian, german, and dutch languages. The history of english language in nigeria answers. Jun 02, 2010 english traders had long been a fixture on the west african coast.
History and importance of english language in nigeria. The fulani language is spoken by the fulu people in west africa, including senegal, cameroon, and sudan. Meanwhile, this board of education was vested with the power to regulate alllevel educational development in west africas englishspeaking countries. There are five main dialects of the fulani language. Nigeria has a diverse geography, with climates ranging from arid to humid equatorial. History of nigerian literature everythinliterature. The english language changed enormously during the middle english period, both in vocabulary and pronunciation, and in grammar.
History of curriculum development in nigeria peakng. Adopting english as an official language rwanda is a distinct example of shifting english language policy on the african continent. Still, stylistic devices are painted with all bright national and cultural specifics. Why are more african countries adopting english as an. Nigerian english, also known as nigerian standard english, is a dialect of english spoken in nigeria. Pdf the use of the english language in nigeria dates back to the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century. Adejuyigbe 1head, technical and vocational department, st. 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 relationship of nigerian pidgin english and standard english in. History of english language in nigeria through civilization. It is estimated that nigerian pidgin english is the native language of approximately 3 to 5 million people and is a second language for at least. English is the official language in nigeria was made so to unite the country linguistically and culturally. Why should an test charge be of negligibly smaller magnitude. This number includes 510 living languages, 2 second languages without native speakers and 9 extinct languages. In other words, nigerian pidgin english can express a belonging to nigeria, which english, the language of the excolonial power, cannot. Pidgin may also be used as the specific name for local pidgins or creoles, in places where they are spoken. Oct 14, 2019 for example, where nigerians would say i requested for a loan from my bank, native speakers of the english language would write i requested a loan from my bank. Implemented in 1887, nigerias first education act came alongside an independent board of education that was created for nigeria. Nigerian pidgin english language contact manchester. The origin of english language in nigeria and its importance. Nigerian pidgin, on the other hand, is a contact language that originated in nigeria as a result of european contact with local languages, mostly through trade.