The Communicative Implications Of Nigerian English Usage

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 Nigerian English Variants/Features

Scholars agree that certain peculiarities characterize Nigerian English variants. Onuigbo and Eyisi (66) observe that “The peculiarities of the socio-cultural derivations form the major feature of Nigerian English usage” They further affirm that “some of these derivations are too circumscribed and limited in scope even within Nigerian situations to be part of a local standard”. Consequent upon this, they amplify Spencer’s view regarding the lexical items that have been evolved by Nigerian users. He says that these item “have developed special meaning… and may not fit into the emerging Nigerian standard English” (41). The variants are particularly noticed in the areas of syntax, lexis, slang phonology and semantic shift.

3.1. Nigerian English Syntax

Syntax means sentence construction, that is, how words group together to make phrases and sentences”. Tallerman (1) The major concern of syntax is the study of sentence structure. These sentence structures are realized by “word order”. Word order is very crucial in the structural organization of any language, Boadi, Grieve and Nwankwo explain that it is the regular “formal” patterning of the elements of language into larger predictable structures which makes it possible for one person to communicate with another. If there were no such regularity, communication would become impossible. (26) Jowitt (107) substantiates this view when he states that Syntax often deals with structure, use and meaning as well as with the combinatorial properties of such words and so trespasses upon the territory of morphology, lexis and semantics. The above function of syntax helps Boadi, Grieve and Nwankwo to distinguish the differences in the structure and meaning of these expressions: The dog bit the man The man bit the dog The differences in the meaning of these expressions are informed by the word order of these lexical items even though their constituents are the same. One major feature or peculiarity of Nigerian English is its unique syntax. This arises from the distortion by some users, of the structural pattern, of the standard variety with a view to creating or adding “Nigerian flavour” to them. Let us consider the following expressions often found in the speeches and writings of a majority of Nigerian users of English.

The list is inexhaustible. Many other instances abound in the speeches and writing of some Nigerian users. Time and space cannot allow further catalogue of these syntactically deviant expressions. 3.2. Nigerian English Lexis Lexis is the totality of the vocabulary stock of a language. Hudson (22) defines it as “the individual bits of a language”. Language over time develop new lexis and, with time also, certain lexical items become clichés and often times used sparingly. Nigerian English lexis could be said to have certain indexical markers that completely mark them out from the standard variety.

Jowitt (130) identifies the following among others as the indexical markers of Nigerian English lexis.

1. Local coinages that conform with standard English (SE) morphological principles.
2. Extended/Restricted meanings of SE words and expressions.
3. Foregrounded SE words or expressions which have been cliches
4. Words and expressions derived from people.
5. Loan words and expressions
6. Slang