The Communicative Implications Of Nigerian English Usage

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0 Summary, Conclusion And Recommendation

This chapter concluded the research report and made some suggestion and recommendations based on the discoveries.

5.1 Summary of the Study

The major concern of this research was to evaluate the communicative implications of Nigerian English usage. The status of the English language as a world language, its relevance and role as an official language in Nigeria informed the need for a critical evaluation of the implications of the Nigerian English variant, hence the motivation behind the research. A comprehensive literature review was done not only to serve as a guide to the research but also to provide an insight into the highly polarized argument on the issue of the existence of Nigerian English. Divergent views were collated and conclusion drawn that once two languages come in contact, certain cultural practices tend to exert direct influences on the foreign language.

In view of this, a serous attempt was made to differentiate a variant from a deviation. The study revealed among other things

1. That a variety of English exists in Nigeria.

2. That certain peculiarities from the angles of lexis, syntax, slang, phonology and semantics actually characterize the variety.

3. That it would be “premature” to qualify this variety as truly Nigerian English since its forms and codes have not been properly articulated and documented.

4. That the issue of codification is illusory due to the difficulty in establishing a standard variety since the multiple ethno-linguistic group –cultures tend to polarize the variety further.

5. That the inherent features of Nigerian English consequent upon the vernacular influences complicate effective communication 6. Based on the above premises, the researcher is of the view that not until the issue of standard Nigerian English is resolved and the codification process of the variety finally completed, the variety should not be called “Nigerian English”, for these are the only thing that can make it a complete and acceptable “world English”

5.2 Conclusion

Since the official adoption of English in Nigeria in 1842, about one hundred and fifty years ago, a call for its standardization has remained recurrent. Scholars therefore have advocated the Codification of the variety as a step towards its standardization. codification is not a very simple process, especially of a world language such as English. In codification Hudson (33) opines: “Some agency such as academy must have written dictionaries and grammar books to ‘fix’ the variety, so that everyone agrees on what is correct”

He further adds that

Once codification has taken place, it becomes necessary for an ambitious citizen to learn correct forms and not to use in writing, any incorrect forms he may have in his native variety.

Aremu (186) is very blunt on Codification of Nigerian English. He emphatically states that “NE needs to be codified so as to be both internationally, intelligible and mutually acceptable by Nigerians”.

In the same vein, Onuigbo and Eyisi maintain that:

the various dialectal expressions in Nigeria have not been properly codified and there is yet no dictionary of Nigerian English expression with phonological, grammatical semantic specifications except the pioneer work of Oluikpe & Anasiudu (2006)

The above issue, we have discovered from the research, has not been squarely addressed even by the frontline apostles of Nigerian English variety. Apart from the efforts acknowledged above by Onuigbo and Eyisi, and those of Asomugha (1981) and Jowitt (1991), one would be tempted to say that nothing practically has been done in this direction. Jowitt’s attempt, though serves as a milestone in his directions, does not qualify as a complete variety dictionary. It is rather a glossary of three divergent varieties which constitute his acclaimed popular Nigerian English namely popular Nigerian English (PNE) Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo. The mutual unintelligibility arising from these variations even among these ethnolinguistic groups cannot be over-stated. For this reason Jowitt himself concludes thus: This survey of the non-standard features of NE indicates that, at least at the phonetic level, of what actually occurs in speech, the differences between PNE (Hausa) and PNE (Yoruba) or PNE (Igbo) are too great to make it realistic or useful to maintain that sounds of English constitute one system that has merely local variation (87) The study also revealed similar variations in the areas of lexis, slang, syntax and semantics. Since disparities of this magnitude exists in the English usages of the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria about one and a half centuries after its official adoption, and that the issue of its codification or standardization still lingers, then it is premature to say that Nigerian English usage is a complete or fully developed variety. Onuigbo and Eyisi (64) do not mince words in this matter. They affirm that: there is also the problem of what should be acceptable standard form of the Nigerian English, that there is general agreement that whatever will emerge as Nigerian English must be based on educated usage. but it is not yet agreed as to the level of education which educated usage should be based If university education is used as a parameter, the negligible number of university education beneficiaries nullifies this criterion as Onuigbo and Eyisi further observe. To crown it all, it has been observed that university undergraduates are also quilty of non-standard Nigerian English usages.

5.3 Suggestions/Recommendations

The work concentrated on the features of English reflecting on certain categories of speakers in Nigeria. These features are noticeable in the majority of the English of primary, post primary and most careless post secondary and graduate users, linguistically described as mesolectal and basilectal groups. It did not say anything about competent users or near native speakers (acrolectal group). The researcher therefore suggests that indepth study be carried out on the features characterizing the English of this category of users. The result of the study will be juxtaposed with the features of the well-informed. This comparison will therefore offer acceptable forms or features which will be codified as a prelude to developing standard Nigerian English. The dire need for such a study and subsequent codification is informed by the critical relevance of the English language as an international language or “language of power necessary for access to education” (Akwanya 24). Based on this critical relevance the federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Education and other relevant agencies is expected to articulate special language policies and programmes aimed at ensuring integrative motivation for English language learning and teaching. Nigerians are expected to realize the fact that the adoption of the English is never a continuation of colonial government policy.

In the light of the above, the researcher concurs with Kujore (375) and thus recommends that “pupils and learners uniformly throughout the education system should be taught and encouraged to adopt British English usage…. for practical classroom purposes”. This, according him, “is a goal considered desirable.” Finally, efforts towards standardization or codification of Nigerian English needs to be accelerated so as to enable English language users, teachers and learners, to recognize and learn standard forms and to disregard non-standard usages. With this, the intelligibility problem or the linguistic barriers associated with some Nigerian English expressions would be eliminated.