ENGLISH LANGUAGE: ITS IMPLANTATION AND USE IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The English Language which is a second language based on our
linguistic situation in Nigeria. Nigeria is multilingual/'multicultural
and this, to a large extent, has made the acquisition and use of
English to pose some salient problems. However, in spite of these
problems, English as a second language plays a lot of important and
notable roles with a view to uniting the different linguistic and
cultural environments of our people in Nigeria. Because of this, we
cannot do away with language. As a foreign language, the English
language has to be properly learnt by Nigerians who want to be
properly equipped in the understanding and use of the language for
many purposes. This is why this paper, from the position of the
writer, attempts to touch on some of the problems that are inherent
in the acquisition and use of the language in Nigeria. However, it is
the contention of this paper that the problems that arise have not
created expressive barriers to the users of the language. This is
because English cannot be divorced from our linguistic and other
cultural settings despite the fact that it has to perform the role of
lingua franca in Nigeria. Being an implanted language, a lot of
variables have already linked up with the use of the language in our
society. The paper looks into some of these plantation factors on the
language and the effects of hybridization produced in our linguistic
setting.