A Critical Examination of the Communicative Implications of Nigerian English Usage
Chapter One
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The primary aim of this study is to examine the implications of Nigerian English usage. Thus, the following objectives;
- To determine whether the variety of English language is truly Nigerian English.
- To determine whether the English used by Nigerians is a deviation or a variant.
- To ascertain the implication of the features of Nigerian English with regards to communication.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELEVANT SCHOLARSHIP
This chapter reviews the relevant literature by examining the conceptual framework before giving account of past researches under empirical studies.
Conceptual Framework
Communication and language are two basically related but mutually exclusive concepts which feature as operational terms in this study. Communication is necessary for the completeness of society. It is through communication that individuals reach out and co-operate with one another. Communication equally facilitates the induction of the young into the adult society. However, communication cannot be meaningfully carried out without language of some sort. According to Vitus I. Obi, communication and language are inextricably intertwined (12). Language is the first, and a major medium or vehicle through which communication takes place. Communication and language have a mutual relationship which biologists would describe as symbiosis. This simply implies that communication depends on language as much as language depends on communication to operate, to be alive and to grow.
The English language is an instrument of communication. It has presently assumed the status of language par excellence in the Anglophone West Africa and the world at large. An African child growing up in our environment has the task of contending with this language of wider communication in addition to his mother tongue (L1). The extent to which he does this determines the success or otherwise of one‟s academic pursuit and relevance in the societal work place. Hence, the views of Obanya P.A.I and T. Okilo, that “academic failure is a feature of linguistic failure” (13). This position agrees with that of Adeyanju T.K who had earlier argued that consistent poor performance in English language is a fairly reliable indicator of an inferior education which in more current parlance is described as falling standards. (10).
Communication is a term that can be viewed from different perspectives. It is a term that changes its meaning from one author to another and from one environment to another. The commonest definition of communication is that of Gosham W. which sees the term simply as the exchange of ideas between one person and another (05). This definition is anchored on the belief that communication is a process whereby one person stimulates ideas in another person‟s mind. This is as it has to do with interpersonal human communication. But other types of communication exist in forms of intra-personal, verbal, non- verbal, intentional, un-intentional, organizational, group, traditional and digital et cetera. Hambagda O.A quoting Lee Thayer identified more than twenty conceptually different definitions of communication in the literature. For the purpose of this study, a review of some of the definitions which it is hoped will throw light into the various orientations and assist in the development of tentative conclusions as regards the nature and dimension of communication is necessary.
One of the conceptualisations is that of Hudson which views communication as an ability to convey in the simplest form information or ideas which the recipient can easily understand; and an ability on the part of the recipient to reciprocate in such a way that we can easily understand him (02).
Communication according to the above definitions is seen as a verbal activity that exists between the sender (encoder) and the receiver (decoder).
CHAPTER THREE
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND METHODOLOGY
Research Design
The research design is descriptive survey which uses questionnaire, interview, observation and textual analysis to elicit information from respondents and investigate what lecturers and students think about the communicative needs in English for students of Science and Technology. The choice of survey research design was to be able to make comparisons and evaluation of the existing conditions as well as to be able to collect possible factual information on the study.
Population of the Study
The population of this work is represented by the Higher National Diploma (HND II) final year students of Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic Unwana. The research sample of 150 students and 20 lecturers is represented by those in Science and Engineering disciplines who offered the Use of English and Communication Courses. The range of a sample for the research examination is not stipulated here as the notions of small or big sample are considered relative. The researcher however, is not unaware that statisticians consider a big sample with more than 30 items and that the bigger the sample, the more it draws near to the population. To eliminate bias in the study, the systematic random technique in which every member of the study group is given equal chance of being selected was adopted. Based on the result obtained from the sampled population, inferences were made.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS
Listening Skill
TABLE 1(A): IMPORTANCE OF PERFORMING EACH TASKCOMPETENTLY IN
CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION OF RESULT, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION
Discussion of Result
The purpose of this study was to ascertain the extent to which the communicative needs of students of Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic have been met using the medium of English language. The communicative needs of a group of learners is met when they use language to communicate effectively in school and out of school. Granted that a number of studies have been carried out in the area of English studies since Nigeria joined the Anglophone countries, most of the researchers had concentrated on either language pedagogy or analysis of aspect of the English language. Very limited study has been conducted in the areas of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) generally and, English for Science and Technology (EST) for Nigerians in particular. In this study, science and technology students of a non-conventional tertiary institution were investigated. Responses from one hundred and fifty (150) students, Twenty (20) Academic staff, twenty (20) final year students‟ project and SIWES report each provided the data used in answering the four Research Questions formulated for the study. The findings reveal as follows:
Research Question 1.
To what extent has the communicative needs of Nigerians been met?
Based on data gathered from research question one, the answer to it appears to be below average. Students‟ projects and SIWES reports analyzed contained preponderance of communicative lacks arising from structural, functional and stylistic faulty sentence expressions, ambiguities as well as grammar and mechanical blemishes. This finding is in concord with the responses in the students questionnaire where they agreed on the importance of the language skills in the communicative needs of science and technology students but complained of the difficulty they encounter in performance (see tables 1(a) – 4(b). Perhaps the difficulty which the students encounter in performing these communication tasks is the reason a significant number of the lecturers recommended for an alternative communication courses for Nigerians of science and technology as seen in 4.2 (f) on data from staff oral interviews.
Recommendations
Results from this study confirmed some of the findings of earlier researchers on ESP. These include:
- ESP is not a different English language per se. It is the same English languagewe use in general language study but tailored towards specific needs of the
- ESP is an umbrella concept that houses EST and other technical forms ofcommunication
- ESTas an offshoot of ESP, enables the beneficiaries to achieve their communicative needs through language.
The researcher, therefore, recommends that linguists and literary artists in Language Departments in tertiary institutions should organize regular conferences and workshops aimed at using research findings on English for Specific Purposes (ESP) to agree on all aspects of specific communication so as to produce standard books and dictionaries as guides to specific forms of English usage for students of different disciplines. This move will help to ensure that the communicative needs of students are taken into consideration in preparing the course contents of their respective language courses. The present practice of “Kite flying” (Nwoke 05) whereby English is taught to Nigerians for no obvious reason makes the course content of the language courses taught in AIFPU broad and shallow as opposed to narrow but specific programmes of other tertiary institutions.
To reduce and completely eliminate the problem of using the English language to verbalize technological and scientific concepts, language lecturers of the nations polytechnics should be exposed to certificated short term studies in the discipline they handle. This is necessary because engineering as a discipline for example, is not as specific as civil, mechanical or electrical engineering. A number of technicalities have been found to exist in the same discipline as in B.A Hons (Ed) English and B.A (Hons) English or B.A (Hons) English language and B.A (Hons) English Literature. In the medical field for instance, the communicative needs of a medical doctor is specifically separated from that of a medical laboratory scientist, a midwife and a Nurse. Therefore, exposing Polytechnic language lecturers to short term courses will assist them to learn not only the vocabularies associated with their specific disciplines but also, the style, language and other acceptable diction (formal, informal, slang and colloquial) usages of the Specific discipline.
The National Board for Technical Education should take a step further to ensure that the curricula and syllabi of English courses taught in the nation‟s polytechnics are specifically separated, reviewed and revised as is the case with some monotechnics, Colleges of Agriculture and schools of Nursing. In carrying out the review, emphasis should be given to neglected aspects of technical and scientific communication in the present NBTE course curricula such as mechanical accuracy. This is necessary because a little comma can make a great semantic difference.
In addition, teachers of English in science and technological institution should endeavour to teach according to the established linguistic rules. Granted that EST is specific in style and diction, it still employs the grammar of English language with which it communicates specific meanings in specific purposes. To succeed in this regard the federal government should ensure that teachers of English language in the nation‟s technological institutions are encouraged and motivated like their counterparts in other disciplines. A situation where language lecturers in the nation‟s polytechnics cannot rise to the position of chief Executives of their institutions because they belong to a service department can hardly gladden or motivate language lecturers in the nation‟s polytechnics.
Conclusion
The researcher arrived at the following conclusions based on this research.
- Science and technological students of the nation‟s polytechnics have difficultyin achieving their communicative
- The NBTE General studies course specification used in teaching Science andEngineering Students failed to recognize the specific needs of This is responsible for the students inability to achieve their communicative needs through language.
- The role of technical control in effective communication is yet to be recognizedin the communication of This is responsible for the students inability to use language to communicate specific needs.
- There is no significant difference between the communication of Nigeriansand the established linguistic rules.
WORKS CITED
- Abdu, Saleh. Use of English: Modules for Class Work. Kano: Bayero University, 2007.
- Abdullahi, M. Language Acquisition and its Influence. Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria, 1 (2): 105 – 126, 2012.
- Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Revised Edition, Ibadan: Longman Publishers, 1982.
- Adeyanju, T.K. “Poor Performance of Students at WASC/GCE”. A workshop lead paper on TESL. Jos. 11/07/87, 1987.
- Agwu, C. Technical Communication. Enugu: PAN Afrik Publishers, 2009.
- Ahmad, S.B. Strategies for Effective Communication in English. Readings in English Language Teaching and Learning. Ed. Garba, Kano: Samutech Services Ltd, 2008.
- Alaezi, O. “Questionnaire Construction, Issues and Insights”. Unpublished Mimeograph. UNIJOS, 1990.
- Allen C. and H.G Widdowson. Teaching English as Communication. ESP Lecture Series (19), 1984.
- Albert, C. B & T. Cable. A history of the English language. (Third Edition). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1983.