ATTENTION:
BEFORE YOU READ THE CHAPTER ONE OF THE
PROJECT TOPIC BELOW, PLEASE READ THE INFORMATION BELOW.THANK YOU!
INFORMATION:
YOU CAN GET THE COMPLETE PROJECT OF THE
TOPIC BELOW. THE FULL PROJECT COSTS N5,000 ONLY. THE FULL INFORMATION ON HOW TO
PAY AND GET THE COMPLETE PROJECT IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE. OR YOU CAN
CALL: 08068231953, 08168759420
EFFECTS OF
PIDGIN ENGLISH IN STANDARD ENGLISH USAGE AMONG STUDENTS
ABSTRACT
The use of Pidgin English in the Nigerian
context has gone beyond verbal communication to become more of a mode of
behaviour as its expression has moved from informal conversation to formal
situations. This above scenario necessitated this study which investigates the
effects of Pidgin English on Standard English usage among selected secondary
schools in Eha-Amufu in Isi-Uzo L. G. A. Using the descriptive research design
and the questionnaire as the research instruments, data were collected from a
sample of 200 students and 35 teachers from four selected secondary schools in
Eha-Amufu. Also, copies of the written essays of the selected students were
analysed to complement results from the questionnaire. Findings reveal that the
use of Pidgin English is traceable to the students’ homes. However, the finding
that students do not use Pidgin English in their written essays were largely
contradicted by the avalanche of Pidgin English usage found in the written
essays of the students which also reveal an adverse effect of Pidgin on
Standard English both in spelling and contextual usage. The researcher,
therefore, concludes that the use of Pidgin English creates a form of identity
among students and hence recommends that constant monitoring and evaluation of
language use in teaching and learning in Nigeria will help check the trend of
usage of Pidgin English which will guide policy making aimed at addressing this
ugly trend.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Language in
multilingual societies such as Nigeria has always been a matter of concern to
educators, educational planners and parents especially with regard to its
appropriate use in communication. The English language is
the medium
of instruction in all Nigerian educational institutions at all levels. This is
the basis for Olaore’s comments, “… in the countries
language
policy, the fact that for a long time to come, English will continue to play a
prominent role in the socio-economic and political development in Nigeria as
the language of administration, politics, industry, education, science and
technology is of paramount importance,’ (21).
The English
language, to a large extent, functions as a second language in Nigeria.
Although Nigeria is believed to have more than four hundred (400) languages
with over two hundred and fifty (250) ethnic groups, (Emenanjo, 73), the
English language is the only language used for all forms of official
transaction. Despite the central role the English language has been playing in
communication process nationwide, the language excludes the majority of
uneducated Nigerians who live in rural communities. Some Nigerian communities
have more than six distinct but mutually unintelligible languages. This makes
communication among neighbours difficult. Emenanjo cited in Otagburuagu and
Okorji (2003) notes that Nigerian linguistic geography is so complex that
language communities can fall into small language groups called chontonolects.
The convolutions in the Nigerian linguistics ecology as Otagburuagu (99) noted,
has made the use of Nigerian Pidgin a more universal and inconclusive language,
inevitable in both formal and informal domains.
Tracing the
history of Pidgin English, Quirk et al pointed out that “Pidgin historically
began as simply a language mar ked by traditional interference used chiefly by
the prosperous and privileged section of a community represents by the
unskilled and illiterate class of the society” (28). This situation, however,
is not so with the Nigeria Pidgin. Studies have shown that the Nigeria Pidgin
began as an English-based Pidgin and later metamorphosed into various forms and
patterns in its usage, (Obiechina, 85; Elugbe, 285 and Egbokhare, 21-40).
Nigerian Pidgin English is seen as a version of English and ethnic Nigerian
languages spoken as a kind of Lingua Franca across the country especially among
students. In an attempt to define Nigerian Pidgin English, Elugbe and Omamur
(48), see it as ‘some kind of a marginal language that arises to fulfill
specific communication needs in a well defined circumstance.’
Furthermore,
Nigerian Pidgin is a somewhat pejorative label used by native speakers of
English to describe the often hysterical violations of the basic rules of
Standard English syntax by non-native speakers of the language. Kperogi (4)
further describes Pidgin as a technical term in linguistics that refers to a
“contact” or “trade” l anguage that emerged from the fusion of foreign, usually
European, language and indigenous, usually non-European languages. Here, the
European language provided most of the vocabulary and the indigenous languages
produce the structure of the language. The cultural language which language
emanates from has far-reaching influences on its predominant usage as is the
case with Nigerian Pidgin. Its variation, no doubt is not unconnected with the
culture of its users. It is in the light of this that Abdullah – I diagbom in
his study on “ The Sociolinguistic of Nigerian Pidgin (English) on University
Campus” quotingBrooks, N (1969) Posits: ‘It is through the magic of language
that man comes eventually to understand to an impressive degree the environment
to which he lives and still more surprising, gains an insight into his own
nature and his own condition.’ (2)
The teachers
and students are victim of these observations about Nigerian Pidgin. And
perhaps the cultural influence of the native language on the teacher is largely
reflected on the students since no student is believed not to be greater than
his/her teacher. In view of this, Akujobi and Chukwu (57), quoting Ashby
submitted that ‘the quality of English used in the classroom is such that all
pupils are to a serious disadvantage. It cannot be doubted that thousands of
the most gifted are unable to further their education because they were not
taught well the language in which they were examined.’ They further pointed out
that ‘acco rding to the canons of the discipline for language pedagogy, the
more the difference between the system of the target language, the more
difficult learning invariably becomes and the smaller the difference, the
easier the learning.’
The above
assertion gives credence to the difficulty faced by students who grew up in an
environment where native language is widely used than Standard English in
teaching and learning. This will make their learning of the Standard English a
herculean task. Students’ daily use of their native language in communication
within and outside the school has further enhanced the use of Nigerian Pidgin
which is derived from a blend of the morphology of the native language and the
syntax of the Standard English in its usage.
In real
sense, no language is inferior or superior to the other. But what enhances its
continuous usage is the specific communication needs that it serves and
competence attained by its users over a long period of time which also makes it
a norn among a well-defined group of users. It is also true that where two or
more speech communities come in contact, a lingua franca or common language of
communication tends to emerge (Stockwell, 18). The distortion which Nigerian
Pidgin has on the Standard English is in varying degree and magnitude. Looking
at this Nigerian Pidgin sentence: “Wetin dey hapun nau?” one knows that it is a
derivative of th e Standard English equivalent – “What is happening now?” Now
we see th at the expression “Wetin dey’ is a distortion of “What is”; “hapun” i
s also another distortion of “happening” while “nau” is a corruption of “now” .
HOW TO GET THE FULL PROJECT WORK
PLEASE, print the following
instructions and information if you will like to order/buy our complete written
material(s).
HOW TO RECEIVE PROJECT MATERIAL(S)
After paying the appropriate amount
(#5,000) into our bank Account below, send the following information to
08068231953 or 08168759420
(1) Your project
topics
(2) Email
Address
(3) Payment
Name
(4) Teller Number
We will send your material(s) after
we receive bank alert
BANK ACCOUNTS
Account Name: AMUTAH DANIEL CHUKWUDI
Account Number: 0046579864
Bank: GTBank.
OR
Account Name: AMUTAH DANIEL CHUKWUDI
Account Number: 2023350498
Bank: UBA.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL:
08068231953 or 08168759420
AFFILIATE
Comments
Post a Comment