What is it about?
A Nigerian is not a Briton. So, he may not be able to use the English language with the expertise of an English man. There is, therefore, a variety of the English language expected of a Nigerian university professor. This is known as the Standard Nigerian English. This study was carried out to know what English Language teachers in Nigerian schools think about extensive use of this Nigerianised variety so as not to expect a typical Nigerian to kill himself while trying to achieve the impossible task of a nativelike command of the English language.
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Why is it important?
The issue of uniformed standards in teaching and testing in education is crucial. Teachers need to be abreast with the standard of what to teach, how to teach it and how to examine candidates' learning. Language learners, too, need to know what variety they are supposed to master. Language users also must be sure of which variety of the target language is most profitable in terms of effective communication and the spread of potential audience. English Language teachers' opinion about which variety of the English language they prefer determines their enthusiasm in teaching any variety they are asked to teach learners.
Perspectives
I hope this article would open the eyes of non-linguists to the fact that there is an educated variety of the English language known as the Standard Nigerian English (subsequently referred to as SNE). It could also provide a platform for considering according the SNE a degree of honour as a legitimate variety because of the near-impossibility of attaining the Standard British English. It could also lend a voice to the need for the international English speaking community to accept some peculiarities of the SNE.
Dr Samson O Olatunji
Univeristy of Ilorin
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: English Language Teachers’ Attitudes to the Promotion of the Standard Nigerian English: A Survey from a Nigerian City, African Research Review, August 2012, African Journals Online (AJOL),
DOI: 10.4314/afrrev.v6i3.20.
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