AN EXAMINATION OF THE EFFECT OF NIGERIA PIDGIN ON WRITTEN ENGLISH AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS
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- NGN 3000
Background of the study
In Nigeria, English is considered a second language by most people. Because Nigerians already had their first language, also known as their Mother Tongue (L1), before the introduction of the alien language known as "English" into the nation, it is considered to be a second language. In this particular case, a language that is not native to the context (English) left that environment and came into contact with another language or languages (Nigerian indigenous languages). It is a well-known fact that the language a people use contains ingrained versions of their traditions, morals, and beliefs. Because of this, it is often acknowledged that "language is culture," and that the two cannot be divorced from one another. When it comes to schooling, language is a very significant component to consider. It is a fundamental component of the communication process. It provides extremely solid foundations for creative thinking, and there would be no significant growth in society or culture if it were absent. Brown (2022). The preceding reference investigates the capabilities of language as a medium for communication and the generation of original ideas. Via the act of thinking, one may express their thoughts through the use of language, which can then be articulated verbally or written down. Therefore, a nation's language of broader communication is very important to the development and advancement of that nation, even in the academic sphere. Nigeria is a multicultural and multiethnic nation that is home to around four hundred and ten (410), distinct languages. Derrian (2020). With the advent of the English language in 1842, however, these numerous languages have influenced, or we could say interfered with, the manner in which Nigerians use language on the lexical, grammatical, and phonological levels of communication. This has been the case since the introduction of the English language. Even though English is the country's official language, a distinct variety of the language has developed in order to meet Nigeria's socio-linguistic and communication requirements (which is to an extent a deviation from standard British English). Because of this, a localisation or domestication process has begun. Since our native tongues have had an impact on English, the manner we write will likewise reflect this linguistic transformation. [Case in point:] [Case in point:] These linguistic quirks were referred to as "peculiar Nigerianisms" by our group (Fromkin ,2022).
The English language did not arrive in Nigeria of its own own. It was brought there. Its entry into Nigeria was triggered by a number of circumstances including trade, enslavement, colonialism, and missionary efforts in Nigerian by Europeans, all of which took place in stages. These factors included: Therefore, English as a language is a lent blanket that has been repurposed for personal use by the individuals who have borrowed it so that it might better serve the borrowers' objectives.
There is no way to know for definite when people in Nigeria first began using the English language. On the other hand, it is generally accepted that the first personal interaction between British colonizers and members of certain Nigerian ethnic groups took place in Southern Nigeria. This must have occurred at some point in time before the slave trade in the Atlantic (Holt, 2021).
The word "pidgin" is used to describe a language that emerges out of a circumstance in which individuals who speak a variety of languages are forced to interact with one another despite the fact that they do not have a common language. After a pidgin has been created, it is often studied as a second language in order to facilitate communication between individuals whose native languages are distinct from one another. Language is the most creative and limitless device for social communication, and it enables us to comprehend the profound social significance, cultural participation, and human relatedness of language. Pidgin serves as an unlimited instrument of social communication, which is especially important in a multilingual community such as that found in Lagos State. In light of the foregoing, we can therefore agree that pidgin is a language in its own right and not merely a supplementary tongue, as some people consider it to be. "The culture of a civilization is the manner of life of its members, the collection of ideas and habits which they acquire, share, and transfer from generation to generation," R. Linton is quoted as saying (McArthur , 2021). Language is the sole medium via which these ideas, customs, and cultural traditions may be passed on from one generation to the next. In the field of linguistics, every language is deemed competent to reflect the communication requirements of its people, and as such, it should not be forced to suffer any biases that are applied to other languages. Even though Nigerian Pidgin is a language, it is impossible to say this about it due to the many efforts that have been made by various factions to eliminate the usage of Nigerian Pidgin English. The considerable significance that the language has to its speakers has, however, made it impossible for these initiatives to be effective. It is a language that has brought people together in spite of the disparities in the languages and cultures of their ancestors. It has done this by fostering the development of a local culture that is a synthesis of the ideals of other civilizations. According to McArthur [2021], it was said that a specific Oba in Benin could speak Portuguese. In the ancient kingdom of Benin, this language was used for economic reasons, as well as the fact that it was the language of trade and diplomatic communication. In point of fact, the introduction of English into Nigerian can be broken down into three distinct major periods, which are as follows: the period before the missionary activities; the period during the missionary activities; and the period after the amalgamation of the southern and northern protectorates. It is essential to note that the demarcation between these eras is not distinct in any way, since the transition from one period to the next occurs gradually. The phonology, morphology, and syntax of Pidgin are all significantly unlike to those of Standard English. Pidgin is a kind of American English. Nigeria is quickly invading the West African area with Pidgin English. Pidgin English is a form of English that has been influenced by Portuguese and Dutch in addition to English. This form of English is spoken in Nigeria. Pidgin English is an intriguing kind of English that is spoken in Nigeria and has extremely distinctive pronunciations. There is a possibility that words used in Standard English will have a different meaning or connotation when used in Pidgin. "In certain countries," Platt, Weber, and Ho write in their book The New Englishes (McArthur 2021), "the New Englishes have established a noteworthy variety of diverse variations tied closely to the socio-economic and educational backgrounds of its speakers." This is a valid observation. It freely appropriates words, patterns, and pictures from the mother tongue and finds expression in a vocabulary that is quite restricted in the English language. Pidgin English has not only damaged pupils in their subject areas but has also impeded their prospects in other disciplines, according to those who have remarked on the poor performance of the English language on the West African School Certification Examination (WASC). It is the intention of the researcher to explore and verify the aforementioned assertion, and potentially determine the degree to which using Pidgin English negatively affects pupils' academic performance in Senior Secondary School in Nigeria. The purpose of this study is for the researcher to analyze the impact of Pidgin English on the usage of Standard English among senior secondary school students and to identify the potential strategies of eradicating the unfavorable effects that have been seen as a result of this influence. Brown (2022), It is documented that Englishmen began making frequent trips to the coast of Nigeria as early as 1553, particularly to the ports of Ancient Benin and old Calabar. As a result of these interactions, a simplified form of English language known as Pidgin developed as a means of communication between Englishmen and Nigerians. Note, however, that Portuguese, not English, was most likely the first European language to be used in Nigeria. This occurred far earlier than English did. The globalization of the English language is one of the linguistic phenomena of our time that has the potential to have the greatest impact on future generations. It is possible to see evidence of the worldwide phenomenon of language contact, variation, and change in the form of designations such as world Englishes, new Englishes, modern Englishes, West African Englishes, South African English, Australian English, and Indian English, to name just a few examples. In the roughly forty years that have passed since its inception, the term "Nigerian English" has also come into use. Some sub-varieties of English, such as Nigerian Pidgin English, have developed as a result of the Nigerian variant of the language.
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