TEACHERS PERCEPTION OF THE INFLUENCE OF PIDGIN ENGLISH ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN AROCHUKWU LGA ABIA STATE
- Project Research
- 1-5 Chapters
- Quantitative
- Chi-Square
- Abstract : Available
- Table of Content: Available
- Reference Style: APA
- Recommended for : Student Researchers
- NGN 3000
Background Of The Study
Language in multilingual societies such as Nigeria has always been a source of concern for educators, educational planners, and parents, particularly with respect to the proper use of language in communication. This has been the case for as long as Nigeria has been a multilingual society. At every stage of education in Nigeria, students are instructed in English as the educational language of communication in the classroom. As a result of this, Olaore's statements can be understood as follows: "in the countries language policy, 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." This is the foundation for Olaore's statements.
In Nigeria, the English language is used in many contexts to fulfill the role of a second language. The English language is the sole language used for any type of official transaction in Nigeria, despite the fact that it is estimated that the country of Nigeria is home to more than four hundred (400) different languages and over two hundred and fifty (250) different ethnic groups (Emenanjo, 73). In spite of the pivotal part that the English language has been playing in the communication process on a national scale, the majority of Nigerians without formal education who reside in rural communities are unable to communicate in English. There are more than six separate languages spoken in various communities in Nigeria, all of which are incomprehensible to one another. Because of this, communication between neighbors is made more difficult. According to Emenanjo, who is mentioned in Otagburuagu and Okorji (2003), Nigerian linguistic geography is so complicated that language communities may be broken down into relatively tiny language groupings known as chontonolects. As Otagburuagu (2009) pointed out, the complexity of the Nigerian linguistics ecosystem has led to a situation in which the employment of Nigerian Pidgin, a language that is both universal and inconclusive, is unavoidable in both official and informal contexts.
According to Quirk et al. (2010), while tracing the origin of Pidgin English, "Pidgin historically started as simply a language characterized by traditional interference utilized largely by the rich and privileged segment of a community not by the unskilled and uneducated class of the population." On the other hand, this circumstance does not hold true for the Nigeria Pidgin. According to the findings of numerous studies, the Nigeria Pidgin first developed from an English-based Pidgin but eventually morphed into a variety of other forms and patterns in its use (Obiechina, 2015; Elugbe, 2012 and Egbokhare, 2014). The Nigerian Pidgin English language is regarded as a variant of English as well as ethnic Nigerian languages, and it is spoken as a type of Lingua Franca across the nation, particularly among students. According to Elugbe and Omamur (2013), the best way to describe Nigerian Pidgin English is as "some type of a marginal language that evolves to meet certain communication demands in a clearly defined scenario." This is the definition that they provide in an effort to define the term.
In addition, the term "Nigerian Pidgin" is a rather derogatory term that is used by native English speakers to characterize the frequently frantic breaches of the fundamental norms of Standard English syntax that are made by individuals who are not native speakers of the language. According to Kperogi (2014), the term "pidgin" is a technical term in linguistics that refers to a "contact" or "trade" language that developed from the fusion of a foreign language, typically European, and an indigenous language, typically non-European. Pidgin is an example of this type of language. In this case, the European language was responsible for providing the majority of the vocabulary, while the native languages were responsible for producing the structure of the language. As is the case with Nigerian Pidgin, the cultural language from which a language originates has far-reaching implications on the manner in which it is most often used. There is no question that the culture of those who use it is directly related to the variance in it. As a result of this, Abdullah – Idiagbom cited Brooks, N. in his research titled "The Sociolinguistic of Nigerian Pidgin (English) on University Campus" (1969) 'It is via the magic of language that man comes finally to grasp to an astounding degree the world in which he lives, and much more unexpected, acquires an insight into his own nature and his own predicament.' These are some of the propositions that have been put forward.
These remarks on Nigerian Pidgin have a negative impact on both the instructors and the students. It is possible that the cultural effect of the local language on the instructor is primarily mirrored on the students, given that it is generally accepted that no student is more capable than his or her teacher. In light of this, Akujobi and Chukwu (2017) said that "the quality of English utilized in the classroom is such that all learners are at a major disadvantage." [Citation needed] There is no way to dispute the fact that thousands of the most talented students are unable to continue their education because the language in which they were tested was not taught to them in an effective manner. In addition, they made the point that 'according to the canons of the discipline for language pedagogy, the more the difference between the system of the target language and the system of the language being learned, the more difficult learning invariably becomes, and the smaller the difference, the easier it is to learn.'
The aforementioned remark lends validity to the problem that is encountered by students who have grown up in an environment in which local language is utilized largely in teaching and learning rather than Standard English. The learning of Standard English will be a monumental undertaking for them as a result of this. Students' regular use of their mother language in communication both inside and outside of the school has contributed to the development of Nigerian Pidgin, a form of slang that derives its meaning from a combination of the morphology of the students' native language and the syntax of Standard English in the context of its application.
In a strict sense, there is no such thing as one language being better to another. However, the fact that it caters to very particular communication requirements and that its users have developed a high level of expertise over an extended period of time—both of which have contributed to its status as a norm among a particular subset of users—are two factors that contribute to its continued use. Additionally, it is a fact that whenever two or more speech communities interact with one another, a lingua franca or a common language of communication has a tendency to form (Stockwell, 2018). The degree to which Standard English is distorted by Nigerian Pidgin and the extent of that distortion are both variable. When one examines the Nigerian Pidgin statement "Wetin dey hapun nau?," one realizes that it is a corruption of the same sentence in Standard English, which is "What is occurring now?" Now we can see that the phrase "What is" was corrupted into "Wetin dey"; "hapun" was also a corruption of the word "happening," and "nau" was a corruption of the word "now."
It is interesting to note that Nigerian Pidgin is characterized by a simple grammatical structure that is often anarchic and primitive, a vocabulary that is severely restricted, and is utilized for the expression of fairly fundamental cognitive processes (Kperogi, 2012). The issue described above is a direct consequence of the fact that Nigerian Pidgin developed primarily as a "emergency" language for use in fleeting, short-term linguistic contacts. As a result, it is not possible to utilize it to describe high-minded cognitive processes, and in most cases, it is not anyone's primary or first language. Based on the information presented above, the purpose of this research is to investigate how instructors in Arochukwu Local Government Area, Abia State, see the impact that pidgin English has on secondary school students.
1.2 Statement Of The Problem
Even if it is an exception to the rule, there is a widespread notion among students that Pidgin English may be used as a form of the English language that makes communication easier. The above presumption served as the foundation for the use of Pidgin, in particular among students. The usage of Pidgin extends beyond simple verbal communication and has developed into more of a verbal habit in recent years as its expression has expanded beyond the bounds of casual chat and into more formal settings. A number of academics have advocated for the immediate examination and proclamation of Nigeria Pidgin as a co-official language alongside English (Balogun, 2012; Amao, 2012; Uguru, 2006; Elugbe and Omamor, 2011). "Nigerian Pidgin plays a very vital role in communication in Nigeria," as stated by Uguru (2006). If it is recognized as an official language alongside English, it will make it easier for all people to take part in the country's economic, social, and political development.' Elugbe and Omamur (2008), who witnessed the usage of Pidgin in the classroom, particularly in Edo and Delta states where nearly everyone knows the language with competency, are responsible for making this statement. It is a well-established truth that what a person reads on a daily basis has an effect on the way that person communicates verbally and in writing. Students are often exposed to music with lyrics written in Pidgin, publications and jokes written in Pidgin, and films in which Pidgin is used as the primary language of communication. All of these factors have an impact on the prevailing language used for communication among students, particularly inside and outside of the school. "The argument in favor of Pidgin as a compromise language and that which could foster unity among the diverse ethnic groups has some surface attraction," according to Onuigbo and Eyisi(2015). "However, many have not paused to consider the possible negative effects on the standard usage of English among pupils and students in Nigerian schools."
It is a well-known fact that Pidgin English, or what linguists refer to as the Nigerian pidgin, is spoken in Nigeria. Additionally, research has been conducted on the influence that Pidgin English has had on Standard English by authors such as Oko (2013) and Agbo (2008), amongst others. The researcher notes that no specific focus has been made to evaluate the extent of harm done on students' usage of Standard English by the consistent use of Nigeria Pidgin English. This is something that the researcher considers to be a significant oversight. As a result of this difficulty, the purpose of this research is to investigate teachers' perceptions on the effect of pidgin English on secondary school students in Arochukwu Local Government Area (LGA), Abia State.
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