ABSTRACT

The lecture focuses on three major aspects of linguistic research: the impact of globalisation on Nigerian English, the linguistic pluralism that characterises the Nigerian sociolinguistic experiences and the acclimatisation of English to the Nigerian context. Following extant literature, the lecture notes that globalisation shrinks geographies. It observes that one of the effects of this is the emergence of globalised English in Nigeria. ‘Glibspeak’, a situation in which established linguistic forms are re-semanticised, accounts for the accommodation of practically re-defined terms in the Nigerian socio-political contexts.

With respect to linguistic pluralism, it notes, with a number of other scholars, that the Nigerian language situation, though multilingual in the theoretical sense, is pragmatically bilingual. Classifying the language situation in Nigeria as ‘bilingualism with diglossia’ (cf Fishman 1967), the lecture presents Nigerian indigenous languages as the preferred candidates in an authentic socio-cultural expression, and English as the recognised medium in the political, economic, diplomatic and educational contexts. It underscores the influence of the indigenous and indi-exogenous languages on the exogenous language (the English language) and the immersion of these in globalised English.

The heterogeneous nature of English, with influences from Celtic language, Latin, Greek, Germanic languages and French, showing the difficulty to associate the language with a particular ethnic group, is demonstrated as a disadvantage when compared to Nigerian languages with distinctive ownership. Implanted in Nigeria through early European commercial activities, (inclusive slave trade), missionary activities and colonialism, English is reported to perform major functions. It strengthens the bonds of cohesion among speakers of about 500 languages in Nigeria; it is used as a tool for the dissemination of knowledge and execution of government programmes; it is the medium through which creative works are produced; and it is the language of governance, commercial interactions in multilingual settings, and diplomatic relations. English in Nigeria is classed with varieties of English in the outer circle and is recognised in its own right as a distinctive variety comparable to Indian English, British English, Canadian English and American English. Its properties are distinguished in terms of phonology, discourse, lexico-semantics, sociolinguistics, pragmatics, style and syntax.

The domain-distinguished forms of Nigerian English, the geographical and regional descriptions of the English, its class-distinguished and lectal variational forms and its registerial dimensions, situated in a globalised linguistic space define the sociolinguistic identity of English in the Nigerian environment. While English is recognised as a strong national and international medium of communication with great social, economic and political benefits, its comparatively higher empowerment level disadvantages indigenous languages and thus limits the contributions and participation of many compatriots whose linguistic competence is more pronounced in indigenous, especially minority, languages. A strong government policy which does not discriminate between languages in planning, and which develops all languages, thus empowering the speakers, will bring about greater national unity and development.

Key words: Globalisation, Linguistic pluralism, English in Nigeria, Varieties of English, Language policy.

Word count: 465.