The first ones, who was able to share the language among nigerian natives were the christian missionaries. Jul 15, 2017 in nigeria, english is the language of official communication. Emily is a fact checker, editor, and writer who has expertise in psychology content. For this genre of literature to be regarded as being english, even though it is nigerian, would imply that the language or the medium of communication is that of the english language. It is chosen to be the official language partially because people of some parts speak english because of the colonies ruled by the british which came to an end in the year 1960. The education system is divided into kindergarten, primary education, secondary education, and tertiary education. Old english 450 to 1066 middle english 1066 to 1500. Institute of political studies, faculty of political studies, charles university in prague, czech republic.
The english language makes absolutely no sense, heres why. Apart from the first three years of a childs life in the primary school that was mentioned in the national policy on education, the rest of the. Online english american language course time4learning. Hundreds of languages are spoken in the country, including yoruba, igbo, fula, hausa, edo, ibibio, tiv, and english. Hausa was an official language of the northern states from 1951 to 1967. Nov 23, 2015 1 1 history 1 age 1 chief complaint 1 history of present illness 2 past medical history 3 family history 3 social history. History has it that the first edition of nigeria s first newspaper, iwe irohin, came out on november 23, 1859.
History of education in nigeria information guide in nigeria. English language is termed as nigeria second language, it is being used as a communication tool by everyone in the country. Brief history of curriculum development in nigeria under the influence of curriculum changes, nigeria s education system has undergone a series of developments beginning as far back as 1842. In addition to english, hausa, yoruba, igbo, fula, and english creole are widely spoken. English language is the medium of instruction in most secondary and tertiary institutions of formal learning in nigeria. History of english language in nigeria and top 10 uses problems. History of english language in nigeria english is the official language in nigeria was made so to unite the country linguistically and culturally. As we have already mentioned earlier, the origin of english language in nigeria makes it start from the colonial period. In shakespeares time, the number of english speakers in the world is thought to have.
All evidence suggests the early settlement of nigeria millennia before the spread of agriculture 3,000 years ago. How to translate a pdf from spanish into english it still works. Nigeria and the roles of english language from historical perspectives. Ahistoryofnigeria assets cambridge university press. The colonial rulers did not take up the responsibility for promoting education, they only funded a few schools. Pdf historical background of the english language in nigeria.
The history of english language in nigeria has started many years ago. The course introduces you to the history of the development of english language from old english to its present status as a world language. History of the english language is a threeunit course available for students taking ba english and ba ed english programmes. Uci was an affiliate of the university of london 5. The functions assigned to a language or languages enhance the prestige of such languages like yoruba, igbo, hausa and english. The teaching of english language began to take roots a few dacades from that time. History of nigerian newspaper a brief walk into the origin of. Old english 4501100 ad, middle english 1100circa 1500 ad and modern english since 1500.
Pdf a brief history of the development of the english. Over the centuries, the english language has been influenced by a number of other languages. As a multilingual country, each of nigeria s more than 300 languages is spoken almost ethnically, and is restricted, as it were, to a specific geographical area in the. Sep 29, 2015 to do justice to the question, one needs to first differentiate between nigerian literature and nigerian literature in english. Numerous ancient african civilisations settled in the region that is known today as nigeria, such as the kingdom of nri, the benin empire, and the oyo empire. Pdf the functions of english in nigeria from the earliest. History of curriculum development in nigeria peakng.
This research work therefore will find out if students in the university of ilorin borrow words. The english language and sustainable development in nigeria. This role falls on the english language which is the nations official. Unit 7 language as an index of nationalism and nationism. Ibukun also contends that the uci was saddled with a number of. Department of religious studies nassarawa state university kefi, nigeria. Bibliography22 a brief history of the english language old, middle and modern english periods i. Acknowledgments we owe a debt of gratitude to the many dedicated scholars of nigeria who have helped us to. History of english language in nigeria as we have already mentioned earlier, the origin of english language in nigeria makes it start from the colonial period.
Siobhan is a passionate writer sharing about motivation and happiness tips on lifehack. Roles and problems omonigho josephine akporokah school of general studies, delta state polytechnic, otefeoghara. The origin of english language in nigeria and its importance. Consequently, this paper sought to highlight the roles the english language performs in the building. Adobe systems created the term portable document format, or pdf. The history of nigerian literature how nigeria news. Abstract this paper explores the historical overview of the english language in nigeria stating its roles while proffering solutions to the problems. History of the english language is a threeunit course available for students. This role falls on the english language which is the nations official and second language, as well as her lingua franca.
Two main modern pronouncements on language policy in nigeria merit our attention, to wit the national policy on education 1977, revised in 1981, and the 1979 constitution, which is more cited than its 1989 reincarnation. Various languages in nigeria have distinct functional manifestations at several hierarchical. The beginnings of the english language in nigeria are not clear. This article examines the role of english in nigeria as a medium of. The local authorities which takes responsibility for implementing state controlled policy regarding public education and state schools. Currently, english is the official language in most african countries, which are the former colonies of great britain. For instance, the english language is used in formal situations, in the media, in education, etc. Nigeria history, population, flag, map, languages, capital. English has been one of the major languages in the world. History of english language in nigeria and top 10 uses. Pdf the functions of english in nigeria from the earliest times to. In fact the english language is one of the few core subjects recommended for secondary schools in the national policy on education national pohcy, 1981. Examples of borrowing from english into yoruba by unilorin undergraduates abstract generally speaking, it seems unlikely that english will cease to be used elaborately in nigeria in a foreseeable future.
And, in 1914, northern and southern nigeria were united for administrative purposes into a single british colony. This timeline offers a glimpse at some of the key events that helped to shape the english language over the past 1,500 years. This paper traces the history of english language in nigeria, is unique role in international politics and examines the manner in which it has. Unit 6 distinctions between english as a second language esl, pidgin english, and creole. When it comes to documents in spanish, it can be time consuming andor expensive to find a book or document in spanish. Nigeria is a multilingual country comprises of different races, which. A brief background of the spoken english in nigeria from the 16 th century to 1954 banjo 1996 identifies two forms of spoken english that were noticeable as far back as the. Apr 27, 2018 in 1882, the english language which was already well spoken in nigeria by the elites and children of the elites, was accepted and implemented as the main channel of instruction and was the generalized approved communication language in corporate environments schools, post offices, corporate organizations, airports, federal and state parastatals, and so on. Ewe language according to unesco grouping of languages 1985, ewe is a community language of africa and its homeland stretches between three west african countries, namely, the republics of ghana, togo, benin dahomey and to badagry in the federal republic of nigeria.
The english move into the land of the igbo followed shortly thereafter, covering the period from 18891914. Brief history of nigeria from 1960 till date oasdom. The use of the english language in nigeria dates back to the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century when british merchants and christian missionaries. With this new development, training was organized for some officers who were responsible to plan, coordinate. Learning a new language is not an easy task, especially a difficult language like english.
Brief history of english language in nigeria legit. However, over the years the two groups joined and the terms americo liberian and congo were used interchangeably. Modern english period latin and greek influence loan words. Formal education has been accepted over time as being. Jan 05, 2017 the english language, like all languages, traces its ultimate ancestry to a time predating the written word. English language dominance and the fate of indigenous. Nigeria, country located on the western coast of africa. For this genre of literature to be regarded as being english, even though it is nigerian, would imply that the language or the medium of communication is that of the english language though the milieu is nigerian. Going by this historical position, it is safe to conclude that english predates colonization in nigeria. The history of nigeria can be traced to settlers trading across the middle east and africa as early as 1100 bc. History and importance of english language in nigeria. Nigeria became an independent country taking over the control of territories, politics and that of military. An atlas of nigerian languages african language training.
It appears, however, that the use of the english language in nigeria must predate both the first known written use of the language by equiano3 published in 1789 and the use of the language by british. The schools that were existing at that time were set up and operated by christian missionaries. Advent of english language in nigeria global academic group. The history of the english language an introduction. The use of the english language in nigeria dates back to the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century when british merchants and christian. For much of liberias early history, the congos were classed below the americo liberians. History has it that there was no story of europeans in africa before the fifteenth century. Nigerian english is influenced by mother tongues of the people of nigeria as well as indian english. The english language is regarded as the backbone of all other subjects taught in secondary school, because english language is the medium of instruction in most secondary and tertiary institutions of formal learning in nigeria. An independence movement gained nigeria s independence on october 1, 1960. An introduction to their history culture, culture profile no. It is being taught in schools from the prenursery down to the tertiary institutions.
Students learn the fundamentals, basic conversation skills, and more. Funso afolayan, tosin abiodun, anene ejikeme, chidiebere. Chris j ratcliffegetty images the story of englishfrom its start in a jumble of west germanic dialects to its ro. World war i was truly a world war with participants drawn from five continents and military actions spread around the globe. The history of university education in nigeria is traced to the elliot commission of 1943, which culminated in the establishment of university college ibadan uci in 1948. The constant influx of new blood due to voluntary and involuntary i. It is the most widely spoken language, although english is the official language of nigeria. In 1882, the english language which was already well spoken in nigeria by the elites and children of the elites, was accepted and implemented as the main channel of instruction and was the generalized approved communication language in corporate environments schools, post offices, corporate organizations, airports, federal and state parastatals, and so on. The history of the english language has traditionally been divided into three main periods. We do not know who the first nigerian speaker of english was. In fact the english language is one of the few core subjects recommended for secondary schools in the national policy on. The place of english language in the development of nigeria. According to linguists and also westermann and bryan, 1952, the ewe language ewegbe belongs to a member of the kwa family of sudanic languages.
Nigeria has a diverse geography, with climates ranging from arid to humid equatorial. Various societies of the world have evolved various forms of education over time. In nigeria, basic education has been influenced greatly by these curriculum changes. Time4languages makes it simple for time4learning k12 studen. There are three main divisions in the history of english and these were reflected in the presentations which were given during the term. Nigeria s federal government has been dominated by instability since. The functions of english in nigeria from the earliest times to the. Jamestown, virginia, also saw the dawn of american english with english colonizers adopting indigenous words, and adding them to the english language.
Welcome to homeschooling guide free ebook to help you get started. Education in nigeria is overseen by the federal ministry of education. Islam reached nigeria through the borno empire between 1068 ad and hausa states around 85 ad during the 11th century. Functionally, however, the english language in nigeria outstrips all of nigeria s indigenous languages. Learn about english speakers around the globe, including how many people speak english today and how many countries have english as their first language. A brief history of nigeria from 1960 till date a brief history of nigeria from 1960 till date i am a nigerian and a bona fide citizen of the country, it is key to be well grounded about the history of nigeria, not only for the sake of gaining knowledge but also for the benefit of generations to come. Use this simple guide to distinguish the levels of english language proficiency. The absence of a lingua franca, and the lack of mutual intelligibility of most of the indigenous languages, has given room for the english language to become nurtured, robust and hegemonic. Pdf on jan 1, 20, oreoluwa solomon published history of english language in nigeria find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. But it managed to affect the nigerian culture so much that people can still see its influence. The establishment of a separate department for education in the southern protectorate was a major development in the history of nigeria education because prior to this time education had been administered by the governors office. Language situation at the colonia era when britain took over as the colonial power in nigeria, english became the tool with which the new territory would be administered.
The status of english in nigeria and the world nicom iplan. History of english language teaching tefl articles. They are divided into a complex nexus of interrelated clans. All evidence suggests the early settlement of nigeria millennia before. An evaluation of the current english language curriculum in. In spite of the series of curriculum developments over the years, the nigerian education sector. Explore the landmark events in the history of psychology, from the establishment of the science in 1879 through the discoveries of present day. It is only a language which the peoples of nigeria can use to relate with one another that can be used to build the nation.
The newspaper was published every fifteen days and sold for 120 cowries, which is. Unit 3 the spread of the english language in the world unit 4 english as a second language in nigeria. Introduction in the beginning there was an island off the coast of europe, roughly half the size of the indian state of maharashtra. The use of the english language in nigeria dates back to the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century when british merchants and christian missionaries settled in the coastal towns called. A brief history of liberia international center for. It is, therefore, an essential prerequisite for further education. Heres a quick guide on how to get started with english language lessons in america. Pdf brief introduction of the advent of english language in nigeria find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Feb 05, 2015 the english language is the language of education in nigeria ndimele 2006. Pdf history of education in nigeria suleiman alhaji umar. Read full profile i am constantly glad that my native language is english as there is no way i could learn the languag. Dahomey and to badagry in the federal republic of nigeria. Brief history of nigeria from 1960 till date pdf finally, the agitated freedom was bagged from the british rule.
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