The Communicative Implications Of Nigerian English Usage

especially the English as first language users (106) Bamiteko’s words of caution are very relevant to our case where esoteric slang and deviant expressions characterize most Nigerian English usage. In the light of the above situation regarding the acceptability and intelligibility of Nigerian English, the researcher agrees strongly with Achebe cited by Okonkwo (127), that: the price a world language must be prepared to pay is submission to many different kinds of use. he writer should aim to use English in a way that brings out his message best without altering the language to the extent that its value as a medium of international exchange will be lost. He should aim at fashioning out an English which is at once universal and able to carry his peculiar experience.

2.3 Empirical Studies

The only justification so far given for the flagrant use of Nigerian English slang is that espoused in an empirical study on the subject by Oluikpe and Ogbonna (1987). In the study they posit that It is possible to show that slangy expressions are indeed reflectors of societal norms and values, for this is, we posit, the emotive function of Nigerian English slang expressions. (25) Put succinctly , the scholars maintain that “ slang expressions through their emotive imports are mirriors for understanding social norms and values.” Part of the emotive significance according to the researchers are the lampoon , the satire , the derision of such vices as prostitution and promiscuity . To describe such evil acts, Nigerians use such slangy words as “ public dog,” screw pot, “ “ ashawo”, “ daughters of darkness” etc . Though societal abhorrence of these categories of persons (prostitutes and promiscuous women) is shown, the problem however, lies on mutual intelligibility. These expressions , and many others, may not be comprehensible to other speakers of English outside Nigeria’s ethnolinguistic environment. In fact , the expressions may result in what Bamgbose (132) terms “ mass ex-communication” Yet another empirical study on Nigeria slang is that by Oluikpe and Anesiudu (2006). Dictionary of Nigerian English Slang is the brain child of this ethnographic study. Poor intelligibility level of some Nigerian English usage may have motivated these lexicographers, to embark on the research and the subsequent compilation of the dictionary.

According to Oluikpe and Anasuidu , the dictionary is designed to serve two functions namely “ to bridge the various communication gap between the various in-groups in our society,” and most importantly, to serve a pedagogical function by providing a list of words and phrases which Nigerian speakers of English are not supposed to use in formal situations .” As part of the objective, they add that “ we intend to combat and, therefore, hopefully minimize the words common among our students “( iv) . They further note that many of the expressions glossed are still not completely intelligibly to all members of the society.”(v) If the above scenario still persists many decades after the official adoption of the English language as a national language in Nigeria, where then lies the veracity of the claims of “ national acceptability,” “ appropriateness” and intelligibility which some apostles of Nigerian English profess ? Little wonder then Ubahakwe cited in Uzoezie (167) though subscribing to the existence of Nigerian English, affirms “ that whereas the notion of the acceptable standards of the English is firmly established in the first language situation,…. Such a notion is only in the making in places like Nigeria where English is used as a second language “ Akindele and Adegbite expatiate this point. They too believe that While all native speakers ‘ nations have national standards of English as birthright, most non- native English speaking nations are yet to evolve their own authentic standard dialect of the language. Research evidence however show that India has developed a standard Indian English 2.4 Nigerian English: A variation or a Deviation? Variations in Linguistic parlance could mean differences in sounds, Lexical or morpho-syntactic properties of a language within particular speech environments. Radford and others (52) define phonological variations, for instance, as “ the existence within the speech of a single community of  more than one possible realization (of variant) of a particular sound.” A typical instance of phonological loss (elision) is that which is very common among some Yoruba speakers of English in Nigeria. A variable loss of the glottal fricative {h} exists such that words like heart, heat, horse etc are pronounced by Yoruba speakers as /a:t/, /I:t/, and /ô€€€:s/ respectively. Nevertheless, among the Igbo speakers such variable loss is not common. Heart and horse, for example are correctly pronounced as /ha:t/ and /hô€€€:s/ by the Igbo users of English. If the above scenario and few others account for the differences that characterize Nigerian English then the variety could conveniently be accepted as a variant rather than a deviation. This, however, is far from the true situation. What we rather have is what Salami (1968), quoted by Babatunde, (132) observes Though one finds some differences between certain usages by some Nigerians and for instance, British usages, most of such differences are due to mistake of some sort. Adesnaya (1974) also cited by Babatunde (132) makes the point clearer. He classifies the indexical features of Nigerian English as “very clearly as errors”. Furthermore, Olabode (27) is even exhaustive in his remark. He says. English for now seems to be an elitist preserve, daily subjected to mutual linguistics modification s with every indigenous language it comes in contact with at levels of phonology, lexis and  morph syntactic, with features like translation, transliteration and transference, besides borrowing, code-mixing and code-switching. If the multiple indigenous languages (over four hundred of them), Baldeh (38), Eyisi (17) exert such tremendous influence on the English language, the language cannot remain a mere variant but, instead, an outright distortion or deviation from its ancestral variety. Let us consider lexical borrowing for example, this is one outstanding feature of Nigerian English. We know that words are borrowed and integrated into English from such world languages as French, Latin, and German by the native speakers. However, most loan words of “Nigerian English” are grafted from vernacular languages. Oluoye (98) strictly warns against this especially for L2 users of English. He says that There is the danger of misuse, abuse and overuse of borrowed words and expressions. Since some of the things persons, places and ideas used in such idioms are culture specific, they may not be relevant in some other cultural setting. He further states that careless borrowing “makes speech very odious and sometimes unintelligible”. This is the case with certain Nigerian English usage as speakers often allow vernacular expressions to dominate their speech and writing.