Language In Nigeria Research Articles

Harnessing Digital Transformation with AI to Improve the Teaching and Learning of English as Second Language in Nigeria

The integration of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized various sectors, including education, particularly in English as a Second Language (ESL) learning. In Nigeria, where English is the official language for education and commerce, proficiency in English is crucial for academic and professional success. However, traditional ESL teaching methods often fail to meet the diverse linguistic and cultural needs of Nigerian learners, resulting in varying proficiency levels. This paper explores the potential of digital transformation and AI to enhance ESL teaching and learning in Nigeria. AI-driven tools offer personalized learning experiences, adaptive assessments, and interactive content, while digital transformation facilitates access to quality educational resources and inclusive learning environments. The study highlights key opportunities, such as personalized learning, increased engagement, and improved assessment, while also addressing challenges like technological barriers, teacher training, and cultural diversity. Recommendations include investing in digital infrastructure, developing teacher training programs, and ensuring ethical data practices. Future research should evaluate AI's long-term impact on ESL education in Nigeria and refine technologies to better meet diverse student needs. This study contributes to the discourse on innovative language teaching approaches in the digital age, offering insights that extend beyond Nigeria's borders.

Language of instruction policy in Nigeria: Assessing implementation and literacy achievement in a multilingual environment

In this study, I evaluate adherence to Nigeria's Language of Instruction (LOI) policy, which mandates that primary school students be taught in indigenous language. Using multivariate regression analysis and data from round 6 of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS6), I assessed disparities in adherence between school types (public and private schools) and location (urban/rural areas) and regions. The results reveal private schools exhibit lower implementation rates than public schools, while urban areas lag behind rural areas, and the southern region trails the north. This highlights the challenges of enforcing a uniform LOI policy in Nigeria's linguistically diverse setting. I also examine the relationship between LOI and literacy outcomes using regression and propensity score matching anaysis. Contrary to prevailing notion that teaching children in an indigenous language improves learning outcomes, my findings show that students taught in English outperformed their peers taught in indigenous languages. This departure from the norm underscores the need to reassess generalized conclusions derived from less lingustically diverse contexts, as they might not apply settings like Nigeria. It also calls for a nuanced understanding of how LOI influences learning outcomes in diverse contexts, emphasizing the importance of tailoring educational policies to local realities.

Biometric voice recognition system in the context of multiple languages: using traditional means of identification of individuals in Nigeria languages and English language

Biometric voice recognition system in the context of multiple languages: using traditional means of identification of individuals in Nigeria languages and English language

An Enquiry into the Nigerianism in Nigerian English

This study seeks to examine the Nigerianism in Nigerian English in order to gain a better understanding of the English language in Nigeria. Specifically, it will investigate how Nigerian English has developed and what aspects of Nigerian language and culture have influenced it. In doing so, it will provide insight on the role of Nigerian English in the larger Nigerian context, as well as the broader international context. It will also review the sociolinguistic features of the Nigerian varieties of English in the area of phonology. The findings of this research are expected to provide a deeper understanding of the English language in Nigeria and its functionality within the Nigerian context. It is hoped that the results of this study can be used to inform and guide the development of future language policies in Nigeria. This study will also provide a valuable contribution to the existing body of research into the development of English and language in general.

A Contrastive Analysis of the Morphological and Syntactic Aspects of Urhobo and Ijaw Languages

The study undertakes a contrastive analysis of the morphological and syntactic aspects of Urhobo language and the Izon language, which are two indigenous languages spoken in the Niger Delta area in Nigeria. Contrastive analysis is used as the theory of preference to explore these languages, to show their similarity and points of divergence. The findings from the study attest to the similarity of these languages predictably as a result of their shared origin as they both are from the same Niger-Congo language family. There are cases of exact translations and linguistic interconnectedness between both languages in the morphological level. The study also confirms that there is noticeable difference in all levels of linguistics that makes both languages not mutually intelligible. The research’s implications include recommendations for language teaching and preservation as both languages are highly relevant for intercultural communication. The study also recommends that further research should be done in Nigeria’s indigenous languages as a way to respect and maintain unique linguistic identities. Scholars from different Nigerian languages should encourage the development and the growth of the indigenous languages to stop them from going into extinction. English language is the official language in Nigeria, it is the language of government, commerce, education, law, mass media and other areas of communication at the official level. The Nigerian language learner encounters so many problems in learning English. This paper reveals the importance of our indigenous languages.

Bridging the gap between theory and implementation: National language policy and documentation of mother tongue

Language is an essential aspect of identity and culture, playing a significant role in shaping a nation's socio-political landscape. This is why nations are continuously making effort to preserve their indigenous languages. This paper investigates the grey area of theory and implementation of the national language policy in the preservation, revitalization, documentation of mother tongue. It discusses the challenges such as lack of adequate instructional materials and qualified teachers in indigenous language, facing indigenous languages in Nigeria and how the implementation of language national language policy can promote mother tongue revitalization beyond the classroom. The paper adopts Language ecology model and David Crystal's theory of language revitalization to investigate the study. The paper adopts descriptive analysis methodology, which will use current and historical data to identify gaps in the study. The paper concludes that bridging the gap between theory and implementation of national language policy in Nigeria is a complex but a necessary and essential national task that involves the government allocating resources to produce adequate instructional materials and training teachers to be qualified in teaching indigenous languages. Also government and stakeholders should intensify efforts outside the classroom, preserving mother tongue and revitalizing endangered languages requires a multifaceted approach that extends well beyond the classroom, which involves fostering a cultural environment where the language is valued and used in daily life, creating intergenerational connections, leveraging technology and documenting linguistic resources.

The Use of Online English Language Learning Platforms by Undergraduate Students of Federal College of Education (Technical) Gusau

The status of the English language in Nigeria has made it the most widely used language. People of various backgrounds aspire to speak the language and become competent in it. With technological advancement, which led to the social media invention, various means of teaching the English language are made available on different platforms. Therefore, this paper aims to find out the online English language learning platforms by undergraduate students of Federal College of Education (Technical) Gusau. Three objectives were formulated to guide this study. These are, to find out the students’ awareness of the vast online platforms for learning the English Language, to find out the aspect of the English language the students have an interest in studying and to determine the benefit of engagement in the chosen aspect. Rogers’ (2003) Diffusion of Innovation theory was adopted as the theoretical framework- The population of the study consists of 1,417 Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria-affiliated undergraduate students of various fields of study. Purposive sampling was used to select level two English language students. Focus group discussion was used for data collection and thematic analysis of the data was conducted. The finding is by Roger's (2003) Diffusion of Innovation theory which emphasises that “getting a new idea adopted, even when it has obvious advantages, is difficult” Hence, the availability of more user satisfaction, compatibility, simplicity, triability, and observability make the Innovation-Diffusion process faster. Therefore, the present study concludes that the use of these vast materials by the students is very low. However, the participants who employ its use agreed on its enormous benefits and have tagged it as a priority.

Use of Electronic Devices in the Teaching and Learning of the English Language in Oyo State Senior Secondary Schools

Purpose: The dwindling standard of Nigerian students’ performances in SSCE English language has become worsened. As a result, this study will focus at employing electronic approach in language teaching called Computer Assisted Language Teaching (CALL) to improve the learners’ poor performances in WASSCE, NECO and UTME and other English language external examinations. Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is a novel electronic approach to language pedagogy being introduced in 1980s in Deakin University, USA was used in this research as a theoretical tool.
 Methodology: This research used Brade’s (2007) teleconferencing and Sussaine Herring’s (2001) Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) as theoretical framework for the study. Coupled with this, questionnaires was administered among 360 students and 36 teachers from 18 purposively selected senior secondary schools in Oyo State. Stratified randomly sampling approach was used in selecting the respondents. Besides, electronic tools like projector and other power-point gadgets down-linked equipment gadgets that are used in electronic language teaching called tele-conferencing was purchased for teaching the respondents. A lecture room was furnished for keeping the gadgets purchased and for using video or tele-conferencing in language teaching in teaching the respondents.
 Findings: The findings revealed that this electronic approach to English language in Nigeria has improve the poor standard of students’ performances in external examinations like WASSCE, NECO and also improve students’ communicative and linguistic competence in English language in Oyo State.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The government and educational authorities in Oyo State should prioritize investments in digital infrastructure, including providing schools with an adequate number of electronic devices and ensuring reliable internet connectivity. This will facilitate seamless integration of technology into the teaching and learning process.

Agricultural education in Africa using YouTube multilingual animations: A retrospective feasibility study assessing costs to reach language-diverse populations.

There is a critical need for widespread information dissemination of agricultural best practices in Africa. Literacy, language and resource barriers often impede such information dissemination. Culturally and linguistically localized, computer-animated training videos placed on YouTube and promoted through paid advertising is a potential tool to help overcome these barriers. The goal of this study is to assess the feasibility of reaching language-diverse populations in Africa using this new type of information dissemination channel. As a case study, cost estimates were obtained for YouTube ad campaigns of a video to prevent post-harvest loss through safe food storage using sanitized jerrycan containers. Seventy-three video variants were created for the most common 16 languages in Ghana, 35 languages in Kenya, and 22 languages in Nigeria. Using these videos, campaigns were deployed country wide or focused on zones of influence that represent economically underdeveloped regions known to produce beans suitable for jerrycan storage. Using data collected from YouTube ad campaigns, language-specific models were created for each country to estimate how many viewers could be reached per US dollar spent. Separate models were created to estimate the number of viewers who watched 25% and 75% of the video (most of video without end credits), reflecting different levels of engagement. For language campaigns with both country wide and zone of influence areas of deployment, separate region-specific models were created. Models showed that the estimated number of viewers per dollar spent varied considerably amongst countries and languages. On average, the expected number of viewers per dollar spent were 1.8 (Range = 0.2-7.3) for 25% watched and 0.8 (Range = 0.1-3.2) for 75% watched in Ghana, 1.2 (0.2-4.8) for 25% watched and 0.5 (Range = 0.1-2.0) for 75% watched in Kenya, and 0.4 (Range = 0.2-1.3) for 25% watched and 0.2 (Range = 0.1-0.5) for 75% watched in Nigeria. English versions of the video were the most cost-effective in reaching viewers in Ghana and Nigeria. In Kenya, English language campaigns ranked 28 (country wide) and 36 (zones of influence) out of 37 analyzed campaigns. Results also showed that many local language campaigns performed well, opening the possibility that targeted knowledge dissemination on topics of importance to local populations, is potentially cost effective. In addition, such targeted information dissemination appears feasible, even during regional and global crises when in-person training may not be possible. In summary, leveraging multilingual computer-animations and digital platforms such as YouTube shows promise for conducting large-scale agricultural education campaigns. The findings of the current study provides the justification to pursue a more rigorous prospective study to verify the efficacy of knowledge exchange and societal impact through this form of information dissemination channel.

Nigerian Pidgin English

Nigerian Pidgin (hereafter NP) is the most widely spoken language in Nigeria, but many Nigerians view it negatively, as they associate it with uneducated people in the country and often caricature it as a bad form of English. However, attitudes towards NP in the diaspora and its role as a marker of social identity within and outside Nigeria have not been researched. Through informal interviews and focus group discussions with 10 Nigerians (5 men; 5 women) in Canada, I find that the participants choose NP as the language they use to express their identity as Nigerians in Canada. While the women embraced Standard English, the men had more positive attitudes towards NP suggesting covert prestige. Therefore, this study provides a good pilot project for analyzing attitudes towards NP and its role as a language of identity for Nigerians in the diaspora.

Pronunciation Challenges in English Language Among Undergraduate Students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria

This study investigated pronunciation challenges among undergraduates among undergraduate students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria, as case study. The descriptive survey design was used for the study. The sample of the study was One Hundred (100) respondents, selected from five (5) different Departments using simple random sampling technique. The study used a structured self-constructed questionnaire for data collection. Obtained data were analysed through frequency counts and percentages. Findings of the study revealed that Mother Tongue plays a significant, but negative role, in the phonological acquisition of a second language learner. Again, Language in contact, like pidgin and creole can cause wrong pronunciation of English words among undergraduates. A detailed description of English sounds, intonation and stress as well as teaching of English words are imperative to reducing the problem of wrong pronunciation among undergraduates and second language learners of English Language in Nigeria. Based on the findings, it was recommended that stakeholders of university education should ensure that phonetics and phonology are taught and enough textbooks on each, should be provided by government and which should be effectively used by lecturers and students, in the concerned departments.

The role of Nigerian scholars in improving the Arabic language in the future in Nigeria

This research seeks to investigate the efforts of Nigerian Arabic scholars in developing and attracting people to learn Arabic. The aim is for local people to understand religion properly and correctly through Arabic. This research uses a qualitative descriptive research method. The data source was obtained from field observations, strengthened by data from books, journals, and literature related to the research object. This research found that Nigerian Arabic scientists use seven fields to introduce and attract people to learn Arabic: teaching and learning, national harmony, national development, state security, foreign policy, economics, media, and communication. From all these fields, it is proven that people are very enthusiastic about studying Arabic, and the Arabic language in Nigeria will develop better in the future.

Historical sound changes in Central Chadic (Afroasiatic)

Abstract In its entirety as much as with regard to its four branches, the Chadic language family poses challenges to the application of the Neogrammarian-school comparative method, not the least because of the immense time-depth involved and aggravated by certain typological peculiarities of Chadic phonology and morphology as inherited from its Afroasiatic ancestry. This is particularly true for Central Chadic, which—with 80 languages—is the most numerous and most diverse branch of Chadic, which in total counts almost 200 languages and thereby more than half of all known Afroasiatic languages. Both more or less ‘regular’ and ‘sporadic’ sound changes criss-cross the territories currently occupied by speakers of Central Chadic languages in Nigeria, Cameroon, and Chad, which allow confident identification of cognates. Some cognates have survived many millennia of language history practically unchanged with regard to their phonetic realisations, while others differ remarkably from the reconstructed proto-language forms beyond ad hoc recognisability. Recent historical comparative research by Richard Gravina (2014, 2015) and the present author (2022, 2023) involving 66 spoken languages and some 230 cognate lexical items have unearthed much of the linguistic histories behind the massive synchronic diversity of the modern Central Chadic languages. The recent research by the author has added to our understanding of historical Central Chadic phonology by unravelling the phonological processes by which the languages have developed sets of new phonemes, in addition to tracing more or less ‘regular’ and ‘sporadic’ sound changes that the PCC segmental inventories of vowels and consonants underwent. Modern Central Chadic languages show sets of innovative vowels and consonant whose emergence can largely be attributed, besides occasional instances of segmental fusion, to the ‘colouring’ effects of so-called prosodies. This makes the analysis of prosodic features such as palatalisation, labialisation, prenasalisation and glottalisation essential in order to understand the evolution of modern Central Chadic languages.

Developing a Traditional Oral Health Education Folktale for Primary School Pupils in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Worldwide oral diseases are a major public health problem among children. Oral health education directed at major aetiological factors such as diet, oral hygiene and dental clinic attendance has helped to reduce the burden of oral diseases in children. Folklore, which includes folktales, puppet shows, dramas, folk music, and dance, appears to be a promising tool that could gain and engage young people's interest. Traditional folktale in school-based health education in Nigeria has not yet undergone much research or evaluation.
 AIM: This paper aims to report how a local traditional folktale for oral health education among primary school pupils was developed with a view to providing information on how the folktale can be developed in other languages as well as how other oral health education folktales can be developed.
 METHOD: Oral health professionals, linguist and theater arts experts from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, developed a traditional folktale represented on a graphically designed banner (comic strips) for use as an oral health education tool for primary school pupils. Developing the tool involved certain processes which were validated and evaluated at every step. These processes included developing oral health messages on adequate dietary and oral hygiene practices as well as good dental clinic attendance. The messages were used to develop a folktale using improvisation circle method.
 RESULTS: A banner of 6 feet by 4 feet containing graphically designed illustrations (comic strips) of the traditional folktale was developed. The message of which was basically diet, oral hygiene and dental clinic attendance instructions aimed at improving the attitude and practice of primary school pupils in Ibadan to oral health. The folktale was primarily developed in English language, the official language in Nigeria, then translated to Yoruba, the indigenous language of the people of Ibadan. Many skills such as team-building, effective communication and leadership were developed from the many phases and meetings required in the development of the folktale.
 CONCLUSIONS: The early years are the formative years. Hence developing a tool to improve the oral health education of children using traditional folktale is a valuable and culturally advantageous project which has substantial future potentials.

A Study of the English Language Varieties, the Syllabus and the Classroom Instruction Realities in Nigerian Secondary Schools

The teaching of English Language in Nigeria has always been modeled after British English (BE) being a former British colony which is the supposed ideal despite the reality of other varieties such as Nigerian English and American English while the examination bodies in Nigeria also remain very strict on the British English. This study investigates the variety of English being taught in Nigerian secondary schools using Ekiti state as a sample. The main objective of this study is to examine the variety of English recommended by the syllabus for teaching in Secondary schools vis a vis the variety being taught and used by the teachers and the effectiveness of the teachers as models of proficiency in the target variety of English being taught The total number of 100 secondary schools distributed across the 16 local government areas of Ekiti State, Nigeria were selected for this study. As such 100 teachers of English were selected randomly as source of data. Classroom observation and questionnaire together with a designed variety checklist were used to elicit information from the respondents. The result revealed evident discrepancy between claimed proficiency, preferred English variety, and actual classroom instruction practices. The findings of the study present a complex and intriguing scenario regarding teacher proficiency, classroom instruction, and the use of different English varieties. The study concludes that the standard stipulated by the syllabus seems to be unrealistic because the teachers don’t have the proficiency in such variety to serve as role models and that there is need for acknowledging and integrating diverse English varieties, including Nigerian English, into syllabi and instructional strategies to better cater for the linguistic needs of students.

English Language and Communication in Christian Assemblies

Language, the medium through which people communicate their thoughts, feelings and aspirations to one another, is regarded as the most intimate possession of man as well as the most important form of communication and interaction employed by humans. The advent of the English language in Nigeria was championed by the Church Missionary Society and other Christian missions. The need to propagate the gospel to the nook and crannies of Nigeria effectively necessitated the introduction of literary education (ability to read and write), which was conducted in English. The products of these schools served, inter alia, as interpreters in the Churches, facilitating the propagation of the Christian religion in Nigeria which has about 522 local languages. Today, the common practice is for the main preacher to speak in English while another interprets the message into the local language of the Church members. Against this background, this paper examines the use of the English language in Christian assemblies in Nigeria.

A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Ogba Proverbs as Tools for Cohesion

Sociolinguistics means many things to different people. It is a field that studies the relationship between the users of language and the social structures in which they live. “A sociolinguistic analysis of Ogba proverbs” focuses on the study of Ogba proverbs, exploring the sociolinguistic aspects. Its aim is to explore and analyse Ogba proverbs from the sociolinguistic perspective in the context of English as a second language in Nigeria. This will go a long way to offer a sociolinguistic insight to the contributions of Ogba language, culture and way of life. The data for the study were collected orally through interviews of competent Ogba first language speakers and translated to the English language for analysis. The qualitative and descriptive research designs were adopted for the analysis. In all, twenty (20) proverbs were analysed using Dell Hyme’s Ethnography of Communication Theory as the major analytical framework with insights from Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. This is because of the relevance of Dell Hyme’s Speaking which accounts for such sociolinguistic variables as setting, scene, participants, act sequence, instrumentality and genre as is evidenced in the data, and how the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis allows this paper to relate its data to aspects of Ogba worldview and culture. This paper establishes that Ogba proverbs are relevant to both oral and written communications within and outside the Ogba environment. They are employed to embellish, spice and beautify oral and written communications commonly but proudly exploited in Ogba people’s interpersonal relations through conversations. On typology, Adedimeji’s (2003) typological classification is applied for the classification of the data into types. It was discovered that Speaking allows for the comprehensive understanding of the data for this paper which is as a result of its explicit and analytic potential, while Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis shows aspects of Ogba Culture that manifest in Ogba proverbs.

Teaching English as a Second Language in Nigeria: The Total Physical Response Option for Beginners

This paper examines learning English in an adverse situation especially in Nigeria where a second language is used as the language of instruction. It focuses on Total Physical Response (T.P.R) as one of the teaching strategies that can enhance the learning of English as a second language in Nigeria. The concept, the historical background of TPR and its efficacy in promoting effective acquisition and learning of English language in comparison with other traditional methods was unveiled. This technique of language teaching tends to teach vocabularies and develop listening comprehension through some simple commands by the instructor (teacher) and responses by the learners which served as a replica to the mother tongue or first language acquisition process. The paper discusses the relationship between Total Physical Response and the learning of English language most especially as it relates to beginners in the language. The stages involved in the strategy to make meaningful impact were as well explained. The paper also examines the benefit of TPR in a typical English as a second language class and the basic steps to follow for its effective utilization dwelling on its psychological perspective in which language acquisition is viewed to initially start with psychomotor activities before the language is used in a spoken situation. It is the position of the paper that an effective English language teacher must take into cognizance some salient issues to effectively utilize the strategy optimally. This is in tandem with the principle of using psychomotor activities in a four walled classroom with a single teacher and a large number of learners as is the case in the Nigerian situation. Thus, precaution must be taken to guard against turning the class into a rowdy and disorganized one in order to tap the benefit of the strategy to lay a sound foundation in the target language.

Brief Reflections on The Obstacles and Solutions Towards Arabic Language Through The Nigerian Literary Ages

Arabic language has made important and effective contributions in Nigeria since its emergence and is among the three foreign languages that are officially used higher islamic schools in the country, and it is also in the forefront among the languages taught in major educational institutions in Nigeria, but unfortunately, the language is facing alots of problems and obstacles, which hinder the language from massive development, This paper aims to shed light on the those obstacles and also state some possible solutions and factors that masy help in the growth and development of Arabic language in Nigeria and the extent of its vital contributions to building society. It was noted that the Arabic language is the only language that suffers from cruelty in the hands of orientalists, but it preserves its honor and dignity. Indeed throughout the history of mankind, this language has a great spirit that helps it restore its nobility. This is because in its fold is a great and honorable message, which is the word of God the Mighty.

An end-to-end framework for translation of American sign language to low-resource languages in Nigeria

Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) is a communication impairment that affects millions of people worldwide, hindering communication through the vocal cavity and requiring the use of sign language. This communication gap often leads to limited access to education and job opportunities. While artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technologies have been investigated to address this issue, there has been no study focusing on the intelligent and automatic translation of American sign gestures to text in low-resource languages (LRL) specifically in Nigeria. To address this gap, we propose a novel end-to-end framework for translating American Sign Language (ASL) to LRLs such as Hausa, Ibo, and Yoruba in Nigeria. Our framework employs a Transformer-based model for ASL-to-Text generation and a translation model known as no language left behind for translating the generated text from English to LRL. We evaluated the performance of the ASL-to-Text model using BLEU scores, which resulted in BLEU-1, BLEU-2, BLEU-3, and BLEU-4 scores of 18.55, 8.99, 4.99, and 2.96, respectively. Qualitative analysis of the framework shows that the participants were able to comprehend the translated text and were also satisfied with both the ASL-to-Text and Text-to-LRL models. Our proposed framework demonstrates the potential for AI-driven technologies to foster inclusivity in sociocultural interactions and education, especially for people with DHH in low-resource settings.