Language In Nigeria Research Articles

Teaching French Language In Colleges of Education In Nigeria: Challenges and Ways Forward

The purpose of this study was to describe the teaching of French as a second language in Nigeria. This study used descriptive qualitative method. The results of this study indicate the poor French teaching conditions as a second language in Nigeria. The conclusion of this research shows that learning French as a second language in Nigeria requires attention from the government.

Improving Learners’ Oral Proficiency in French Through the Communicative Approach: Colleges of Education in Oyo in Focus

It cannot be overemphasised that French language is a foreign language in Nigeria and that its teaching and learning cannot take the same process as acquiring/learning the mother tongue or a second language. Foreign language learning requires some strategic applications in order to be able to interact with the native speakers in real life day to day communication. This study aims at delving into some teaching strategies involving the communicative approach to teaching French as a foreign language in order to boost the oral proficiency of our learners in French. The teachers and students in two colleges of Education namely Federal College of Education (Special) [FCES] and Emmanuel Alayande College of Education (EACOED), both located in Oyo town, were the participants in the study. Data were collected through classroom observation, students’ achievement test as well as questionnaires for teachers. The results indicated that students perform better when the teachers employ the communicative approach. Based on the findings of this study, it is therefore recommended that teachers of French language use the communicative language teaching approach to build confidence in their students as this will help to develop faster their linguistic skills, given that this approach gives priority to listening and speaking skills over reading and writing skills.

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Igbo language version of the stroke-specific quality of life scale 2.0.

Introductionavailability of the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life scale 2.0 (SS-QoL(E)) in Yoruba and Hausa, two of the three major indigenous languages in Nigeria have the potential to promote its uptake among these population, however, its non-availability in the Igbo languages makes its use restrictive among the south-eastern Nigerians. This study was aimed at cross-culturally adapting and assessing validity and reliability of the Igbo version of the SS-QoL.Methodsthe SS-QoL(E) was cross-culturally adapted to Igbo following the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ guideline. This involved forward and back-translations, expert committee review, pretesting and cognitive debriefing interview to produce the final Igbo version, SS-QoL(I). The validity and reliability test involved 50 consenting Igbo stroke survivors. The construct validity was assessed by administering SS-QoL(E) and SS-QoL(I) on all 50 respondents, while SS-QoL(I) was re-administered at 7-day interval to assess test-retest reliability. Each scale was administered in random order. Data were analysed using Spearman’s correlation, Wilcoxon’s signed-rank test, Cronbach’s alpha, Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC), independent t-test and one-way ANOVA at p<0.05.Resultsrespondents’ domains scores on SS-QoL(E) and SS-QoL(I) did not differ significantly except in mobility and work (r=0.58 to 0.87; p=0.001). Cronbach’s alpha was 0.69 to 0.87 for domains scores. The ICC ranged from 0.48 to 0.84, while no significant differences was found across different age groups or gender for the domains or overall scores of SS-QoL(I).Conclusionthe Igbo version of the SS-QoL has limited alterations from the original version and has moderate to excellent validity and reliability values.

Nigeria: A Country Profile

Nigeria is a sovereign country located in the area of West Africa bordering on the Gulf of Guinea. The country has a total area of 923, 769sq km (a little more than twice the size of California). Its physical size makes Nigeria the third largest country in Sub-Saharan Africa. The country’s terrain consists of the lowlands in the South with mountainous formations in the South-east, which merge into the hills and plateaus of the Central belt and the plains of the far north. The climate varies from the largely equatorial climates in the South to the tropical climates in the centre and the North (Ekoko, 1990). It is also the most populous country in Africa, with a population of about 160 million (2006 census), and a population growth rate estimate of 3%. The country is bordered on the west by the Republic of Benin and the Republic of Cameroon, on the south by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the north by Niger Republic and the Republic of Chad. Nigeria is endowed with numerous natural resources, the most important being petroleum and natural gas, found in the Niger Delta areas of the country. Coal, iron ore, tin, limestone, zinc, lead, gold, precious stones, and uranium are found across the country.There are many ethnic groups, roughly categorized into the majority ethnic groups and the minority ethnic groups. The majority groups are namely, the Hausa-Fulani of the North, the Yoruba of the South-west, and the Igbo of the South-east. The hundreds of so-called minority ethnic groups include the Igala, Tiv, Idoma, Junkun, Angas, Birom and others in the Central-belt, the Edo, Urhobo and Itshekiri in the Mid-west, the Ijaw, Efik, Ibibio and Ogoni in the South-south, and the Kanuri, Gwari and Kataf of the far-North. On the whole, it is estimated that the country has more than 250 ethnic groups (Osaghae, 1998). English is the official language in Nigeria, by virtue of the country being a former colony of Britain. Christianity, Islam and traditional beliefs are the religions in the country, and although there is no state religion, the various tiers of government in the country are often involved in aspects of some of these religions, including state sponsorships of annual Muslim and Christian pilgrimages to the Holy lands.

Teacher Instructional Management Strategies, Classroom Management Effectiveness and Learners’ Academic Achievement in English Language in Nigeria

Teacher Instructional Management Strategies, Classroom Management Effectiveness and Learners’ Academic Achievement in English Language in Nigeria

Gastronomic Vocabulary as a Feature of Nigerian English

The World Englishes Paradigm studies various aspects of the English language characterized by specific peculiarities and changing as a result of contacts with indigenous languages and cultures. The history of English in Nigeria embraces 500 years of an interaction between highly different cultural systems and civilizations. Language contacts between English and the indigenous languages of Nigeria have led to its linguistic, cultural and intrastructural diversity. The aim of this article is to analyse the gastronomic vocabulary of Nigerian English influenced by the Nigerian worldview and culture. The research is focused on borrowings from African languages (mainly Yoruba and Igbo) that play a vital role in forming the culturally important lexicon of Nigerian English. The sources of the research material are dictionaries, as well as books by Nigerian writers composed in English. The analysis carried out in the course of the research allowed us to discover secondary nominations that denote Nigerian flora and cuisine, to reveal their metaphorical usage and to study corresponding figurative comparisons, idioms, proverbs and sayings. The investigation of gastronomic symbols in Nigerian speech shows universal processes of employing common gastronomic lexical units from real-life discourse as a basis for symbolization. The results of the study show that the gastronomic vocabulary and the images it creates constitute one of the most impressive Nigerian cultural codes. The knowledge of this vocabulary is instrumental in understanding those codes.

Problems of Reading Comprehension In Learning Chinese As A Second Language Among Undergraduates of Chinese Studies in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria

Several Chinese language teaching and learning centres are being established in Nigeria and around the world. There are Chinese government-funded institutions such as the Confucius Institutes in addition to Chinese language courses being taught through universities, colleges, private institutions as well as individual tutoring services. Learning a second language involves physical, intellectual and emotional commitment in order to successfully understand and interpret linguistic messages. However, certain problems could hinder understanding while learning a second language like Mandarin (Chinese Language). This study investigated the problems of reading comprehension in learning Chinese as a second language in Nigeria among students of Chinese Studies Department in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Schemata theory of reading comprehension was employed as the theoretical framework of this research. The study surveyed fifty (50) Chinese Studies students by administering copies of questionnaire on them. Findings of this study revealed that the major problems students face in the study of Chinese language as foreign language are lack of adequate knowledge of Chinese vocabularies, reading stress and anxiety, wrong reading habits and lack of adequate infrastructures for reading. This study suggests that the government, the university authorities and language schools should provide adequate reading facilities to aid proper reading comprehension. Also, the language students should be counselled in order to diagnose their reading problems for appropriate solution.

Impact of Aliteracy on Learning English as A Second Language in Nigeria

This paper examines the impact of aliteracy on learning English as a second language in Nigeria. Genuine concern expressed by stakeholders on the poor performance exhibited by Nigerian secondary school students in English language has led to a number of inquiries for solutions to the problem. Many studies have attributed poor language performance to a number of factors but nobody has connected the apathetic stance of students towards reading to poor language performance. Their appalling performance manifests in the plethora of spelling and grammatical errors that riddle essay assignments. Writing is a productive language skill by which a student demonstrates his ability to produce grammatically correct and connected texts. This study searches for the link between students’ lack of interest in reading and their writing competence. Aliteracy is the state of being able to read but being uninterested in doing so. The data for the study were generated from students’ written essay and questionnaire. An analysis of the students’ reading habits juxtaposed with their continuous writing showed that students who were avid readers performed better than those who did not like to read. This result shows that the decline in the level and quality of language written by senior secondary school students in Nigeria can be attributed to poor reading culture.

Attitude of Military and Paramilitary Officers towards the Role of Arabic Language in Addressing Security Issues in Nigeria

This study addresses security issues in Nigeria through Arabic Language Education. Arabic Language is one out of the international languages, it is a member of the Semitic family of language and perhaps the only one among them that has gallantly stood the test of the time. It gains wide range of currency and leaves an indelible mark on the course of world history, culture and civilization. The language has played a significant role in security challenges. It has the ability to solve problems between groups of people by ensuring atmosphere for understanding and peaceful co-existence. The study was a descriptive survey type. The population consisted of all Nigerian military and paramilitary officers using stratified random sampling technique, 50 officers were selected from each of the Nigerian Army, Air force, Police, and Civil Defence corps in the North-east totaling 200. A questionnaire titled “Arabic Language Education and National Security Questionnaire” was designed for the data collection. Test re-test method was employed for the reliability with 0.76 coefficient. One research question and one hypothesis guided the study. Percentage was used to answer the research question and ANOVA was used to test the hypothesis at 0.05significance level. The findings reveal that there was a significant difference in the understanding of Arabic Language among Nigerian security officers. Significant difference was found in addressing insecurity through Arabic than in other languages. It was recommended among others that, the government should recognize Arabic Language as a medium of communication/instruction and of the equal rank with English language in Nigeria. The Language should be incorporated into in-house training for the security officers.&#x0D; Keywords: Nigeria, Security, Arabic Language, Role

A REVIEW OF THE BENEFITS AND OBSTACLES OF LEARNING FRENCH LANGUAGE IN NIGERIA

Language is the primary mode of human expression. Language delineates humans from other animals. With the use of language in its oral and written form, humans are able to communicate and express their feelings within the cultural norms. In essence, lan-guage is a mean or process of understanding the experience, ideas, and emotions. Since French is a language, it performs all functions that human languages perform such as communicative, interactive, diplomatic and informative functions. These func-tions have an impact positively on sustainable human development of the country. In spite of the benefits that the Nigeria citizenry are to derive while learning French language, there are many obstacles on its way such as government attitude towards the language, learning environment, lack of infrastructures, lack of motivation, jobless-ness of the students, etc. Hence, the analysis of the benefits and obstacles of learning French language in Nigeria and recommendation of ways alleviate the obstacles of learning French Language in Nigeria is what this paper has set out to achieve.

Metalinguistic evaluators and pragmatic strategies in selected hate-inducing speeches in Nigeria

Hate-inducing language, which has become a recurrent decimal in Nigerian socio-political discourse, is not unconnected to the deep-seated boundaries existing amongst different ethnic groups in Nigeria. Linguistic studies on hate language in Nigeria have largely utilised pragmatic and critical discourse analytical tools in identifying the illocutions and ideologies involved but hardly paid attention to the metalinguistic forms deployed in hate speeches. Therefore, the present study, aside adding to the research line of the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM)—which has unduly focused on language typology, explores the metalinguistic evaluators that index hate speech in Nigeria, and relate them to specific pragmatic strategies through which hate speech producers’ intentions are communicated. To achieve this, three full manuscripts of hate speech made by three groups (i.e. Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Youths of Oduduwa Republic, and Biafra Nation Youth League) from three (northern, western, and eastern, respectively) regions of Nigeria are purposively sampled from Google directories and Radio Biafra archives, subjected to descriptive and quantitative analysis, with insights from the NSM theory and aspects of pragmatic acts. Two categories of metalinguistic evaluators were identified, positive (GOOD) and negative (BAD) evaluators; and these are associated with three pragmatic strategies; namely, blunt condemnation, unshielded exposition, and appeal to emotion. While the condemning and exposing strategies largely utilise negative evaluators in initiating hate on target groups, the emotion-drawing strategy largely employs positive evaluators in boosting the image of the hate-speech producing group in the eyes of the audience. With these findings, the study takes existing scholarship on violence-inducing language a step forward, especially in providing a pragmatic explanation to the proliferation of hate crimes in Nigeria. It also offers a holistic linguistic database and critical meta-language for the teaching of hate-related language and crime, especially in second-language situations.

ARABIC LANGUAGE IN GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN NIGERIA/ اللغة العربية في المدارس الحكومية والأهلية في نيجيريا

Private and Public schools have contributed immensely to the growth and development of Arabic Language in Nigeria. Even though the method of teaching in the private Arabic school before the advent of the colonialism in Nigeria was informal, Arabic developed to the extent of being used to produce literary works. In the first quarter of the twentieth century, formal private Arabic schools, as well as the public ones, were established in the country. From then, especially after the independent of Nigeria, the situation of Arabic schools is changing for the better. That notwithstanding, these schools are still encountering problems. The aim of this study, therefore, was to examine the current situations of Arabic language and its problem and prospects in Nigerian private and public schools vis a vis its growth and development. The study concluded that while the case of Arabic in Private Schools in Nigeria is perfect, it appears dismal in public schools. It is therefore recommended that the governments’ recognition and support for Arabic schools and programmes and adequate review of Arabic curricula Arabic will attain the greater height in Nigeria.

Challenges Facing Teaching and Learning of English Language in Public Secondary Schools in Enugu State Nigeria

English language is the official language in Nigeria. The teaching and learning of English is important for Nigerian students especially at the secondary school level. However, several factors have led to mass failure of the subject by students at this level. This study sought to examine the challenges to effective teaching and learning of English language in secondary schools in Enugu state. The specific objectives included identifying the government factors; student based factors; teachers’ related factors and school administration/management based factors that contribute to the challenges. The study adopted survey research method and hundred questionnaires were used. Data were analysed with the use of descriptive statistics (percentages and mean). Respondents agreed that government based challenges included heavy workload and curriculum (=2.9) and do not provide sufficient learning materials (=2.6). The students based challenges included anxiety and fear for the subject (=2.7) and scarce English practice (=2.7). Teachers based challenges were not good qualification (=2.9) and lack of adequate teaching methods and instructional materials (=2.8). The school administration based factors included poor planning of learning structures (=2.9) and provision of malfunctioning or inappropriate curriculum (=2.9). Government is recommended to provide less workload, relevant curriculum, sufficient learning materials and adequate training for the teachers among others.

On the Study of the Parametric Variations in Igbo and English Yes/No Questions

The Igbo language is one of the languages of the Benue Congo family spoken chiefly spoken in the south-east part of Nigeria. It is also among the Kwa group of languages in Nigeria and one of the three major languages in Nigeria. This paper sets out to investigate the expression of yes/no questions in Igbo and English syntax with aim of identifying the how yes/no questions operate in the two languages, the differences and similarities that that exist in expressing the notion in the two languages, the words the languages employ in expressing it and their movement in the syntactic structures. The principles and parameters model serve as the theoretical framework for the study. The work also employs the descriptive approach in the analysis of the data. The study discovers that movement is attested in expressing yes/no questions in the two languages and both languages share common leftward movement. In English language, it is observed that subject aux inversion exists while in the Igbo language it does not exist. In Igbo language, resumptive pronoun trace phenomenon which is always on the low tone exists but it does not exist in English. This resumptive pronoun is always found in the subject position in the place of the moved NP functioning as the antecedent and both share agreement features. The subject c-commands the resumptive pronoun traces and assigned it all the necessary properties. In Igbo language, low tone is a question trigger in yes/no questions. This study attempts to tone mark all the syllables, that is, high, low and down-step tones are marked. The study therefore, recommends that more comparative research works be done in the language by applying the linguistic theories in order to find out how they operate in the language.Key Words: Movement, Parameter, Principles, Yes/no questions, Resumptive pronoun

Arabic Language In The Face Of Multiple Challenges In Nigeria: A Case Of Boko Haram Insurgency

The introduction of Arabic Education in Nigeria is long before the advent of modern education system in the area. It is a known fact that the first medium of formal education was Arabic language. Although, Arabic has since been replaced by English language right from the colonial period as a means of education and general communication, but it is given a special attention in the Nigerian education system because of its historical antecedents and its relationship with Islam. However, there are numerous challenges militating against the teaching of Arabic language in Nigeria. Some of these challenges could be social, economic, political etc. Recently, the Boko Haram insurgency has contributed negatively to the development of Arabic language in Nigeria because of its direct effects on the Nigeria Arabic Language Village (NALV) Ngala, Borno State; an institution responsible for the cultural and language immersion for Arabic students in Nigerian Higher institutions. Therefore, this paper aims at evaluating the impact of this insurgency on the development of Arabic education in Nigeria. Qualitative method of data collection was used as the basic research tools for this work. The paper relied mainly on interview to ascertain some of the facts mention therein. Focus is on the effects of Boko Haram on Nigeria Arabic village and the spillover effects on Arabic language in Nigerian Universities.

Teaching ESL through SMS: Prospects and Problems in Nigeria Idegbekwe, Destiny

There is a growing call for English as a second language teachers to explore different learning environments and teaching options to spice up the traditional ‘boring’ English language classes. The onus has been on language teachers to discover these innovative platforms and implement same in their classes. It is against this background that the present study presents the prospects and problems of using the SMS on mobile phones for teaching the English language in Nigeria knowing fully well that at least 15.5 million Nigerians of different ages own at least one mobile phone. The study reveals that most English language teachers do not recognise the cheap, exciting and handy nature of the SMS learning environment. The study also discovers that amongst all the network providers in the country, only MTN provides an SMS based ESL class that is mainly focused on grammar tips. The study examines some problems associated with the SMS learning environment; chief amongst them being the restricted text typing environment of SMS and the inability to take pictures for illustrations. However, the study recommends that despite the short comings, the SMS platform still provides an efficient and cheap learning environment.

Homeschooling and French Language in Nigeria

Homeschooling and French Language in Nigeria

The Usage of Spatial Prepositions in the Headlines of Major Nigerian Newspapers

English language in Nigeria has the status as an official language that is used in local and international correspondences. One aspect of English grammar that is very hard for second language users including Nigerians to master is prepositions. Not only that English prepositions difficult, they are also the most frequently used items in newspapers that play an important role to signal political and cultural discourses. This study aims to describe the usage and communicative functions of spatial prepositions &amp;ldquo;in, on and at&amp;rdquo; in the headlines of four major Nigerian newspapers. Primarily, to achieve that the present study adopted Halliday&amp;rsquo;s Systemic Functional Linguistics. Data were collected through the analyses of 21 headlines from four selected major Nigerian newspapers. The findings revealed that Vanguard, a major Nigerian newspaper, has the highest percentage of the usage of target prepositions (26.86%), seconded by Punch (24.92%), followed by the Sun (24.27%), and lastly the lowest percentage, The Nation (23.95%). Also, it was revealed from the study that newspaper editors preferred to use preposition &amp;ldquo;at&amp;rdquo; (indicating specific location) but replaced it with preposition &amp;ldquo;in&amp;rdquo; (indicating broader location). Moreover, despite the frequent usage of preposition &amp;ldquo;in&amp;rdquo; in replacement of preposition &amp;ldquo;at&amp;rdquo;, they also preferred the forward position that expresses uncertainty compared to mid-ward and backward positions. This study concludes that people can be united ideologically especially on issues that foster nationalism through the use of newspaper headlines since newspaper headline is a new form of discourse that may initiate, sustain, and shape the political and other national agenda.

Childhood Cancer in an LMIC: Navigating the Wilderness

Background and context: When a child has cancer, the entire family is affected. Parents and caregivers lose work days while caring for the child. Many parents blame themselves and wonder if some action or decision of theirs contributed to; or caused the cancer. In addition, and especially for families falling within the low socioeconomic demographic groups, there may be poor understanding of the treatment process and expectations from treatment. Aim: To assess the most common challenges or concerns faced by parents, family members, or caregivers of a child living with cancer in Nigeria. Strategy/Tactics: A series of 10 focus group sessions were held with different groups of parents, family members, or other caregivers of children being treated for cancer at 2 teaching hospitals in Nigeria. Groups consisted of a minimum 8, and maximum of 12 participants in addition to a moderator. At the beginning of every session, participants were asked to submit 2 most pressing questions. Open-ended questions were also used with every attendee given a turn to give their answer. Participants were also given a chance to ask questions or bring up issues they had difficulty with. The single most prevalent concern raised in every focus group was lack of information or understanding. The 2 most common questions were: 1. What is cancer? 2. Why does my child have cancer? Program/Policy process: Data from the sessions were painstakingly compiled. The questions and concerns the attendee raised; and the degree of understanding they had regarding the diagnosis, treatment process, and expectations bring and after treatment. This data were collated and a team of experts including oncologists, nurses, and health workers in cancer were brought together to answer the questions. A compilation was made and a plan to disseminate the information was formulated. This culminated in the publishing of a free childhood cancer handbook; the first of its kind in Nigeria; with plans to translate the handbook into the common colloquial and vernacular languages in Nigeria. Outcomes: Participants of the focus groups were given a handbook, including some whose child had passed on since the sessions were held. 29% of the original participants were unreachable or declined the handbook. They were assessed to see if the handbook provided information that could have eased their cancer journey. 91% of assessed participants responded that having the handbook at diagnosis would have significantly increased their level of information and made the cancer journey easier. [Figure: see text][Figure: see text] The most appreciated information in the handbook was contact details of an organization dedicated to supporting them financially to pay treatment fees. What was learned: Many Nigerian families go through the entire childhood cancer journey completely in the dark. No dedicated information source on child cancer exists in Nigeria. Many parent and caregiver questions remain unanswered, and concerns remain unresolved.[Figure: see text]

English in the multilingual Nigeria: implications for users

Human activities are inextricably interwoven with language since language is the link between people and the affairs in the society. Its interaction with the society often produces a result which may be positive or negative. In a multilingual society like Nigeria, language use is somewhat challenging to harness. This paper studied the adoption of English as a second language in Nigeria with a focus on the political, economic, educational, psychological and socio-cultural implications. The results of its use are discussed as retrieved from literatures. This paper corroborated the literary assertions on the implications of the adoption of English in Nigeria.Keywords: implications, adoption, English, second, national