Is the English Language a Curse or Blessing to Nigeria? by Olaniyi Abdulwaheed

English the language of the colonial masters in Nigeria. Colonial masters bequeathed English to Nigeria as part of the ways of making Nigerians adopt their culture. Since language is part of the culture and culture is part of the language, Nigerians overwhelmingly adopted British culture and viewed it as the best gaze in the mirror. The prestige attached to British culture cannot be confiscated in English, the British language. However, many scholars with different opinions have argued on the existence of the English Language, whether it is a curse or blessing for the country. Some argued that, embracing English language is a curse to Nigeria, whereas some believe that it a force of blessing for the nation.

 The growth of the English language in Nigeria can be traced to the heterogeneous nature of Nigerian society. Nigeria is a country with many languages with at least of about 400 languages. Most of these languages are not mutually intelligible, that is, speakers of one language cannot understand speakers of the second language. This is so common in all parts of the country. The level of unintelligibility of languages is not really high in the North and West but South-South part of the country in which each kilometer is flourished with different languages that are not intelligible, thereby, causing language barrier to the people of the area. The challenge of unintelligibility among languages in the country resulted to the adoption of English as a neutral language. With the diverse languages, the only language that is intelligible to many is English. Based on this fact, English is chosen by Nigerians as a language for all.

 Apart from choosing English as the neutral language in Nigeria, its promotion is nurtured by the prestige people attached to it and its speakers. English speakers in Nigeria are regarded as educated and enlightened in the society, so expressly many people in one way or the other try to learn English either through formal or informal education. Those who learn English informally do not really pass through any proper training as the case may be- some non-native speakers of English prefer using loaned words (that is incorporation of English words with the indigenous language). Doing this is purposely to have a sense of belonging. Some also prefer code-mixing or switching instead of being fluent in the mother tongue or English in particular. While some do this, many prefer translation while speaking or writing. Translation is the direct transfer from the mother tongue into the target language. Since English is the target language, some people do not understand English but they speak English-like language, so remiss in the grammatical construction-they usually follow the forms of indigenous language. All these are not the way the language is spoken but it is just a means to its propagation.

 As a result of this, some language scholars argue against the propagation of the English language in the country, because it is regarded as a curse to indigenous languages. In other words, embracing English may be at the detriment of indigenous languages or end up growing grass on its amnesia grave. The unprecedented rate at which people speak the English language will impute lesser value to the mother tongue. It is therefore believed that English is like a ‘cataract’ to Africans’ views about the world. They premise their argument on the fact that African languages are viable means of preserving African culture and values. Since language is culture and culture is reflected in the language we speak, English is believed to swap indigenous languages in the country, making it to secure no cultural heritage that society deserves. It is also part of the argument that there is tendency to endanger or even speed up the death of some indigenous languages in the country if our new generation who acquire English as their mother tongue find it difficult to express themselves in any indigenous language since they view that learning English formally is, to them, characterized with complacency, and the question “why learn English?” is asked. Whereas, English is meant to be learned while mother tongue is acquired. This usually causes misconception of the ideas of the world and language incompetence.

 Another argument against the English language in Nigeria is the burden of language hoax in many of the indigenous languages in Nigeria. Language displacement is well orchestrated by English as a result of its prestige that masks the value of many indigenous languages in Nigeria. Nigerians especially those in South-East and South-South are the testimonies to this fact. For the fact that they hawk, speak and make English their mother tongue, neglecting their indigenous language which is supposed to be their mother tongue, English is now in place of all these indigenous languages in the southern part of the country. In this part of the country, people who are not really fluent in Standard English choose Pidgin English as their mother tongue, and ages after ages coming after them acquire it (the pidgin), before going beyond telegraphic stage in life.

 Apart from the displacement that has fashioned out a new garment for the indigenous languages in Southern Nigeria, Northern and Western Nigeria also share part in the emblem of degradation and have record level of language speakers in their mother tongues. Many Hausa or Yoruba speakers cannot talk without inserting English in their expressions. Insertion of English expressions is widespread like wild fires to the extent that those who have no school attendance let alone being educated speak their indigenous languages with insertion of loan words or expressions from the English language. This blameworthy inclination has endangered the indigenous languages in these parts of the country thereby making it so difficult for some (if not all) to express their thought in their mother tongue without loaned words or expressions from English. Technological advancement plays many roles in this.

The advent of technological inventions endangers many indigenous languages in Nigeria. Some have even died. In the same vein, those that still have speakers are on their way to death. This is because the language of technology is majorly English. So many indigenous languages in Nigeria, as well as other countries in the world, have no rich internal linguistic corpus to generate replacement for technological terms in English. All they can do is modification in the accent or better still, nativisation, the word remains English though. For example, it is not out of the ordinary to hear a Yoruba native speaker pronounce the word “Bluetooth” [blu:.tu:Ɵ] as [blu:tu:tu], just as the word “card reader” has no direct replacement with any word in the indigenous language. It is therefore, argued that English language has distant people to add values to their language.

Then writing in literature with English is regarded as monumental hoax to the African language and culture. English is the language of literature in Nigeria. A lot of Nigerian writers use English as medium of expression, arguing that it is the only medium they can express their thought owing to the fact that they are eloquent in the language than their mother tongues. But some scholars argue that writing literature in Nigeria should be in the indigenous language in order to enrich and promote local languages in the country, because a language that is given a particular function to perform tend to survive and have many speakers. It is also argued that literature is one of the means of preserving a language.

While many Nigerian writers embrace English in their works, English is being preserved but mother tongue is endangered. Although some Nigerian writers like Isaac Babalola, first writer to publish fiction in Yoruba-in his work Sègilolá Eléyinjú Egé (Segilola of the Seductive Eyes, 1929), then Daniel Olorunfemi Fagunwa whose work is also the first full-length novel published in Yoruba: Ògbójú Ode nínú Igbó Irúnmalè (1938), translated by Nigerian Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, as The Forest of a Thousand Daemons: A Hunter’s Saga (1968). It tells the exploits of Akara-Ogun, a fearless hunter in a forest infested with a myriad of unnatural creatures, and draws extensively on Yoruba folklore. Also, writing emerged in the Hausa language earlier than in the Yoruba language, with such works as Wakar Muhammadu (Song of Muhammad, 1845?), a portrait of the Prophet Muhammad by poet Asim Degel. All these indigenous writers used Hausa and Yoruba literature to promote culture embedded in indigenous languages.

Contrary to the opinion that English language is a curse on Nigeria, some argued that English is a force of blessing. It is argued that English comes with hampers of blessing to the country in which many Nigerians today cannot deny such. One of the virtues argued that English has brought to Nigeria, is unity in diversity.  English is claimed to be the bottom line of unity in the country as it serves as nexus that joins Nigerians together in terms of communication. Communication might have been so hard among Nigerians if English, the neutral language, was not in existence. English has made it convenient for an average Nigerian speaker to have mutual intelligibility while in their communication; if one cannot speak Standard English, pidgin is another alternative even for the educated ones. In fact, Pidgin English has many speakers than Standard English, because it is used in casual contexts - the lingua franca of the country.

 In addition, English is chosen to be the language of government in Nigeria. Nigeria makes all her administrative activities in the English language: minutes, official correspondences, memoranda, circulars, instructions, as well as directives are made in the English language. The use of this language started in 1922 when the constitution made it necessary that English should be the official language of the country and language of colonial administration. English was chosen at this time because it was the only language that could make nexus between colonial masters and Nigerians. Since English was chosen to be the language of colonization, it was preferably adopted into the government after the independence owing to the fact that it is the neutral language that can ensure successful interaction and administration within/among heterogeneous people that form the government. The situation might be worst than this if one indigenous language was chosen to be the language of government in Nigeria-this might lead to so many tussles, carnages, savageries as well as cruelties if communication is not in place. Consider the fact that a Yoruba speaker in the National Assembly is moving a motion in the Yoruba language and other members who are Hausa or Igbo are unable to understand; even if the motion is for the progress of the nation, it would be snubbed.

In terms of literature or any written document, indigenous languages in Nigeria cannot stand shoulder to shoulder with English. Oftentimes, some scholars argue that English is a curse to writing in our indigenous languages, claiming that English is taking the fast lane in the speed of language development when it comes to writing. Contrary to that, some argue that the coming of the English language is the spring of orthography in many of our indigenous languages. Prior to the colonial masters’ visit to Nigeria, most indigenous languages in Nigeria had no orthography while English had been standardized a century before then and had attained orthographic and written culture. At this time many English literature had been published, but literature in our indigenous culture was oral-based - it was after the orthography system had been set that some Nigerian writers came up to reflect the society in fiction and other forms of oral literature.

While some indigenous languages in Nigeria have writing systems, some languages are still marginalized-since Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba are regarded as the major languages in Nigeria. This marginalization has restricted many languages to have written forms. So, if writers from all regions in the country accede to write in their mother tongue, there may not be ample choices for them to do so unless they choose any of the major languages in the country or go for the English language. While writing in English, the choice of choosing this language has even gone beyond the marginalized ones. Many writers in the mid-20th century who are either Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba speakers write in English with the hope that the language attracts large audience than indigenous languages in the country and with the belief that English is the world lingua franca. Though, an average man in the sphere can read and write in the English language even if the level of proficiency is not really high.

 Inevitably, when two languages come into contact there is tendency that one language influences the other, or both mix together and effect changes in the linguistic behavior of the people that host it. English has come to stay in Nigeria. Directly or indirectly, it has affected languages and the society due to the prestige it is accorded. But the most rewarding thing when there is language contact like this is the actual adoption of the language. English is adopted as an official language in Nigeria, to be learned and used for official exchanges in order to link up with other tribes in different contexts. Indigenous languages are thus employed in local activities such as businesses and other social interactions, teaching in the early stage in school, and they are accrued alternative roles in place of English. The destiny of one should not totally be attached to English at the expense of one’s mother tongue. English, which is a second language, should be an additional profit of life to get other things in the world.

 In a nutshell, English is an official language in Nigeria-the language of colonial masters. It has developed the nation and the people in it in different ways. But it has some egregious language hoaxes that have been planted in Nigeria. English cannot be discussed without language contact, it has influenced the indigenous languages too.