Pragmatic Features Of Nigerian English: A Case Study Of Selected Poems Of Bayo Adebowale

This essay focused on the pragmatic features of Nigeria English as used in literatures, using the selected poems of Bayo Adebowale as a case study, to see how these pragmatic features have helped in projecting Nigerian cultures and worldviews in Nigerian literary works. The pragmatic features identified by Adedimeji (2007) were used in analysing the poems of Bayo Adebowale selected for this study and each feature was used across board. It was discovered from the analysis that the peculiar cultures, traditions and philosophies of Nigerians, represented by the poet - Bayo Adebowale, were reflected in the selected poems which were written in English through the pragmatic features of Nigerian English present in these poems. Thus, if the English language used in Nigeria (Nigerian English) has been nativised to exhibit features such as the pragmatic features to enable the language project Nigerian cultures, identities, philosophies and worldviews, then, Nigerian English should not be considered as a deviation but rather a variation of World English.

Title page          i

Certification          ii

Dedication          iii

Acknowledgements         iv

Abstract          vi

Table of Contents         vii

Chapter One

General Introduction

1.0  Statement of the Research Problem      1

1.1 Aims and Objectives        3

1.2 Scope of the Study        4

1.3 Justification         4

1.4 Bayo Adebowale: Biographical Sketch     5

1.5 Conclusion         6

Chapter Two

Literature Review

2.0 Introduction         7

2.1 Pragmatics         7

2.2 Some Major Contributors to the Development of Pragmatics  8

2.2.1 John Lanshaw Austin        8

2.2.2 John Searle         10 

2.2.3 H.P. Grice         11

2.2.4 K. Bach & R. M. Harinsh       13

2.3 Nigerian English        14

2.4 Varieties Differentiation of Nigerian English     20

2.5 Pragmatic features of Nigerian English     25

2.6 Conclusion         28

Chapter Three

Data Analysis

3.0 Introduction         29

3.1 Analysis of the Selected Poems      30

3.2 Conclusion         42

Chapter Four

Summary, Findings and Conclusion

4.0 Summary         43

4.1 Research Findings        44

4.2 Conclusion         46

 Bibliography         48

 

 

 English language is a language that is foreign to the Nigerian environment, it came with the British colonialists, but after the departure of the colonialists in Nigeria, English language continued to flourish. The survival of English language in Nigerian environment is not by luck, but because it has been nativised to suit Nigerian environment and meet the need of the Nigerian users of English (Bamgbose, 1995:1).

 The origin of English language in Nigeria can be traced to 1553, when Britons visited the coastal areas of Nigeria for slave trade. The means of communication between the Nigerian traders and the Britons, then, was in Pidgin English. With the abolition of slave trade, British explorers started moving beyond the coastal areas, penetrating deep into Nigeria to promote ‘legitimate trade’ (Alabi, 2003:177). The British traders were followed by Christian missionaries who came with the aim of evangelising Nigeria. These missionaries established mission schools where English was taught primarily to enable the converts read the Bible in English and help the missionaries in the activities of the Church.

 Around 1900, the Northern and southern protectorates of Nigeria came under the rule of Great Britain and the British colonial government established schools to complement those of the missionaries. Thus, through formal education and government policies on education that made English the language of instruction in schools, English language became formalised and was able to spread in Nigeria.

 In 1960, when Nigeria gained her independence, the colonial masters left, but their language - English did not leave. It has remained and survived alongside the indigenous languages. In fact, Bamgbose (1971:35) believes that English language is unarguably the most important asset the British colonialist gave to Nigeria due to its functions as the official language and lingual franca in Nigeria, to mention a few of its many functions.

 It is however no doubt that the English used in Nigeria, called Nigerian English, has certain features distinguishing it from other varieties of English used elsewhere in the world. These features include phonology, morpho-syntactic, lexico-semantic and pragmatic.

 This essay shall attempt to look at the pragmatic features of Nigerian English, which are the aspects that reflect the cultures, traditions and philosophies of Nigerians, as used in Nigerian literatures using the selected poems of Bayo Adebowale as a case study. This essay shall also attempt to provide answers to research questions like:

i. Which pragmatic features of Nigeria English can be found in the selected poems?

ii. How has the pragmatic features of Nigerian English present in Nigerian literatures contributed to the meaningfulness of these literary works and creativity of Nigerian writers, using the selected poems of Bayo Adebowale as a case study?

iii. Should Nigerian English, because of its pragmatic features, be regarded as deviation from or variation of World English?