The varieties and features of Nigerian English today

Abstract

The domestication and nativization of spoken English in a multi-ethnic and multi-linguistic environment like Nigeria has given rise to the varieties of Nigerian English as affected by mother tongue interference notwithstanding the effort that is being made towards preserving and advancing the Standard English. This paper discusses the extant position of English as a world language and its advent in Nigeria. It goes on to examine the status as well as the constitutional provisions of it in Nigeria. These varieties of Nigerian English and the common features are discussed. Thus, Nigerian English is today one of the Englishes existing as a result of the interaction between the foreign English and the local languages in Nigeria. This paper concludes that these varieties of Nigerian English has come to stay and is now part and parcel of the Nigerian people and so should be integrated into the education and other sectors of the Nigerian society.