Semantic Analysis of Nigerian English Expression
Chapter One
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The aim of this research is to conduct a semantic analysis of Nigerian English. Specifically, it geared towards:
- Assessing the level of intelligibility to typically Nigerian English expressions.
- Identifying elements that constitute uniquely Nigerian English expressions.
- Carrying out a semantic analysis of identified English expressions.
CHAPTER TWO:
LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION
The previous chapter is a general introduction. This chapter intended to review some literatures related to the topic under discussion.
LITERATURE REVIEW
English is a member of the Germanic family of language the Germanic family is a branch of the indo-European language family a blend of early Frisian and Saxon, it absorbed Drish and Noman French and later added many Latin and Greek technical terms in the United State of America, Canada, Harrau Australia, New Zeeland, South Africa and elsewhere. It absorbed terms for ingenious plants, animals, foodstuff, clothing, housing and other items from native and immigrant languages plus the various dialects from cooking to Jamaican and innumerable sources of slang, from Polari to hip-hop continue to add novel terms and expressions to the mix. It is no surprise to hear from people learning English. As a result, English has spread around the globe. It is now the third most spoken language in the world after Mandarini, Chinese and Hindi (A-Z Dictionaries.com)
VARIETIES OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
The size of the British Isles often leads people to assume that the language spoken in its countries of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland is same as what homogenous and first time visitors are often surprised to find that they have difficulty in understanding the accents and dialects of certain regions. Even within the country of England alone, there are great diversity dialects both regionally and socially.
Trudgill (1999) believes that for the majority of English people “where they are from” is very important to them.
Accents are clues to where people were born and to where they grew up. Although some people may change the way they speak during their lifetimes. Most people “carry at least some trace” of their accent and dialect origins. Throughout their lives, in addition, to the regional accents. However, our focus is on the regional and continental differences.
Since 16000, the English colonization of North America resulted in the creation of distinct American variety of the English language. Some English pronunications and words “froze”. When they reached America, in some ways American English is more like the English of Shakespeare than Modern British English in some expressions in “Amercanism” are infant original British expressions that were preserved in the colonies while lost for a time in Britain (for example trash for rubbish loan as a verb instead of lend and fall for alitumn, another example frame up, was re-imported into Britain through Hollywood gangster movies. Spanish also had a influence on American English (and subsequently Britain English) with words like, ranch, stampede and vigilante being examples of Spanish words that enetered English through the settlement of the American west French worlds (through the slave trade) also influenced American English (and so to an extent British English).
CHAPTER THREE:
METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
This Chapter presents the research procedures. The researcher provides the detail of the method of research used in collecting data for the project which also include the instrument used. It defines clearly the target population for the research, source of data, sample, method of data collection, data analysis and justification for choosing the method.
POPUALTION
Semantics Analysis of Nigerian English Expression is the focus of the study. The target population for this research is made up of forty (40) respondents from the two categories of people that make use of English language (British and Nigerian) that make up the university community. Forty (40) undergraduate will be selected randomly, representing three faculties (which means twenty (20) from the faculty of (FAIS), ten (10) from management science and ten (10) from Social Sciences respectively. This makes a total of forty respondents, as stated above.
SOURCE OF DATA
Both Primary and Secondary data were used in the conduct of this field work. Thus, the first most basic method employed is the interview conducted with some students. Equally, library was used where materials were consulted and reviewed as they relate to the research.
CHAPTER FOUR:
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, the data collected in the study are presented and analyzed, that is the forty selected Nigerian expression in English are analyzed semantically by identifying the linguistics inputs that tends to make them look different from the Standard British English. These expressions are also categorized under several heading based on observed linguistics occurrences as a result of the identified inputs ( for example contextual extension, omission of essential element, use of inappropriate preposition) Inputs are provides while the appropriate contextual usage or appropriate structural usage is provided in the Standard British versions. The analyses are carried with each of the objectives taken at a time.
CHAPTER FIVE:
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION
In the previous chapter research methodology of collecting data and analyses in this present chapter data presentation and analyses will be discussed.
SUMMARY
The peculiar expressions obtained from elected Nigerian English expressions were analyzed in this study. The analysis involved’ the meaning of the expressions and the level of intelligibility; showing the number of these that failed and those that succeed in the assessment.
In presenting the data tables were used. This enabled the researcher present the meaning and intelligibility assessment of the selected Nigerian English expressions.
There are four tables in all representing different sub-heading under them.
It was discovered that on the level of intelligibility assessment, the failures has the highest figure than those who succeeded.
A semantic analysis of selected Nigerian expressions in English is carried out. In carrying out the analysis, the selected expression were categorized into headings according to what linguistic principle makes them uniquely Nigerian and also different from the standard British English in categorizing the expressions, twelve headings were realized from categorizing the expression the contextual implication in a Nigerian language also identified and indicated, while their standard English was also provided.
CONCLUSION
From the analysis it can be concluded that Nigerian English sessions, differ from the Standard British English in different ways. For instance, the meaning of certain linguistic elements in Nigerian context has been proven by the result of the analysis. It has been concluded that certain linguistic elements are usually omitted from some structures and tend to make such expressions uniquely Nigerian. This therefore, shows that some so-called Nigerian expressions are just example of error of usage,
Also, it can be concluded that Nigerian English expressions are expressions that violate the Standard British English rules as been found by the analysis. That is some, expressions, certain linguistic elements are added as against the Standard British English Language rules, some in the other hand are rearranged against the conventional structural arrangement. In some cases” some elements are substituted with another element in conventional fixed structures.
So in conclusion, the selected Nigerian English expressions are expressions that violate Standard English language grammatical and semantic rules.
REFERENCES
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