Nigerian English, also called Nigerian Standard English, is a variety of English spoken in Nigeria that is based on British English but has absorbed loanwords and phrasing from Nigeria's own native languages. It is used mainly in politics, formal education, the media, and other official settings, and it developed during and after Britain's colonization of the country, in a pattern similar to the growth of South African English. Its vocabulary carries terms drawn from Nigerian ethnic languages, such as senior wife, and it reflects Nigerian cultural values in everyday usage, for example using sorry to express sympathy rather than an admission of fault, and sir to show respect and politeness. A single agreed standard remains difficult to establish because of wide regional variation and uneven access to formal education across the country.
Facts
RegionSpoken in Nigeria; based on British English, with three main dialects: Hausa English, Igbo English and Yoruba English, spoken by the corresponding ethnic groups. 1 Speaker CommunityNigerian Standard English is used in politics, formal education and the media, while Nigerian Pidgin, a pidgin derived from English, is mostly used in informal conversation and is especially concentrated in the South-South region of Nigeria. 1 Distinguishing FeaturesNigerian English carries loanwords and collocations from Nigeria's native languages to express culturally specific concepts, and reshapes some ordinary English words for cultural expression, for example using 'sorry' to express sympathy or empathy toward someone who has experienced misfortune rather than to admit personal responsibility. 1 Classification
Variety Kind Nigerian English
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Source Wikipedia: Nigerian English
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Sources
1. Wikipedia: Nigerian English
Wikimedia FoundationDialects section
There are three main dialects of Nigerian English: Hausa English (spoken by the Hausa), Igbo English (spoken by the Igbo) and Yoruba English (spoken by the Yoruba).
Lead and Dialects sections
Nigerian Pidgin, a pidgin derived from English, is mostly used in informal conversations, but Nigerian Standard English is used in politics, formal education, the media, and other official uses.
Sociocultural implications section
The literal meaning of "sorry" usually indicates some sort of responsibility on the part of the person saying it, but for all varieties of Nigerian English, it is used to express sympathy in a unique way, or to show empathy to whoever has experienced misfortune.
Lead section
Nigerian English, also known as Nigerian Standard English (en-NG), is a variety of English spoken in Nigeria. Based on British English, the dialect contains various loanwords and collocations from the native languages of Nigeria, due to the need to express concepts specific to the cultures of ethnic groups in the nation (e.g. senior wife).
Descends From: English, Lead sentence
known as Nigerian Standard English (en-NG), is a variety of English spoken in Nigeria.
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