Pronunciation is one aspect of language that cannot be easily mastered by a second language user, especially after the age of puberty. This paper discusses the difficulties involved in adult learners of a second language. The emphasis is on Yoruba learners of English as second language, with particular reference to the production of the dental fricatives /ѳ/ and /δ/, which are non-existent in Yoruba language phonology. It is opined that only young children who are ten years or under can truly master the intricacies of a second language, including its phonology. This study, used an unobtrusive observation method as a classroom teacher, complemented by an empirical study. The researcher watched and listened several times to adult student-teachers in their speech behavior. This led to the design of a special passage given to the teacher-trainees by the researcher and was analyzed through frequency counts, to confirm the unobtrusive observations. It was discovered that although there may be production problem on the part of Yoruba speakers of English as a second language, there seems to be no perception problem as mutual intelligibility is still attained, notwithstanding the mispronunciation of these sounds. The study’s conclusion is that with the widespread of English globally, variations, especially in pronunciation, are bound to occur, and as long as such variations do not border on unintelligibility, either locally or internationally, they remain part of world’s Englishes
This study documents the ingenious use of the English language in a second language environment, in a way that is making Nigerian preachers who use English as a medium of communication almost becoming more catholic than the Pope. The method used was the researcher's observation as a participant in the places where the sermons where the data were drawn from were preached. This is in addition to reading various Christian literatures and documenting the observed ingenious use of the English language in a non-native environment. Data gathered were analyzed based on stylistic and pragmatic techniques. The results showed that the English language is gradually taking on a life of its own in Nigeria, especially in the way words are selected, coined and manipulated, in addition to the systematic structural arrangement of points and ideas in sermons to make them rhythmical, rhetorical and memorable. From the way the English language is used as discussed in this study, from both literary and linguistic points of view, making recourse to speech act theories, it is obvious that the English language is becoming a servant in Nigeria. Nigerian second language English users are now showing a mastery of the language and giving it a Nigerian identity, while adopting it to suit their peculiar purpose.
As in many parts of the world, bilingualism is a common speech phenonmenon in Southwest Nigeria as many who have had exposure to western education are exposed to both Yoruba and English at about the same time and in the same environment. While Yoruba is the Mother Tongue, the English language is both the nations official as well as the second language and, by extention, the language common to many in this part of the countrys geopolitical zone. As the official language of education, the English language now faces serious challenges as it competes, in so many domains, with Yoruba, the language of the immediate environment, thus impinging negatively on the effectiveness of the use of the English language. The study is both a survey and descriptive using a simple questionnaire for the survey. The findings show a shift from the indigenous language to English,but the preference for English does not translate to mastery of the language. Results from public examinations indicate that the contact between the two languages affects the effective use of the English, which is the nations official language in schools. The study recommends, for the purpose of language planning, a tripartite lingustic model, with multilingualism at the base, for cultural matters, interpersonal communication in local trade and phatic communion; regional/geopolitical zone bilingualism in the middle of the pyramid, with the whole model peaking and coalescing at national monolingualism in a pyramidal form, with English retaining its prsent position at the peak of the pyramid.
It is now common knowledge that the English language has become part of Nigeria's linguistic family, albeit as a second language that has been ‘home-grown…adapted and tamed to suit the Nigerian environment’ (Adegbija, 2004: 19). Summarizing Alamin A. Mazrui (2004), Akere (2006: 9) describes this domestication as ‘the transformation of English as an alien medium, to make it respond to local imagery, figures of speech, sound patterns and the general cultural milieu of the region’. This has been the practice of many writers where English is the colonial masters' language and is now adopted as a second language, but with ‘local colour’, as noted by Emenyonu (2006: xi). This dynamic and creative variety has helped Nigerians express their world view in a more international medium. In addition, there are more ‘pragmatic’ sub-varieties, including what Omolewa (1979: 14–15) calls ‘working English’. This is, however, different from the widespread Pidgin English, which continues to serve as the linguistic bridge across the linguistic Babel of Nigeria. While Pidgin is greatly influenced by the immediate local languages, thus making uniformity difficult to achieve, the emerging Nigerian English (henceforth NE) is not as heavily dependent on indigenous local languages. According to Igboanusi (2002: 4), ‘NE has its origin in British English, and the lexicon of NE has therefore shown a strong British influence.’ In other words, while Pidgin is common among the uneducated and spoken by the educated when necessary, NE is spoken by the educated and the level of education determines the variety of NE used by individuals. NE should be seen as an autonomous variety, showing acceptable departures from the rules of standard diction, pronunciation and grammar. The contact of English with indigenous languages in Nigeria is bound to lead to greater deviation from the standard in the future. Since Nigeria has one of the largest populations of speakers of English as a second language in the world (Akere, 2009; Jowitt, 2009), this is bound to have implications for English as a global language.
The successful handing over of power from the military oligarchy to a neophyte political class and the consequent returned of the nation to civil rule on May 29, 1999 has shifted attention to how to nurture the fledging democracy to maturity such that it can no longer be truncated either by internal or external forces. The stability of the nation has become the concern of all both the government and the governed. Pro democracy groups, human rights groups, civil societies and others have been greatly involved in the democratic consolidation in Nigeria. In spite of the above not much seems to have been achieved in the area of national security. The issue of national security has become a subject of debate and a serious concern to all and sundry. This is due to the various security challenges facing the country. This paper, therefore looked at unemployment as one of the major challenges to national security. The use of content analysis of secondary sources from published books, journals, official documents, newspapers and magazines was employed in this work. Maslow Human Hierarchy of Needs theory was also used to illuminate the study. It was gathered that, of numerous factors responsible for the uncontrollable rate of insecurity in the nation, unemployment is noted to be at forefront since many youths who are capable and willing to work are affected by this menace. The paper finally recommended that for the problem of insecurity to be abated, the economy of the nation should be diversified as the total dependence on crude oil receipt has done havoc to the productive sectors of Nigerian economy. The government should set up a contingency fund for agricultural and industrial development, as urgent preliminary initiative. Furthermore, the paper recommended the need for collaborative arrangement between the public and private sectors and that the educational sector should be developed through adequate funding to a stage where job seekers and graduates can stand on their own without looking for white collar jobs that are not available. Keywords: Security, Unemployment, Social Vices, Insecurity, Nigeria, Economy, Democracy Journal Reference Format: Ibitoye, M.O., Owolabi, D. & Akinlade, M.T. (2023): Youth Unemployment and National Security in Nigeria: An Exploratory Study. Humanities, Management, Arts, Education & the Social Sciences Journal. Vol. 11. No. 2, Pp 45-58. www.isteams.net/humanitiesjournal. dx.doi.org/10.22624/AIMS/HUMANITIES/V11N2P5
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