Attitudes of Nigerian expatriates towards accents of English

Abstract

This study investigated the attitudes of Nigerians living in Europe towards accents of English. It has been observed that as migrants settle in new communities, they enter new linguistic ecologies, which tend to influence their linguistic behaviours. Language attitudes research focusing on migrants has shown that migration significantly impacts upon migrants’ attitudes towards the new (varieties of) languages to which they are exposed. In light of this and in response to the paucity of research on attitudes of Nigerian/s (migrants) towards varieties of English, this study investigated the attitudes of Nigerian expatriates living in two European countries (the UK and Germany) towards accents of English, using a verbal-guise technique. The results demonstrate that whilst there are overall positive attitudes towards Nigerian English, British English is rated more positively for both status and solidarity. The results also indicate that differences in the background variables examined have no significant influence on informants’ evaluations.