From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
Professor Oluwadare Owolabi, a lecturer at the Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, has made a case for the adoption of new direction that would enhance the teaching and learning of English language in the nation’s tertiary institutions
Owolabi, a Professor of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) as Applied Linguistics, made the submission while delivering the Institution’s 61st inaugural lecture recently in Ado-Ekiti.
Owolabi, who spoke on the title “English, Whose English? English Language Literacy and Pedagogy in a Babble of Voices.” noted that
there were many tecnological breakthroughs and revolutions currently going on in the world as regards teaching and learning of English language.
The Prof said there was the urgent need for a clear departure from the methods and manner English is being taught presently in Nigeria and other countries that regarded the language as a second and should not be left behind and benefit from such revolutions.
Owolabi said the decline in performance in English might not be unrelated to what was emphasised in the teaching and learning of the English as a second language in non-native settings by non-native teachers.
According to him, it has been observed that mere grammatical knowledge is not sufficient, as there is a need to recognise the existence of variation, especially in the style, in English language.
He said there was a known linguistic fact that there is a critical age when non-natives could not attain production perfection, no matter how hard they try.
“This linguistic fact has, however, not detracted from the fact that non-native speakers in non-native environments still have a good mastery of the language in other areas.
“This is where Nigeria users have somewhat enriched the English language, as this has resulted in coinages that are potential words in English.
“Besides, as the largest black nation in the world using English as official language, Nigerians have influenced the language in such a way that a national identity that is fast becoming a variety of English as an international language has been created.
“If Nigeria and other countries that use English as a second are not to be left behind in the technological revolutions currently going on in the world, the teaching and learning of English should be given serious consideration.
“Not only because it has become the second language of many developing nations, but because it is a tool in the successful acquisition of contemporary knowledge,” he said.
Owolabi said the only way to address the issue of dwindling performance in a language that has become part of the linguistic family and destined to stay forever was through its pedagogy.
“It is unfortunate to know that the pedagogy of English in Nigeria is still what it used to be, despite changing phases of the language.
“It is still basically structural than functional. I have advocated in my research endeavours that there should be a shift in the pedagogy of the language for effectiveness,” he said.
He recommended the adoption of a second/foreign language English curriculum that would be more learner-friendly as required by communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and ESP, in order to achieve an effective second language pedagogy in English that would engender effective literacy in non-native environments that are particularly multilingual such as Nigeria.
Other recommendations are that error and needs analysis should form part of second/foreign language English teaching and learning process, as a way of narrowing the teaching process to required specifics.
Special considerations should be accorded Linguists in text and material writing to ensure Linguistic appropriateness, by way of editing and also there should be collaborative efforts between specialists in vocational and technical education and linguists, especially ESP specialists.