Chapter 5 â Extra activity 1
Chapter 5 – Extra activity 1 The following activity can be used as an introductory or closing task, and is designed to complement the content of Chapter 5 in Galloway and Rose’s (2015) book Introducing Global Englishes (Oxon., UK: Routledge).
English in Nigeria The following poem has been taken from Seargeant (2012, p. 16). Poem by Nigerian writer Frank Aig-Imoukhuede (1932–2007) My fader before my fader get him wife borku E no’ get equality palaver; he live well For he be oga for im own house. But dat time done pass before white man come Wit ’im One wife for one man (Aig-Imoukhuede, 1982, p. 46) Discussion questions 1. In what way is this poem different from ‘standard’ English? 2. The poem is written in Nigerian pidgin English. The spelling reflects the pronunciation (fader not father), and some of the lexical items are also distinct, such as oga (master) and borku (plenty). Are you familiar with any other distinct features of African Englishes? 3. Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe wrote, ‘My answer to the question, Can an African ever learn English well enough to be able to use it effectively in creative writing? is certainly yes. If on the other hand you ask: Can he ever learn to use it like a native speaker? I should say, I hope not. It is neither necessary or desirable from him to be able to do so. The price a world language must be prepared to pay is submission to many different kinds of use’ (Achebe, 1965, p. 29, cited in Seargeant, 2012, p. 118). What is your opinion on this statement? 4. Do you think that creative writing gives such users of English a claim to ownership? Can it be used as an argument for the development of a new English?
English in Nigeria The following poem has been taken from Seargeant (2012, p. 16). Poem by Nigerian writer Frank Aig-Imoukhuede (1932–2007) My fader before my fader get him wife borku E no’ get equality palaver; he live well For he be oga for im own house. But dat time done pass before white man come Wit ’im One wife for one man (Aig-Imoukhuede, 1982, p. 46) Discussion questions 1. In what way is this poem different from ‘standard’ English? 2. The poem is written in Nigerian pidgin English. The spelling reflects the pronunciation (fader not father), and some of the lexical items are also distinct, such as oga (master) and borku (plenty). Are you familiar with any other distinct features of African Englishes? 3. Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe wrote, ‘My answer to the question, Can an African ever learn English well enough to be able to use it effectively in creative writing? is certainly yes. If on the other hand you ask: Can he ever learn to use it like a native speaker? I should say, I hope not. It is neither necessary or desirable from him to be able to do so. The price a world language must be prepared to pay is submission to many different kinds of use’ (Achebe, 1965, p. 29, cited in Seargeant, 2012, p. 118). What is your opinion on this statement? 4. Do you think that creative writing gives such users of English a claim to ownership? Can it be used as an argument for the development of a new English?
