Exploring the Roles of Language as a Panacea for Contemporary Socio-economic Challenges in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper examines how English language can be used to overcome the contemporary socio-economic challenges in Nigeria considering the pivotal roles in the functioning of the Nigerian society. Using the theoretical view of Stubbs, the paper discusses the functions of language in human society before examining the functions of English language in Nigeria against the indigenous languages. It x-rays the contemporary socio-economic challenges facing the country and observes that the English language is better positioned as the language of overcoming the nation's socio-economic challenges. However, low proficiency level in its use by Nigeria's second language (L2) users is a major bane in this quest. To overcome this deficiency, the paper recommends among others, a paradigm shift in the method of teaching English language in our schools from rote learning of the linguistic rules to that of improving learner's overall communicative abilities in the four skills of English language and a task-based instruction (TBI) method in Nigerian schools.