“Oral English is a problem, let’s Teach Students English With Our Own Accent” – Man Advocates

Cursory: Kola Tubosun, a linguist and writer, has proposed revising Nigeria’s Oral English test in national exams to include the Nigerian English accent.

Kola Tubosun, a Nigerian linguist and writer, has recommended a revision of the Oral English test in the country’s national exams to better align with the Nigerian English accent.

Tubosun, renowned for his advocacy for Nigerian languages and culture, shared this proposal on Twitter after observing that numerous high-achieving students obtained lower scores in the English language compared to their performance in other subjects.

Oral English is one of the four components of the Use of English paper, along with grammar, comprehension and vocabulary.

Tubosun tweeted:

“My working theory is that if the ‘Oral English’ component of JAMB and WAEC is revised to reflect the Nigerian English phonology, kids will stop performing so poorly in it.”

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is responsible for conducting the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for secondary school students.

According to Tubosun’s argument, the Oral English test in these exams follows the pronunciation standards of British English, which is unfamiliar to many Nigerian students who speak with a Nigerian accent.

Kola Tubosun told Legit.ng:

“Imagine failing English just because you applied your own phonological logic to exam questions, and now you can’t go university where you’d applied to study medicine or engineering or Agric. The schwa should be removed from the syllabus totally, because nobody outside of FM radio, with their exaggerated accents, uses it in real life.”

According to Tubosun, this situation puts Nigerian students at a disadvantage and fails to accurately assess their language proficiency.

He also highlighted that Nigerian English is recognized as a legitimate variation of the English language by linguistic authorities such as the Oxford English Dictionary.

Tubosun’s tweet initiated a discussion among his followers, with some expressing agreement with his proposal and others raising concerns about the practicality and potential consequences.

Some suggested incorporating more exposure to diverse English accents in the curriculum, while others cautioned that modifying the Oral English test might impact the international recognition of Nigerian certificates.

See tweet:

Source: legit.ng

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