THE MIX USAGE OF BRITISH AND AMERICAN ENGLISH AMONG STUDENTS IN UNIVERSITY OF AFRICA
INTRODUCTION
English language has a history of conquest and power, and British English has often been seen as the most prestigious variant of English. “Until not so long ago, American English was seen as less educated, less cultured, less beautiful than British English”, and European teachers were not allowed to teach with an American accent. The text-books that are used in schools in many countries today are still mostly British English-oriented (Tottie 2002:1-2). Nowadays African University students have contact with English-speaking cultures all around the world, and Axelsson (2002:144) claims that “it is clear that a one-accent-only approach is not the best alternative for the teaching of English today”. The majority of the world‟s native speakers of English are Americans, and much more American than British English is used in international business and computing (Tottie 2002:2). It has been argued that it is American political and economic power “that accounts for the dominant position of English in the world today”, more than the former British history of colonization (Barber 2000:236). It now seems as if American English is beginning to gain ground in African Universities, and the American influences from film, television and other media may have an impact on African University students’ speech and which variety of English they use. A study from 2000 shows that “as many as 69% of the students mix features from the two varieties” (Axelsson 2002:137).
Bilingualismcan be perceived asasubtractive oran additivelanguage process. In the subtractive aspect, as fluency and vocabulary grow in one language, fluency and vocabulary decrease in the other, replacing the original language as the “primary” language. The emphasis is on thereplacement of onelanguageforanother. In contrast,additive bilingualism is the process of acquiring the terms and fluency in a second language without losing the skills with the first (Lambert, 1975). Hakuta(1991) states that subtractive bilingualism is the goal educators often set for those whose native language is viewed as a barrier to academic and economic success—Hispanics, Vietnamese, Filipinos,and others.Additive bilingualism, whetherin Latin,classical Greek, French, Italian, or other languages, is seen as an academic boon for nonminority, middle-class students. Thus, insertion of French phrases into spoken English is considered a sign of advanced education,adding acertain je ne sais quoi quality to communication, while insertion of Spanish phrases is often perceived as a problemo, adding a touch of lower class commonness. With certain individuals, code switching can also serve as an indicator of subtractive development of language when students select wordsand phrases because of theinadequacy of their language abilities. When a student does not have the grasp of a second language firmly enough to communicate, they must reach for their pri- mary language to fill in the gaps. Code switching serves as a “filler” to continue the flow of the communication process, but it also is indicative of a weakness in the second language, a subtractive element (Freeman & Freeman, 2001). With additive bilingualism, students have a solid base in their primary language and the second language adds to their linguistic repertoire. In the communication process, speakers have a range of languagechoicesand select thelanguagethat mostclosely conceptualizes the meaning, the humor, or the social purpose that is needed. Code switching then becomes a social, cultural, and linguistic tool that allows them to integrate their experiences of two languages and two cultures into a cohesive whole.
Statement of the problem
British English, the standard accent known as RP, is normally the variety taught to pupils who are studying English (Trudgill and Hannah 1994:9). However, influences from American English due to exposure of different media are strong, and an interesting question is which variety has the strongest affect on African University students today. This study examines the mix usage of British and American English among students in university of Africa.
Objective of the study
The major purpose of this study is to examine the mix usage of British and American English among students in university of Africa. Other general objectives of the study are:
- To examine the effect competence in usage of British and American English among students in university of Africa.
- To examine the abilities in usage of British and American English among students in university of Africa.
Research Question
The study sought to provide answers to the following research questions:
- What is the effect competence in usage of British and American English among students in university of Africa?
- What are the effect awareness in usage of British and American English among students in university of Africa?
Significance of the study
The purpose of any educational research is to contribute to the
development of knowledge. The research findings would be of great help to the government and other stakeholders by revealing the relationship between the competence and ability in the usage of British and American English among students in university of Africa. The findings will be of benefit to students, most especially those in the post graduate studies, to add more, or to contribute from where the researchers stopped or what is left to be done in the area of study.
The research findings will be of benefit to any individual who is
interested in knowing the relationship between competence and ability in the usage of British and American English. The findings will be of great importance and help in conference writing related to the area. The
information from this study will be of benefit to the curriculum developers of
the National policy on education to forestall all the lapses in the usage of British and American English among students in university of Africa.
Scope of the study
The study was delimited to examine the mix usage of British and American English among students in university of Africa.
Limitation of the study
In every research work, it is likely that the researcher may encounter some limitations. The researcher encountered some challenges during the period of carrying out this research. Some of these challenges include the dearth of materials for proper and effective research work constituted a major limitation. Again, how to get the true and required information from the respondents through a questionnaire also constituted a constraint in the study.
1.9 Definition of Terms
The terms used in this study should be taken to mean the following:
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