Nigerian English in informal email messages

Abstract

This study applies a sociolinguistic and discourse-analytical methodology to the study of features and manifestations of Nigerian English in computer-mediated communication, particularly informal emails. The data comprise 133 email samples consisting of messages received or sent within a seven-year period, i.e. between 2002 and 2009, from typical Nigerian environments, as well as by the youth, adults and the elderly. Analyses reveal that the rise of new media technologies and digital communication has provided a resource for the use and dissemination of Nigerian English alongside Nigerian cultures. The study shows that Nigerian English in informal emails comprises the construction of local thoughts through a range of characteristic properties. In non-standard Nigerian English features like misuse of words, grammatical inconsistencies and a mixture of local pidgin also exist. The study of Nigerian English in informal emails reveals that email samples provide resourceful data for the study of English regional varieties in computer-mediated communication. It also shows that a variety of English is a cultural medium for expressing language habits and socio-cultural practices.