NIGERIAN LANGUAGE POLICY, MOTHER-TONGUE AND TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN LOWER BASIC CLASSES TOWARDS USING CODE-MIXING

Abstract

Despite commonly attestable research and classroom evidence of the awesome results of using mother-tongue for teaching, many language educators are still skeptical about, and condemn the use of learners’ mother-tongues in teaching them a second or foreign language. This paper explores how code-mixing can help the teacher overcome some language-based classroom challenges. It is quite interesting that Nigeria’s language policy allows for the use of mother-tongue or the language of the immediate environment in educating the child. It specifically stipulates that the medium of instruction at the primary school shall be the mother-tongue or the language of the immediate environment, while English shall be taught as a subject. It is with efficient and consistent teaching of mother-tongues the potentials of learners’ indigenous languages could be harnessed and realized. Therefore, the teacher at the lower basic education level is expected to make good use of the mother-tongue or the language of the immediate environment as the medium of instruction in teaching English Language and other school subjects. Given the hard linguistic task for this teacher, it is imperatively needful to create and sustain reasonable avenues for this teacher to effectively navigate between English language and the mother-tongue or language of the immediate environment.