The Pragmatics of Nigerian English (as a Postcolonial English)

Abstract

Abstract This chapter explores the pragmatics of Nigerian English as a postcolonial variety of English. It offers a very brief overview of the history, status, and functions of Nigerian English. Using postcolonial pragmatics as a theoretical framework, it then describes different pragmatic features of Nigerian English, which operate at the level of politeness, speech acts, and discourse‐pragmatic features. Politeness may be displayed through greetings and the use of different bare, kinship, professional, religious, and social titles. Speech acts of offering, requesting, and thanking show the influence of religion and indigenous Nigerian cultures. Distinct discourse‐pragmatic features include interjections, pragmatic markers, intensifiers, and general extenders, which also signal a heavy influence on indigenous Nigerian languages and cultures. Pragmatic markers and interjections in particular involve items that may be new, borrowed, or may reflect the extension of functions. Some of these features are shared with other postcolonial African Englishes.