Studies in Literature and Language
A Survey of Nigerian Internet English
Abstract
This study offers a survey of Nigerian Internet English. Nigerian Internet English is in focus due to its multi-genre character. Specifically, the study aims to establish the status of this multi-category, multi-genus, variety of English. From a review of existing literature on the genre, this study poses a pertinent question thus: Is Nigerian Internet English a variety of Nigerian English? Deploying data from secondary sources of existing literature, this study aims to empirically demonstrate the principal language component of Nigerian Internet English and to establish its linguistic relationship with Nigerian English variety. The study is situated within variation linguistics and relevant theoretical concepts are evoked to illuminate the discussion. Specifically, the theoretical concept of common core is deployed to establish the language components of Nigerian Internet English. The study finds that the common core features of Nigerian English are fully attested in Nigerian Internet English. From the review of literature, the study distills a thesis thus: Nigerian English is a principal component of Nigerian Internet English and Nigerian Internet English is a variety of Nigerian English.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/13723
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