English-Conference Papers

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    Open Access
    Language of Law: Imperative for Linguistic Simplicity
    (IUCDS, 2019-11) Folarin, P; Sobola, E
    Language is a veritable tool of the legal profession as a lawyer's proficiency is sometimes measured in terms of his linguistic dexterity: both verbal and written. However, over the centuries, there seemed to have evolved a distinct language of law usually referred to as legal language. Legal language employs specialised vocabulary and unusual sentence structure which contributes to its peculiarities. It is sometimes cumbersome to understand legal language due to the usage of a large number of difficult words and phrases, arcane expressions, indecipherable verbiage and technical terminologies which are alien to the layman many of which expressions are derived from French and Latin. The crux of this research is to interrogate the legal implication and communicative competence of language in legal discourse both within and beyond the courtroom extending to the drafting of legal documents and interactions between lawyers and clients. The research also examines the trend towards the adoption of plain English in legal discourse and finds out that the interface between law and language is the simplicity of expression.
  • Item
    Open Access
    Bilingualism in Pluricentrism: Investigating the Conflict of Standards in English Pronunciation in Nigeria
    (International Conference on African Literature and the English Language,, 2016) Anyagwa, Carol Ngozi
    The English language in its many varieties embodies the legacy of European colonisation in many African countries, with the consequence of making many Africans bilingual in English and their indigenous languages. One controversial issue about bilingualism in Africa, however, has been the question of accent; given that both endoglossic and exoglossic models exist for English pronunciation. Obviously, on paper, many Anglophone African countries settle for the „prestige‟ accent of their colonial masters which, in former British colonies, is the Received Pronunciation (RP). However, a close look at the accent of English spoken/ taught in a country like Nigeria shows that what obtains is a hybrid accent manifesting not just local features but also pronunciation features of more than one exoglossic standard. Using primary data collected from 100 teachers and students of English in Lagos, Nigeria, the study reveals the confusion created by the coexistence of these multiple pronunciation models in the country. The study, therefore, lends its voice to the query about the rationale behind the adoption of exoglossic spoken models for the teaching of English pronunciation in Anglophone African countries.