CHAPTER ONE
1.0     INTRODUCTION
1.1    BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Language in any human society is an important human heritage. The significance of language in human life cannot be over-emphasized. It is indeed central not only to our social interactions and relationships, but also in distinguishing us and enabling others to ascertain the position in the society. This would explain why people with speech or hearing disabilities find it difficult to integrate and participate fully in their communities. What this means is that every language community has developed unique modes of using its language. At the same time, each language has been moulded in a special way to serve the needs of the community that speaks it. In this way, every language is a unique system and therefore, a resource for humankind. It is because of the many unique systems in each language that we talk of linguistic diversity. This linguistic diversity, like bio-diversity, is an important feature of our universe. The many languages spoken by the various world populations signify the communication problems, which human societies are likely to face in their day to day interactions.
Generally, all languages are unique in some senses because languages, the world over, are not only significant to the personal and social well-being of their speakers, but they are also valuable as a resource and constitute an invaluable heritage for humanity. This is because each human language has a unique linguistic inventory and rules, reflects its own cultural experience, expresses its own world view and manifests its own artistic peculiarities. Thus, taken together, all the many world languages have an enormous wealth of linguistic, cultural, world view and artistic phenomena to offer mankind. The complexity of human languages, has many implications for the scholastic understanding of a language that is foreign to us.
Today, as a result of globalization, there has been an increasing need to interact at both official and unofficial levels. In particular, nationals of different countries have to move from one geographical region to another, needing a language of communication. In this case, some languages such as English Language, French, Spanish, German and Arabic have become what can be described as second language in many communities of the world. In order words, they have become the language of communication, interaction and relationship. For this reason, these languages mentioned above, need to be learnt if we must develop along with others.
In Nigeria, English language has been accepted as the official language since colonial rule. In spite of this long history of English language as an official language, many Nigerians do not still communicate in the language except during official engagement. The reason for this is because English language is not the first language of Nigerians. In Nigeria, English Language exists in relation to some major national languages such as Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and many others, which total about 400 languages. In a circumstance like this and being a former British colony, English language has naturally become a means of communicating ideas and information at both official and unofficial levels. It serves a very important means of establishing and maintaining unifying relationship with other people of diverse cultures and mother tongues.
Over the year, English language in Nigeria has become diversified with emergence of some native versions such as the Nigerian Pidgin English (NPE) and the Nigerian Standard English, which are spoken alongside the local languages and national languages. With this development, it has been possible for many Nigerians to code-switch and code-mix in their day to day interactions. It is important to note that the choice of any of these varieties as a means of communication depends on the educational level of the actors in the social interactions. In spite of the existence of these varieties, the English language as handed down by the colonial masters, still remains the official language of communication, interaction and relationship in Nigeria. It is also the only one that is recognized as a subject to be taught in the Nigerian educational system.
Consequent upon the above, English Language is taught at almost all levels of educational system in the country and therefore, is introduced to students right from the pre-primary to the tertiary level. English language thus becomes a major criterion for admission into tertiary institutions and a compulsory subject that must be taken in the University Matriculation Examination conducted by the Joint Admission Matriculation Board as every candidate that sits for the examination must compulsorily take use of English as a paper, along with three other subjects. English language being a second language in Nigeria, must therefore be learnt. Learning and comprehension of any language involves proper understanding of the people’s culture, which can only be facilitated through numerous literature about the people. Learning of foreign language like English is therefore, impossible without an adequate understanding of the study about the people. It is in this context that this study theoretically examines the place of literature in the teaching and understanding of English as a second language. In order to achieve this objective, the remaining part of this study is organized to consist of conceptual issues, an overview of the problems of learning of English language in Nigeria, relationship between language and literature, benefits of using literature to teach language any language.