Impediments to learning the English language in Nigerian education: A philosophical discourse

The English Language plays many important roles in Nigeria in respect of its social, professional, and educational life. It dominates the everyday life of an educated Nigerian. It is the medium of instruction especially from the fourth year of primary education to tertiary education. It is taught and learnt as a second language because of the central position it occupies. Unfortunately, however, learning the language is fraught with impediments which largely include the inherent inconsistencies or irregularities in some aspects of the language, colloquialisms and slang, language transfer, inadequate learning facilities, and unqualified teachers. If appropriate measures are put in place, learners of English can go a long way towards achieving communicative competence, which is the goal of learning English as a second language. Keywords: Second language, impediments, inconsistencies, language transfer