Nigerian English in International Business Communication: Issues, Challenges and Prospects

Abstract

Effective communication is a crucial factor in business success in the global village that the world has come to be. In Nigeria, the overwhelming proportion of business with the outside world is conducted using the English. The need for Nigerian business people to use the language effectively will obviously contribute to success rates in their various interactions with business people from across the globe. However, as English becomes more domesticated in Nigeria, and as local varieties become more entrenched and less stigmatized, many Nigerians including those involved in international business may no longer be adequately conscious of the fact that the peculiar Nigerian ways they speak may pose fundamental communication challenges to non Nigerian business partners who may not be quite familiar with “Nigerian English”. This paper explores these challenges by systematically aggregating findings from diverse practical observations of international business communication situations involving educated Nigerian. Based on some observed challenges, the paper advances some pedagogical innovations from the field of intercultural communication; to prepare Nigerian L2 English learners for enhanced oral communication performance in the international business world without having disparaging attitudes towards local varieties of English.