THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND TOURISM IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Thispaper examines the role of English as a dynamic language in tapping and documenting the potentials and bounties of tourism in
Nigeria. It argues that the English language is a potent instrument in harnessing tourism bounties of a people especially among the fifty-four member nations of the Commonwealth. In Nigeria the English language remains the most strategic language for the exploitation and marketing of tourism bounties available in the
country. This is so because English is Nigeria's official language and language of unity in a multiethnic country like ours. In doing
this, the paper makes a disclaimer. It is thefact that the author of this paper is not an authority on Tourism. The burden of this paper
therefore is to lay bare the indispensable role of English - a global dynamic language and language of globalization - in the
exploitation of tourism wealth of Nigeria, and in selling these bounties to world civilization for document. In the final analysis the paper makes the following declarations. We could practically do nothing without language. It is rather impossible that we could
successfully discuss Tourism as an academic discipline in Nigeria in isolation of language, vis-a-vis, English, the arrowhead and 'DNA' of culture. In the same vein, it is rather a tragic mission to
explore the bounties of Tourism in Nigeria and make same available to the global village outside the English language medium, in view of Nigeria's status as among the fifty-four member nations of the Commonwealth. In all, it is, indeed, a hopeless venture that we could succeed in our attempt to contribute our quota to world civilization without a sobering
consideration to the English as an international or global language, here Nigerian English. Since our findings evince the incontrovertible role of the English language in harnessing and
documenting Tourism bounties of Nigeria, the paper proffers some
recommendations on the wayforward.