An Assessment of English Language Influence on Anglophone Countries’ Cultures

Abstract

The focus of this paper is to assess the influence of English language on Anglophone countries’ cultures. The advent of missionaries’ activities in the Anglophone countries through the medium of English language vis-à-vis its power and influence were highlighted to signify that the power and influence exerted by this language (English) over shadowed the African traditional beliefs such as in religion, education, marriage system, among others. A 10 item researcher-designed questionnaire based on 4Likert scale type of Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree and Strongly Disagree was dispensed on 180 respondents from three geo-political zones of Nigeria. However, only 176 respondents made their questionnaire available that was computed for this study. The instrument was revalidated thus producing a reliability index of 0.61. The finding revealed that highest percentage of the respondents strongly agreed that the Englishman’s language has greatly influenced African cultures, especially that of Nigeria both positively and negatively. As a result of this, it was concluded that of all the heritages left behind in the British colonies by the British colonial overlords, probably, none is more important than the English language, and that is why it is indeed very likely that for some time to come, English will remain a vital access to global advances which is very essential for gaining access to science and technology, and that it is possible that the Anglophone countries could grind to a halt should the use of English language be outlawed for say five minutes. Based on the findings and the conclusion, it is therefore recommended that Africans, especially Nigeria cannot be an island to itself, and if it must have any global outlook it must embrace foreign influence and culture so that Africans as a whole and indeed Nigerians would fit into any global condition regardless of their cultural background.