The status of the English Language as a lingua franca in Nigeria has been, at various fora, generating controversies. In a plurilingual state like Nigeria, the questions have been what language should be adopted as a national language? Should English as a foreign language continue to function as a lingua franca in Nigeria, decades after her independence? Consequent on these polemics surrounding the state of the foreign language in the country, this paper samples opinions and attitudes of Nigerian traders in Kano Metropolis towards the use of the language. The study draws insight from the linguistic theoretical paradigm of Metrolingualism, a theoretical framework of how people from different linguistic backgrounds in a multilingual society appropriate the resources of language in an urban and city areas. In carrying out this work, 200 questionnaires were distributed to traders in 3 market locations in Kano: Sabon gari, Farm Centre and Bata, being metrolingual markets. Our findings reveal that the use of English Language in Nigerian markets is of more economic value to the traders than the use of any local language. On this basis, our position here is that the role of the language, which is a globalized one, is not antithetical to our national development, hence should be sustained.
Keywords:
Lingua franca, English Language, Metrolingualism, Global Language, Second Language
