pro01:

Therein lies the defect in your argument. English doesn't "just happen to be" the language of instruction. It IS the language of instruction for just about any course in Nigeria - including "scientific" and professional disciplines. If you cannot communicate effectively in the language in which you learnt whatever you claim to know, then it is difficult to convince anyone about how you managed to gain such knowledge (considering that it was taught in the same language that you struggle to communicate in).

Having said that, I subscribe totally to the Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Howard Gardner), especially in terms of the idea of a wide range of cognitive abilities. Language and communication skills/ability is only one aspect of intelligence; there are several others - all of which can make an individual successful in their chosen careers, regardless of deficiencies in other areas.

CFCfan: Speaking/writing good English is a sign of an educated person, not necessarily an intelligent one. For instance, a PHD holder may not know how to preserve cooked food, while someone who only has a WAEC certificate may know such.

CFCfan: Speaking/writing good English is a sign of an educated person, not necessarily an intelligent one. For instance, a PHD holder may not know how to preserve cooked food, while someone who only has a WAEC certificate may know such.

CFCfan: Speaking/writing good English is a sign of an educated person, not necessarily an intelligent one. For instance, a PHD holder may not know how to preserve cooked food, while someone who only has a WAEC certificate may know such.

CFCfan: Speaking/writing good English is a sign of an educated person, not necessarily an intelligent one. For instance, a PHD holder may not know how to preserve cooked food, while someone who only has a WAEC certificate may know such.

CFCfan: Speaking/writing good English is a sign of an educated person, not necessarily an intelligent one. For instance, a PHD holder may not know how to preserve cooked food, while someone who only has a WAEC certificate may know such.

CFCfan: Speaking/writing good English is a sign of an educated person, not necessarily an intelligent one. For instance, a PHD holder may not know how to preserve cooked food, while someone who only has a WAEC certificate may know such.

CFCfan: Speaking/writing good English is a sign of an educated person, not necessarily an intelligent one. For instance, a PHD holder may not know how to preserve cooked food, while someone who only has a WAEC certificate may know such.

CFCfan: Speaking/writing good English is a sign of an educated person, not necessarily an intelligent one. For instance, a PHD holder may not know how to preserve cooked food, while someone who only has a WAEC certificate may know such.

shymexx: Lmao... Good English is overrated as fvck hence why certain folks have embraced verbosity and stupidity just to impress less-intelligent people with their fvckery... Perhaps, that's why most people from my school of thought think intelligence itself is overrated, to be honest...

Mastery of the English language is about how direct and precise you're and, also your ability to be able to communicate and get your message across... Anything else is just utter tosh!!

hunkydory: Speaking good english is an undisputable sign of erudition.

Afam4eva: I've heard Nigerian people say things that suggest that knowing how to speak good english suggest that one is educated. How's that even possible. You see ladies saying things like "He's a nice guy and speaks very well". He speaks very well means means he speaks good english with a foreign accent and not Igbo or Yoruba. So, Why does speaking Good English translate to one been educated and smart. Can't someone who doesn't speak English be smart?

Afam4eva:

I beg to disagree. It's not like we go to school to learn english. We go there to learn different subjects. English just happens to be the language of instruction. I've seen people who are very good in Maths and the sciences but are deficient in communicating well in English. Does it mean they're less intelligent than someone who speaks impeccable english but is horrible at maths and other subjects? I believe that if a Yoruba person from Ogbomoso or an Igbo person from Ohafia are taught in the language they understand perfectly(Yoruba and Igbo), they will do better than another Nigerian that was taught in English. It can be difficult learning something with a language that you're minimally conversant with.

Afam4eva: I've heard Nigerian people say things that suggest that knowing how to speak good english suggest that one is educated. How's that even possible. You see ladies saying things like "He's a nice guy and speaks very well". He speaks very well means means he speaks good english with a foreign accent and not Igbo or Yoruba. So, Why does speaking Good English translate to one been educated and smart. Can't someone who doesn't speak English be smart?

ITbomb: With these reasoning , Chinese would be the most backward people on earth

Afam4eva:

I beg to disagree. It's not like we go to school to learn english. We go there to learn different subjects. English just happens to be the language of instruction. I've seen people who are very good in Maths and the sciences but are deficient in communicating well in English. Does it mean they're less intelligent than someone who speaks impeccable english but is horrible at maths and other subjects? I believe that if a Yoruba person from Ogbomoso or an Igbo person from Ohafia are taught in the language they understand perfectly(Yoruba and Igbo), they will do better than another Nigerian that was taught in English. It can be difficult learning something with a language that you're minimally conversant with.

maclatunji:

Speaking good English has little to do with your accent. Kofi Annan and Wole Soyinka don't speak with foreign accents but do speak good English.

Talking about speaking good English as an indicator of quality education or intelligence, I have to say that in countries where English is the language of instruction in schools, this is largely true. For example, I can tell fairly accurately how intelligent how one is just by reading their 'English' on Nairaland.

Afam4eva: I've heard Nigerian people say things that suggest that knowing how to speak good english suggest that one is educated. How's that even possible. You see ladies saying things like "He's a nice guy and speaks very well". He speaks very well means means he speaks good english with a foreign accent and not Igbo or Yoruba. So, Why does speaking Good English translate to one been educated and smart. Can't someone who doesn't speak English be smart?

Afam4eva: I've heard Nigerian people say things that suggest that knowing how to speak good english suggest that one is educated. How's that even possible. You see ladies saying things like "He's a nice guy and speaks very well". He speaks very well means means he speaks good english with a foreign accent and not Igbo or Yoruba. So, Why does speaking Good English translate to one been educated and smart. Can't someone who doesn't speak English be smart?

maclatunji:

Speaking good English has little to do with your accent. Kofi Annan and Wole Soyinka don't speak with foreign accents but do speak good English.

Talking about speaking good English as an indicator of quality education or intelligence, I have to say that in countries where English is the language of instruction in schools, this is largely true. For example, I can tell fairly accurately how intelligent how one is just by reading their 'English' on Nairaland.

ITbomb: With these reasoning , Chinese would be the most backward people on earth

shymexx: Being smart is about your problem solving skills... It has nothing to do with the mastery of any language - English inclusive... Some of the smartest people on this planet are not even educated...

For example: I'll listen to 50cent talk about business before any Prof. from Harvard Business School, or LSE, to be honest...

cantell:
You have a good head on ur shoulders but you hardly make good use of it.
If majority of ur posts were like this one, you'd probably be a. . . .i reserve my comment.

shymexx: isn't it funny that most of the loudest voices on this thread who claim to have the ability discern a person's intelligence by the mastery of the language have awful sentence construction skills??

coogar:
you have to be intelligent to master english language that happens to be a second language for most nigerians. putting the chinese people or the french into this is another argument entirely. for starters, english is not their official language, english is the official language in nigeria so where's the comparison?

shymexx: Drug dealers are smarter than most graduates, quote me on that...

Rastafarians are more intelligent than most university lecturers, quote me on that as well...

Word is bond!!

shymexx:
Bro, you don't need intelligence for that... English is the official language in Nigeria!!

Personally, intelligence is about problem solving skills - anything outside that is just nonsense!! Intelligence is overrated, anyway!!

ola_pluto: I dont believe in 'good english'. Communication is the 'koko'. If you are good in English and go to Germany, you will still look uneducated as you are not literate in German terms.