what is Intelligence? Simply means having or showing the ability to easily learn or understand things.
So if one is highly fluent in English, it means the person has the ability to understand the language and is therefore intelligent. so it can count as a measure of intelligence, not wholly, together with other attributes though.

MissRaine69:

Has that stopped those individuals from progressing because they have used were instead of where?

You're one of them "grammar no be my language" crew. I see.

Well, no, but it depends. If you have grammar issues, that can't stop your progress in life -just stick to things that don't call for sound grammar and you'd be fine. We shouldn't judge people by their grammar unless they're in a place where it matters - writer, broadcaster, teacher, etc. But, again, we can't really help it - having a good command of the language gives you respect and people tend to take you more seriously, and that can contribute to your progress, whether you realise it or not.

StylesX:
I saw what a corper posted on fb today and i posted it on my status, so some aggressive girl picked offense and started saying many things, English is not a measure of intelligence is all i could pick from all she said, and i decided to bring the argument here, contributions please.

English isn't a measure of intelligence
BUT
if you went to a primary school that taught you using English, and taught you English as a subject, same happened in secondary school.
You wrote your exams in English too, down to O'level
.
And you still can't speak fluent English or write well.
I am sorry, YOU ARE DUMB!

LuvSwollenPussy:
Intelligence dey different types. Book intelligence is different from common sense, common sense is different from being sensitive...all controlled by the brain though. Even d book intelligence is subdivided. A linguistic student can be good in speaking English but olodo in maths or chemistry.

However if you find a lady who's a legend in her field, its most likely she'll have the kind of intelligence that makes a complementary wife bcus intelligence is not only hereditary, it's also borne of deep thoughts which many women lack.

Like most times in sch, while you see the guys sitting with their assignments by themselves, the ladies are always hopping from one guy to the other..."pls come help me do my assignment"..that's what you'll hear usually. You hardly find a do-it-yourself girl who does her stuffs and even help others...dem no dey.

dem dey abeg, me and my bestie for school dey do our things ourselves, even guys dey depend on us.

yungEX:

Fuency in English language is not conclusive of intelligence. Not everyone that speaks English fluently Is intelligent. Also not every one who does not speak English language fluently is dull.

Truthfully spoken.

Richardingwe:


English isn't a measure of intelligence
BUT
if you went to a primary school that taught you using English, and taught you English as a subject, same happened in secondary school.
You wrote your exams in English too, down to O'level
.
And you still can't speak fluent English or write well.
I am sorry, YOU ARE DUMB!

Gbam!

Now this is really some weird stuff.

How can one propose that fluency in English is a measure of One's intelligence.

Not being able to speak English fluently can be as a result of varied factors ranging from one's primary environment to speech impairment, but that does not mean that such a person is dumb or cannot think logically or reason intelligently.

In fact I know of someone, a woman, that finds it hard to make a complete sentence in English without accentuating and betoning it with yoruba, but she teaches mathematics in a secondary school excellently well.

Why not argue If speaking your indigenous lingua franca is a measure of your intelligence - that would be a good source of debate - Instead you are the arguing about another man's tongue.

Is this not some form of imperialism?

How many of their ambassadors here can boast of fluency in any of our numerous languages?

If u are unable to learn n speak fluently any language being spoken in ur area of residence my dear u are simply a dullard just like pmb and our afonja neighbours

Modarun:

lol did you read what you just wrote? Senseless to say the least. Bros stop mistaken English language mastery to intelligence.
- Albert Einstein isnt fluent in English, but he os more intelligent than you so called English profs. English is just a mere language, like Russia, Germany and Japanese, all of which are by far more advanced than England. What do you mean by intelligence? Mtchew

You don't come across as intelligent.

Save your broken rants for someone else.

You lack sense if you don't understand what a lingua franca is and how that applies to language as a test of intelligence. You're exactly the person the last paragraph was meant for. Just look at your reasoning.

Perhaps you wish to redefine an IQ test to suit your mediocrity.

Empty, senseless and unintelligent ranting from you.

Intelligence doesn't have anything at all to do with fluency in English.

Those that argued are just dumb because what their argument explains is that those who don't speak English at all are not intelligent.

I saw a video on BBC website last month and its about a store in China where you can get a mobile device built from scratch.

The fun thing is that the founder and most workers don't speak English correctly.

So, what's the argument again?

Hahahah, forget The Big Grammar, Some Can Be Fluent In English But Cannot Put Their Grammar In Written Form......

Chukwuemeka007:
80% of peeps here got the OP wrong.

OP, your topic should've been:

"IS FLUENCY IN A LINGUA FRANCA A MEASURE OF INTELLIGENCE?"

A Russian, Chinese or French university or high school graduate is fluent in Russian, Mandarin or French. They have no business with English because they were not taught with it and it's not their lingua franca.

As a Nigerian, you can't pass through 6-3-3-4/5 and write/speak rubbish like the corps member did and be pardoned.

I agree with this.
English is not a measure of intelligence but I do wonder how intelligent you can be if you speak and write the way the corper did, the only exception being if you grew up in a part of the country where English is rarely spoken and even the teachers in school would teach in your mother tongue.

vaxx:

I don't mean to brag but being a past student of one of the top institutes in west africa. (Ghana to be precise)I feel that for people who have real worth and are learned enough, language is never a measure of knowledge.
Even though the medium of instruction is English( which is necessary to survive in a globalised world ), people on campus talk in twi and various other local languages even with teaching assistants and professors. I have even overheard professors talking amongst themselves in local languages.

The truth is that people who consider English as a measure of knowledge are themselves not very knowledgeable and there opinion should not matter to any sound minded person.

Spot on! They are very ignorant and not well read to say the least. The oy difference is these bunch only took much time to study English language than others thats where it stops. Doesnt make them more intelligent.
infact facts are emerging that the reason we are falling behind in Education is not oy due to lack of funding but also due to the use of a foriegn language different from the students mother tongue.
There are enough scientific evidence to show countries that use their native languages to educate and evaluate their students tends to be more advanced than those who adopt foriegn languages. The secret reason why most Asian countries especially the Chinese are so good with maths is simply down to the structure of their number naming system. its easier for say a Hausa Boy to learn, add and substract or even to solve a math equation in his native language hausa than in English.
The likes of Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe didnt become famous by writing African stories in perfect English, they became famous simply by their unique abillity to tell an African story in English just the way an African would have told thesame story if he used his mothers tongue.

English language does not factor in the measure of intelligence. The reason French, Germans, Italians, Japanese, Chinese, etc are progressing better than Nigerians is because their text books and media of learning are written in their mother tongue not English language. Nigeria is not a nation but colonized country without a mother tongue. This is one of the reason I had wanted the disintegration of the shithole called Nigeria. If Nigeria should be disintegrated today and there is Republic of Igbo land, every text book and media of learning must be in Igbo language. If the IQ test is set in Igbo language, every English person will score zero.

JuanDeDios:

You're one of them "grammar no be my language" crew. I see.

Well, no, but it depends. If you have grammar issues, that can't stop your progress in life -just stick to things that don't call for sound grammar and you'd be fine. We shouldn't judge people by their grammar unless they're in a place where it matters - writer, broadcaster, teacher, etc. But, again, we can't really help it - having a good command of the language gives you respect and people tend to take you more seriously, and that can contribute to your progress, whether you realise it or not.

No I am not but I make allowances for those who struggle with the lanaguage. Having a good command does not give you respect that is a quintessential Nigerian/African trait to believe that bs !No native English speaker will laugh or make an issue because someone struggles with the intrinsic aspects of English grammar. That is what we do to each other.

/
Bad command of English after 16years (6-6-4) is a pointer that the student is not very smart. However, a good command of English is not a measure of intelligence. There are people who talk the talk and people who walk the walk. Both groups are equally intelligent in their own ways.

/

Hence English is our official language and is being use to teach you during your 16 years in school and you are still bad in it you are are not intelligent, am not talking of being perfect in it. There is no way u can understand even mathematics if u don't know English cos is not thought in native language or the language or chemistry cos everything revolves around English language so therefore is a measure of intelligence 100% I quote you if she can't speak come and go, how can she know 1+1 is 2 if she can't speak I came here yesterday how can she understand atom, electrons, talk of physics wey hard. So show me some one that is intelligent that makes bad sentence apart from common error that we all does.

So Tuface and Olamide and co are not intelligent. LMAO.

SmartMindsFx:
Intelligence doesn't have anything at all to do with fluency in English.

Those that argued are just dumb because what their argument explains is that those who don't speak English at all are not intelligent.

I saw a video on BBC website last month and its about a store in China where you can get a mobile device built from scratch.

The fun thing is that the founder and most workers don't speak English correctly.

So, what's the argument again?

Oga, that Chinese man can speak his lingua franca (Mandarin) very well. He has no business with English. It's not his lingua franca and he wasn't taught in school with it.

What OP means is as a Nigerian graduate, shouldn't you have a good command of the English language? bearing in mind that it's our official language and we were taught in school with it.

I'm only against those graduates who feel they don't have to speak and/or write good English because "English no be my papa language"

On the correlation between fluency in English language (as a Nigerian) and intelligence, that's a different kettle of fish

Dumb dumb dumb post

English is just a f**king language nothing more

psalmmark:
By definition intelligence is the capacity of mind, especially to understand principles, truths, facts or meanings, acquire knowledge, and apply it to practice; the ability to learn and comprehend.
When a fellow can correctly apply the knowledge he acquires through English , the person can be termed intelligent and vice versa.
For someone who is taught with English language, it could be a measure of intelligence.

i am disappointed that most people here cannot even apply critical thinking to such a question.


So far, you are one of few people to have done that.


Let us replace English with language. Someone with a firm grasp of ANY language can be said to have a measure of intelligence.

Is fluency in English A measure of Intelligence? Yes

Is fluency in English the ONLY measure of intelligence? No.


The OP was right in his estimation that fluency in English is a measure of intelligence, however, most of those commenting here have some serious deficiencies in UNDERSTANDING and INTERPRETATION of English, else, they would not have been making such terrible postulations as regards the position of English in intelligence quotient.

Let us hope they are intelligent in other aspects.

hahn:


Why you no go talk like that?

You get wahala I swear. I don laugh tire

Chukwuemeka007:


Oga, that Chinese man can speak his lingua franca (Mandarin) very well. He has no business with English. It's not his lingua franca and he wasn't taught in school with it.

What OP means is as a Nigerian graduate, shouldn't you have a good command of the English language? bearing in mind that it's our official language and we were taught in school with it.

I'm only against those graduates who feel they don't have to speak and/or write good English because "English no be my papa language"

On the correlation of fluency in English language (as a Nigerian) and intelligence, that's a different kettle of fish

I understand the OP's point and I didn't base my point on his point.

I read some harsh comments and that triggered mine.

English is not the first language of India but yet you find them doing great things.

This thread is part of reasons why British Council and ETS will continue to organise tests and make so much money.

Imagine correlating speaking English to the Chinese when it's not their official language?

StylesX:
You don't understand me dear, i am the one disagreeing with the notion, i told her English is a measure of intelligence but she is disagreeing, maybe she can't speak English too.

How can English be a measure of intelligence... Go to the UK and see many dumb whites who just know how to talk and speak good English...

But then... Dem be complete olodo.

The only way to measure intelligence is via quantitive reasoning

spiritedtete:


How can English be a measure of intelligence... Go to the UK and see many dumb whites who just know how to talk and speak good English...

But then... Dem be complete olodo.

The only way to measure intelligence is via quantitive reasoning

So why is there a verbal section in standardised tests?

English is just as language and not a measure for intelligence

Gerrard59:



So why is there a verbal section in standardised tests?

Verbal is mainly for reasoning... It can come in any laugauge... Hausa, Turkish, Italian... Etc.

And it's mainly to test if you understand the language.

The title of this thread ought to be:

"IS FLUENCY IN A LINGUA FRANCA A MEASURE OF INTELLIGENCE?"

So all the Chinese, German, Indian, French, etc crew will get a better understanding of the subject matter.

As a Nigerian, having gone through 6-3-3-4/5, you ought to have a very good command of the English language because you were taught with it from kindergarten through to the university/polytechnic and you even studied it as a subject.

On the issue of correlation between fluency (in English as a Nigerian) and intelligence, it's not a straight forward thing because: Some Nigerians aren't fluent or can't even speak English at all but they are smart and intelligent in their dealing, but as a Nigerian Secondary School/University/Polytechnic graduate, it can't be ruled off.

Fluency in English language (taking Nigeria as a case study here) is partially a test of intelligence.

What is Intelligence?

It is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.

If you have undergone the training to acquire the knowledge and skills for speaking the language and at the end of it you could not, that means u are not very intelligent in that field. So we can say that such person is not all that educationally intelligent. You are not writing such a person off as a total slowpoke.

In the other hand, I will say that fluency in English language can never be a test for intelligent for a person who was not opportune to undergo the training or who partially attended the training.

So this argument should only apply to who has fully received the training. The fluency there means that the speaker has bn able to acquire the technique and he is applying it skillfully. That is INTELLIGENCE.

spiritedtete:


Verbal is mainly for reasoning... It can come in any laugauge... Hausa, Turkish, Italian... Etc.

And it's mainly to test if you understand the language.

Reasoning is part of intelligence ditto mastery of the language. There is no IQ test that doesn't involve verbal reasoning in whatever language of choice.