Transculturalism: a path to the integration of the multilingual/multi-ethnic learners of English as a second language in Nigeria

Abstract

Culture is language and with language communication is possible. Transculturalism is the tool to understand other cultures and languages, but also to switch between cultures and languages as part of being in a society and living peacefully and happily in that society. This paper is a descriptive study that suggested ways of promoting intercultural communication and how culture boundaries can be broken in an English as a Second language classroom more especially in Nigeria bedevilled with ethnic, cultural, language and religious diversities. This paper vied off the support for the promotion of Nigeria’s three major languages –Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba at the expense of the over 450 others. As many number of cultures brought in by students to class can be blended in the class. The end product is transculturalism is creation of individuals with new identities that accommodate others. This paper believed that transculturalism can bring about integration in Nigeria. This topic was explored using the framework of Byram’s Intercultural communicative competence.

Keywords: transculturalism, Intercultural communicative competence, hybridization, multiculturalism, cosmopolitanism