Fluency in English is not a measure of intelligence..Intelligence is not needed to be fluent in English all you need is good memory to understand your lexis and structures, rules of concord, figures of speech and so many more to spice your expression. The true test of intelligence is creativity. Fluency in English will only aid you to express your creativity to wider world.

obailala:
English fluency may not be an established measure of intelligence in the large scheme of things. However, in a country like Nigeria where English isn't our first language and where most people are first exposed to English language in schools, when other yardsticks of measurement are absent, an individuals command of English language can be used as a first pointer to measure the person's intelligence/aptitude.

With regards to the corper girl with the appalling English grammar, I'm sorry to say but she must be dumb. After attending different levels of school for at least 18 years of her life, if she can't still string together a simple decent sentence, or spell simple words correctly, then her aptitude for learning must be very low.

Sorry, you failed to take into cognisance the environment she lives and the schools she attended. where i come from children dont speak English amongs themselves even at school not to talk of home. But yet we find some who do very well in all subjects but written or spoken English.

aaronson:
Most people say English isnt a measurement of intelligence, well that's their opinion. Personally, i equate people style of enunciation to match thier level of intelligence quotient, I never get it wrong when i put you in a category of IQ range using your communication skill.

Here is the logic.

The more you read or get exposed to more vocabulary, you learn more words to easily express yourself. Which is in great contrast to people who weren't exposed to too many vocabulary hence, it gets difficult to express themselves and this often leads to conflict, misjudgement or even trouble because you lack the capability to express yourself due to few words in your brain.

correct oil full your head!

nothing to write again... 100% right!
thanks for simplifying the question!

Imagine what Nigerians are debating. It only shows how lowly intelligent those debating this are.

Chinese and Japanese are one of the smartest people on earth and guess what? They don't speak English

[quote author=Apina post=73936257]
Nope. English is just 1 language out of over 1000 languages, I have some of the best English speakers as students but most na olodo

TonyeBarcanista:

Were you taught tenses, grammar, comprehension, writing etc in your native language? NO

Was your organisation education done in your native language? NO

Is your native language the language of business in Nigeria? NO

So having terrible command of the English language is a pointer that the person isn't intelligent.

I slightly disagree with you. Being taught English in school and not having a good command of it cannot be completely attributed to not being intelligent. There are students that excel in other discipline than the arts and those that do not. In addition due to the poorly funding of Nigerian education system some people had a very bad start ( poorly trained teachers, lack of reading materials etc) and coupled with their environment (mostly living in rural or slum area with uneducated parents, lack of interaction with those that have good command of English language) they never had the opportunity to bridge that gap. Even those that did it took a lot of hard work and in some instances it still rares up its ugly head.

Being educated and not having good command of English is an indication of a fault in the persons basic education and also in most cases in the person's ability to improve his/herself. But not necessarily a function of intelligence because the person in question may excel in other fields, hence, people in that field will consider him/her a genius.

Also there are people suffering from Dyslexia that doesn't mean that they not intelligent. So not having a command of the English language could be related to a number of factors and not necessarily intelligence.

The OP used English as the typical example.The question should be whether proficiency in a lingua franca is a measure of ones intelligence.

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.

Writing skills isn't fluency. & Fluency isn't intelligence.
Whoeva wrote that thing may be very fluent. I've seen many fluent people who don't know how to write v.well & intelligent people who ain't fluent

thebosstrevor:


closed for impacting knowledge in local language.

you are funny

All schools in Nigeria from primary to higher education (uni, poly etc) are expected to teach in the official language of Nigeria and that happens to be English. Tell me, if your child is in say primary 5 and you heard his or her teacher teaches them the English language(as a subject) in Igbo/Yoruba/Hausa how would you feel? And what would be your next action?


The reason this thread is going on and on is that many people here are actually unintelligent, of a truth English itself isn't a measure of intelligence but ability to speak and write in the language you've been taught with since you were a kid properly, is a sign of intelligence.

You want to understand the OP's position? Change the country of consideration to say China and replace the English language with Mandarin(the Chinese language) then ask this same question?

If a Chinese in China who's been taught Mandarin all their life up to adulthood can't speak Mandarin properly, then that person is dull/dumb/unintelligent.


Maybe the OP had an issue with properly presenting the question to the forum.

aaronson:
Most people say English isnt a measurement of intelligence, well that's their opinion. Personally, i equate people style of enunciation to match thier level of intelligence quotient, I never get it wrong when i put you in a category of IQ range using your communication skill.

Here is the logic.

The more you read or get exposed to more vocabulary, you learn more words to easily express yourself. Which is in great contrast to people who weren't exposed to too many vocabulary hence, it gets difficult to express themselves and this often leads to conflict, misjudgement or even trouble because you lack the capability to express yourself due to few words in your brain.

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.

babyfaceafrica:
why?....

please do read my response to the other person that quoted the same post

Biglittlelois:


My points are based on the officiall language of a Country, i'm not equating or comparing intelligence of two or more countries, your previous comments talked about mental slavery of whites and all, my points being that, English, the official language in Nigeria, has greater percentage when measuring intelligence, not our different languages or how fluent one is.

You have really tried by arguing with a pebble.

Language is a test of intelligence and that is why it is part of an IQ test.

Other areas are logic and mathematics. A person who only knows mathematics can be said to be dull. How can intelligence only be based on Mathematics as a yardstick for "brilliance"? Is a 4.85 CGPA in mechanical engineering "intelligence"? If the guy cannot speak English then he probably crammed or cheated, because if he can't speak English he probably cannot read or understand the language either.

The arguments about a lingua franca, coming from your opponents on the issue, are just absurd and highlight further why English/language is a measure of intelligence.

Generally speaking, a person's command of English as a second language is a pointer to their intelligence which in itself is defined simply as the ability to understand.
Here in Nigeria, I'm yet to come across a fluent English speaker who hasn't gone beyond language proficiency to impress me in other spheres of human endeavour.

Is Buhari intelligent?

Another senseless way of thinking. This is exactly why Nigeria is where it is now. How can ones intelligence be tied to thier fluency in English language? Hello its like saying because Chukwudi or Batubde is fluent in IBO or Yoruba they are more intelligent than those who are not that fluent. Stupid logic.
The only acceptable way one can use language to measure someones intellectual capacity is the nunber of Languages they can speak. So fluency in onlyvEnglish is not a yardstick, there are extremely dull people who are perfect with the English diction, But fluency in say 4-5 Languages is a yardstick. in other words a man that can speak perfect Queens English cannot be compared to another man that speaks Russian, French, Yoruba/Ibo/Hausa, and a little or no Englishs. This is a true reflection of ones intellectual capacity.
The irony is when one speak perfect English very low thinking people thinks thats a reflection of their I.Q.
i onced saw a show where an American comedian proved this. He made a very unintellegent sentence in perfect queens Englisb and the crowd didnt even get, and thought he was right, simple cos he said it in perfect English. He simply made a statement that Cocoa drink is made from Coconut, which was not only incorrect but stupid. But most of the people in the crowd thought he was right.
The APC and its officials like Fashola, Osibanjo knows this, this is why they spill so much falacies and lies in perfect diction to decieve their dull supporters.
EG.
1.“16 Years of PDP miss rule”. truth is Lagos is under Tinubu for over 19years, it simply means Tinubu has been in power for morethan 16 years, but is Lagos now a London or Dubai? infact a recent survey showed lagos is in the top 3 worst cities to live in.

Albert Einstein considered to by many to be one of the most intelligent people that have ever graced this earth is very poor in English language, infact he is know to have said speakibg English isva burden to him. Unless you can show ne anyone thats smarter than him cos he speaks better English, this your logic should be tussed to the trash can.

there was dis course mate of mine back in school ,who can speak English from now till tomorrow,but cant write down exactly who he speaks....

English is a great conveyor of intelligence but the intelligence it’s self has to be evident in the person in question.

Meaning weda na broken or queens English make una use sense talk am

@poster, your assertion could be likened to saying "fine handwriting is a measure of intelligence". rubbish. who English help

aaronson:
Most people say English isnt a measurement of intelligence, well that's their opinion. Personally, i equate people style of enunciation to match thier level of intelligence quotient, I never get it wrong when i put you in a category of IQ range using your communication skill.

Here is the logic.

The more you read or get exposed to more vocabulary, you learn more words to easily express yourself. Which is in great contrast to people who weren't exposed to too many vocabulary hence, it gets difficult to express themselves and this often leads to conflict, misjudgement or even trouble because you lack the capability to express yourself due to few words in your brain.

Well said.... Well said...

DukeofNZ:
Knowing formal English or one's official language doesn't automatically mean being intelligent. Brilliance is different from intelligence. Intelligence is superior to brilliance. All one need to be brilliant is focus and dedication in the area of one's academic or formal interest. Take that boy called grammarnazi1 of nairaland for example. He is not intelligent, but he knows above average about grammar.

Niggas be throwing shade..

henryobinna:
All schools in Nigeria from primary to higher education (uni, poly etc) are expected to teach in the official language of Nigeria and that happens to be English. Tell me, if your child is in say primary 5 and you heard his or her teacher teaches them the English language(as a subject) in Igbo/Yoruba/Hausa how would you feel? And what would be your next action?


The reason this thread is going on and on is that many people here are actually unintelligent, of a truth English itself isn't a measure of intelligence but ability to speak and write in the language you've taught with since you were a kid properly, is a sign of intelligence.

You want to understand the OP's position? Change the country of consideration to say China and replace the English language with Mandarin(the Chinese language) then ask this same question?

If a Chinese in China who's been taught Mandarin all their life up to adulthood can't speak Mandarin properly, then that person is dull/dumb/unintelligent.


Maybe the OP had an issue with properly presenting the question to the forum.

i guess you are using the major cities to start your case.

DukeofNZ:
Knowing formal English or one's official language doesn't automatically mean being intelligent. Brilliance is different from intelligence. Intelligence is superior to brilliance. All one need to be brilliant is focus and dedication in the area of one's academic or formal interest. It's disheartening that my father is not intelligent.

Don't be disrespectful.

Buffalowings3:

Niggas be throwing shade..

broda, me no de fear anyone. not when i know say i go best am in almost every good thing.

If English is your mothertongue then your proficiency in organizing grammatical statements and responses can be used as a meaaure of intelligence. Being articulate in any language is akin to solving complex problems, this is why we give reverence to poets and writers.

However, the propensity in which Europeans use their respective languages to denigrate diverse African cultures and contributions to science and disruptive technologies has no iota of relevance when it comes to measuring intelligence of the common man. Some Nigerians inadvertently do the bidding of European zenophobes when they mock their own people with foreign instruments in ordee to prove we are lacking.

Yes, most Africans lack access to education, and No being educated does not make you superhuman. Someone who lacks educatiom today and gains it in latter years can catch up or even excede the early bloomer.

Until u travel to China, France, Spain or even Said Arabia and u speak ur so called fluent English, and no one seems to understand u, then u will realize the obvious truth, English is just a language, and can be Mastered by anyone who devotes time to it, it's never a measure of intelligence.

MJBOLT:

English Is not a measure of intelligence

lol you can say that again Mr decimate= destruction

English is just a language and should never be the yardstick to measure intelligency. But hey, in this case of this corper I'd gladly say she's unintelligent. If after all these years in school she cannot string good English together. Hers is very abysmal because I have intelligent friends who are not that fluent and you can still excuse them.
But this is way too much and if you say she's intelligent how did she graduate?
Who supervised her project in school?
How will cope with that kind of English self
Fada lawd!!!!!!!!!!

It is not a measure of intelligence, but it is necessary to be fluent in your country's official language.

Lack thereof would close many doors for you. It could hinder you from getting a job, getting a promotion or even prevent people from recognizing your intelligence.

Learning English in Nigeria allows you to communicate better with a wider audience. I see it alot in the university; people with average intelligence excelling because of their communication skills.

So, the thing is most people don't even know the meaning of intelligence

Tellemall:


You have really tried by arguing with a pebble.

Language is a test of intelligence and that is why it is part of an IQ test.

Other areas are logic and mathematics. A person who only knows mathematics can be said to be dull. How can intelligence only be based on Mathematics as a yardstick for "brilliance"? Is a 4.85 CGPA in mechanical engineering "intelligence"? If the guy cannot speak English then he probably crammed or cheated, because if he can't speak English he probably cannot read or understand the language either.

The arguments about a lingua franca, coming from your opponents on the issue, are just absurd and highlight further why English/language is a measure of intelligence.

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

sandee575:
Generally speaking, a person's command of English as a second language is a pointer to their intelligence which in itself is defined simply as the ability to understand.
Here in Nigeria, I'm yet to come across a fluent English speaker who hasn't gone beyond language proficiency to impress me in other spheres of human endeavour.

This is not exactly true, my grandma (now late) is one of the most intelligent person I have ever come across in my entire life. She had never been to the four walls of university talkelss of understanding English. But my discussion so far with her shows her prowess in many knowledge of life. The way she attend to family issues or even her views about life in General is commendable. She will easily pass the inteligence test if any exist. I will never categorize her as an illiterate though she is not westernly educated.