EFFECT OF LANGUAGE SHIFT AND LANGUAGE DEATH IN NIGERIA
EFFECT OF LANGUAGE SHIFT AND LANGUAGE DEATH IN NIGERIA
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
In
this research work, language shift means the process, or the event, in which a
population changes from using one language to another. As such recognition of
it depends on being able to see the prior and subsequent language as distinct,
and therefore the term excludes language change which can be seen as evolution
the transition from older to newer forms of the same language. Language shift
is a social phenomenon, whereby one language replaces another in a given
(continuing) society, it is due to underlying enhances in the composition and
aspiration of the sociality, which goes from speaking the old to the new
language. By definition, it is not an old structural change caused by the
dynamics of the old language as a system. The new language is adopted as a
result of contact with another language community, and so it is usually
possible to identify the new language as “ the same” as that is, a descendant
of language spoken somewhere else, even if the new language has some new
perhaps unprecedented, properties on the lips of the population that is
adopting it.
Language
shift result in the spread of the new language, some or all of whose speakers
are changing their allegiance. As a result some readings on language spread and
endangerment are relevant to language shift language shift may be an object of
conscious policy. But equally if may be a phenomenon which is unplanned, and
often unexplained in the other hand, language death can be called language
extinction or linguistic, and rarely also glottophagy occurs when a language
death is a process that affects speech communities where the level of
Linguistic competence that speakers possess of a given language vanity is
decreased, eventually resulting in no native or fluent speakers of the vanity.
Language death may affect any language idiom, including dialects and language.
Language death should not be confused with language attrition which is also
called Language Loss, which described the Loss of proficiency in a language at
the individual level.
It
should be noted that language death is typically the final outcome of language
shift and may manifest itself in one of the following ways:
Ø Gradual
language death
Ø Bottom
– to – top language death ; when language shift begins in a high level
environment such as the government
Ø Radical
language death
Ø Linguincide
(also known as sudden death language genocide, physical language death,
biological language death).
Ø The
most common process leading to language death is one in which a community of
speakers of one language becomes bilingual with another language, and gradually
allegiance to the second language until they cease to use their original,
heritage language.
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This
is a process of assimilation which may be voluntary or may be forced upon a
population.
Speakers of some
language particularly regional or minority language may decide to abandon them
based on economic or utilitarian grounds, in favour of languages regarded as
having greater utility or prestige. This process is gradual and can occur from
either bottom to top or top – to – bottom.
Language
with a small, geographically isolated population of speakers can also die when
their speakers are wiped out by genocide, disease, or natural disaster.
A
language is often declared to be dead even before the language has died. If
there are only a few elderly speakers of a language remains, and they no longer
use that language for communication, them the language that has reached such a
reduced stage of use is generally considered moribund. Half of the spoken
languages of the world are not being taught to new generations of children are
being socialized into it as their primary language – the process of
transmission is ended and the language itself will not survive past the current
generation. This is rarely a sudden event, but a slow process of each
generation learning less and less of the language, until. It use is relegated
to the domain of traditional use, such as in poetry and song.
Typically
the transmission of the language from adults to children becomes more and more
restricted, to the final setting that adults speaking the language will raise
children who never acquire fluency. One example of this process reaching its
conclusion is that of the Dalmatian Language.
Language
death can be fast, when the children are reasons such as work opportunities and
social status. Many children are rather being taught a lingual Franca with
English being the most widespread. At other times, minority languages service
much longer for example when the speakers try to 180 late themselves against a
minority population often, especially historically, governments have tried to
promote language death, not wishes to have minority languages.
To
this end language shift, also known as language assimilation is the process
whereby a speech community of a language shifts to speaking another language.
Often languages that are perceived to be higher status stabilize or spread at
the expense of other languages that are perceived by their own speakers to be
lower – status.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The
issue of language shift and possible death is very alarming to this part of the
world. A situation where first language (indigenous language) speakers of
English shift allegiance to the second language (English) is what will lead to
the death of the language.
Majority
of children do not find pride in speaking their language, even their parents
behave it is right for their children to use English even at informal
occasions, like a home.
This is not favourable to us at all as it may
kill our language and by retention kill our cultural heritage.
Language
is a symbol of unity, once last, so many thing follow. One cannot claim a good
identification of his or her tribe without having a fluent ability of speaking
his or her language.
This
often happen when people regard their language is intenor to another language
and this is a clear example of what happens in this part of the world. Nigerian
speakers of English believe their language is intenor to English, which make
them to shift all their effort to learning English.
However, this is not so as socio-
typists believe all language are equal there is no superior or intenor
language. This is problematic and this work aims at revealing the effects so as
to guide the populace to be properly guided and have hope in their language.
1.3 purpose of the Study
The
study aims at highlighting the effect of language shift which language death is
said to be the final stage of it. It should be noted that language death
affects both the language themselves and the people that speak them. This study
will reveal to the readers that the death of their language will not only
affect the language but them as well.
Specifically,
the study aims at studying the following:
1.
Effects of language shift and death on
language
2.
The problems of language death to
speakers of the language
1.4 significance of the Study
This
study will be very helpful to Nigerian
speakers of English who believe their language are intoner to English language and therefore see
themselves as intoner too because whatever affects the speakers of the language
too.
The
research work will also help students of English in sub-sequent works of
similar topic. The importance of the study cannot be over emphasize, so reader
of the work will be of great benefit to the work, especially those who believe
their language is intoner to another.
1.5 Research Questions
To
guide the research work, the followings research questions were formulated.
1.
Is there any effect of language shift
and death on Nigeria?
2.
Is languages shift and death a problem
to people?
1.6 Delimitation of the Study
The
study will not go beyond Akwa Ibom Language which is the area of the study. The
study will only concentrate on Ibibio language as this is known to the
researcher.
1.7
Limitation of the Study
This
study would have been extended to other Local Government Areas, but because of
time and finance, this was not possible. We would have also loved to look at
other Nigerian Language but the researcher can only speak Ibibio.
1.8
Definition of Operational Terms
1. Ibibio
Language: This is the dominant language in Akwa Ibom North East and it is
spoken by the majority of Akwa Ibom people.
2.
Speech
Community: A speech community is a group of people who share a set of
linguistic norms and expectations with regard to how their language should be
used.
3.
Dialects:
This is a language that is socially subordinated to a regional standard
language often historically cognate or genetically related to standard
language.
4.
Language Attrition: Language attrition is the process of decay that
a language experiences for lack of use.
5. Assimilation:
a process by which a person or a group’s language and / or culture come to
resemble those of another group.
6. Genocide: systematic destruction of all
a significant part of a racial, ethnic, religious or national group.
7.
Kasabe:
A language in the Manbily region of Cameroon’s Adamawa province which crystal
found to have died.
8. Anomie:
A situation in which a society provides little moral guidance to
individuals.
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