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Multilingualism and Language Function in Nigeria

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 May 2014

Mobolaji A. Adekunle
Mobolaji A. Adekunle*
Affiliation:
School of Languages and Linguistics, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. On leave, University of Lagos, Nigeria
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Extract

To the casual observer, social communication across linguistic boundaries in Nigeria appears impossible as an indisputable consequence of the country's linguistic diversity. But this bird's-eye view of the language situation could be misleading. A more realistic picture emerges when this multilingual situation is studied in relation to the interaction among people within and across linguistic or administrative boundaries. As William Mackey has adequately put it,

Bilingualism is not a phenomenon of language; it is a characteristic of its use. It is not a feature of the code but of the message….

If language is the property of the group, bilingualism is the property of the individual. An individual's use of two languages supposes the existence of two different language communities; it does not suppose the existence of a bilingual community. The bilingual community can only be regarded as a dependent collection of individuals who have reasons for being bilingual (1968, p. 554).

In view of the importance of historical and administrative factors in the Nigerian social situation, language function will be discussed in terms of interaction within and across administrative units. Consequently, the problem of linguistic diversity and language function will be dealt with at the following levels of social interaction: (1) the district level, (2) the divisional level, (3) the provincial level, (4) the state level, (5) the regional level, and (6) the national level.

Type
Research Article
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 15 , Issue 2 , September 1972 , pp. 185 - 207
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 1972

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References

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