Pub Date : 2023-01-02DOI: 10.1080/10228195.2023.2203509
Folajimi Oyebola, Kingsley O. Ugwuanyi
Abstract Despite their increased functional load and widespread usage, no West African Pidgin English (WAPE) variety enjoys official recognition. In 2017, the BBC launched a Pidgin news service targeting the West African audience through its World Service branch in Nigeria. Now that WAPE is being promoted by the BBC, it remains to be known what attitudes speakers of WAPE varieties hold towards Pidgin in general and BBC Pidgin in particular. This study investigates the attitudes of Nigerian respondents towards the emergence of BBC Pidgin and their perception of Nigerian Pidgin, using the interview-questionnaire approach. The findings show that, generally, respondents have positive attitudes towards Nigerian Pidgin and BBC Pidgin. However, their attitudes towards considering using either of the two varieties for official purposes in Nigeria were generally negative, claiming that BBC Pidgin differs from the pidgin variety they use, especially with regard to its orthography and vocabulary.
{"title":"Attitudes of Nigerians Towards BBC Pidgin: A Preliminary Study","authors":"Folajimi Oyebola, Kingsley O. Ugwuanyi","doi":"10.1080/10228195.2023.2203509","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10228195.2023.2203509","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Despite their increased functional load and widespread usage, no West African Pidgin English (WAPE) variety enjoys official recognition. In 2017, the BBC launched a Pidgin news service targeting the West African audience through its World Service branch in Nigeria. Now that WAPE is being promoted by the BBC, it remains to be known what attitudes speakers of WAPE varieties hold towards Pidgin in general and BBC Pidgin in particular. This study investigates the attitudes of Nigerian respondents towards the emergence of BBC Pidgin and their perception of Nigerian Pidgin, using the interview-questionnaire approach. The findings show that, generally, respondents have positive attitudes towards Nigerian Pidgin and BBC Pidgin. However, their attitudes towards considering using either of the two varieties for official purposes in Nigeria were generally negative, claiming that BBC Pidgin differs from the pidgin variety they use, especially with regard to its orthography and vocabulary.","PeriodicalId":43882,"journal":{"name":"Language Matters","volume":"54 1","pages":"78 - 101"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48623884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-02DOI: 10.1080/10228195.2023.2188244
E. Nyamekye, G. Anani, Getrude Kuttin
Abstract Language and identity are two distinct but inextricably intertwined concepts. This implies that people—especially bilinguals—may manipulate their linguistic repertoires in different social settings to portray different identities. In this regard, we examined the language choices of university students in different social settings and how they use language to construct identity. The study employed a sequential transformative mixed method design; thus, qualitative and quantitative data were collected in two separate periods for analysis. In total, 627 participants took part in the study. Sixty students were personally interviewed, whereas 567 participants filled out an online survey. The results of the study indicate that students speak English in formal communicative situations and speak their L1 in informal settings. They speak English to portray an intellectual identity, while their first languages are spoken to divulge their affiliation with their family and ethnicity.
{"title":"Language Choice and Identity Construction among Bilinguals at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana","authors":"E. Nyamekye, G. Anani, Getrude Kuttin","doi":"10.1080/10228195.2023.2188244","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10228195.2023.2188244","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Language and identity are two distinct but inextricably intertwined concepts. This implies that people—especially bilinguals—may manipulate their linguistic repertoires in different social settings to portray different identities. In this regard, we examined the language choices of university students in different social settings and how they use language to construct identity. The study employed a sequential transformative mixed method design; thus, qualitative and quantitative data were collected in two separate periods for analysis. In total, 627 participants took part in the study. Sixty students were personally interviewed, whereas 567 participants filled out an online survey. The results of the study indicate that students speak English in formal communicative situations and speak their L1 in informal settings. They speak English to portray an intellectual identity, while their first languages are spoken to divulge their affiliation with their family and ethnicity.","PeriodicalId":43882,"journal":{"name":"Language Matters","volume":"54 1","pages":"3 - 20"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42308664","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-02DOI: 10.1080/10228195.2023.2184416
Mayowa Akinlotan
Abstract Discourses in Nigeria are fixated on core cultural ideologies through a multidimensional interface. The present study tests this interface by mapping out ideologies in crisis-driven political discourse centred on the herdsmen crisis. The paper argues that certain ideologies are characteristic of Nigerian political discourse and form the meaningful units of a wide range of its discourses. Drawing on 757 news headlines reporting the herdsmen crisis, the study further attests that crisis discourse in Nigeria is often patterned around certain prevalent ideologies, that is, religious divide, ethnicity, nationhood, power abuse, and citizen distrust, which can further be mapped onto the socio-political landscape of the country. The paper argues that since crisis-driven discourse in Nigeria is a construct of its building block ideologies, such discourse is best deconstructed from such underlying ideological architecture.
{"title":"Mapping Patterns of Ideologies in Nigeria’s Socio-political Discourse: Evidence from Herdsmen Discourse","authors":"Mayowa Akinlotan","doi":"10.1080/10228195.2023.2184416","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10228195.2023.2184416","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Discourses in Nigeria are fixated on core cultural ideologies through a multidimensional interface. The present study tests this interface by mapping out ideologies in crisis-driven political discourse centred on the herdsmen crisis. The paper argues that certain ideologies are characteristic of Nigerian political discourse and form the meaningful units of a wide range of its discourses. Drawing on 757 news headlines reporting the herdsmen crisis, the study further attests that crisis discourse in Nigeria is often patterned around certain prevalent ideologies, that is, religious divide, ethnicity, nationhood, power abuse, and citizen distrust, which can further be mapped onto the socio-political landscape of the country. The paper argues that since crisis-driven discourse in Nigeria is a construct of its building block ideologies, such discourse is best deconstructed from such underlying ideological architecture.","PeriodicalId":43882,"journal":{"name":"Language Matters","volume":"54 1","pages":"61 - 77"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44245463","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-02DOI: 10.1080/10228195.2023.2185903
O. Adebomi
Abstract This study extends scholarship on COVID-19 discourse by identifying the discourse strategies in Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari’s COVID-19 speeches and the persuasive intentions each strategy serves. It examines the aptness of Buhari’s choice of words and tropes in the heat of the pandemic. It adopts Douglas Walton’s rhetorical pragmatics as theoretical anchor. Excerpts were selected using purposive sampling. The study reveals that Buhari deployed eight discourse strategies, which fall within the logos, ethos, and pathos categorisation, in his argumentation. These strategies include use of numbering, figures and dates, avoidance of courtesies, portrayal of government as proactive, deployment of negative adverbs, rolling out safety measures, acknowledgements, emphasis on collaboration, and referencing. He also deploys tropes such as repetition, pun, and personification to establish the need for compliance with COVID-19 protocols. The study recommends that further sociolinguistic analysis of COVID-19 texts would demystify linguistic barriers associated with the pandemic.
{"title":"A Pragma-Rhetorical Analysis of Speeches of Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari on COVID-19","authors":"O. Adebomi","doi":"10.1080/10228195.2023.2185903","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10228195.2023.2185903","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This study extends scholarship on COVID-19 discourse by identifying the discourse strategies in Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari’s COVID-19 speeches and the persuasive intentions each strategy serves. It examines the aptness of Buhari’s choice of words and tropes in the heat of the pandemic. It adopts Douglas Walton’s rhetorical pragmatics as theoretical anchor. Excerpts were selected using purposive sampling. The study reveals that Buhari deployed eight discourse strategies, which fall within the logos, ethos, and pathos categorisation, in his argumentation. These strategies include use of numbering, figures and dates, avoidance of courtesies, portrayal of government as proactive, deployment of negative adverbs, rolling out safety measures, acknowledgements, emphasis on collaboration, and referencing. He also deploys tropes such as repetition, pun, and personification to establish the need for compliance with COVID-19 protocols. The study recommends that further sociolinguistic analysis of COVID-19 texts would demystify linguistic barriers associated with the pandemic.","PeriodicalId":43882,"journal":{"name":"Language Matters","volume":"54 1","pages":"21 - 39"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45275935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-02DOI: 10.1080/10228195.2023.2208451
L. Barnes
The opening article in this first issue of the year focuses on the two distinct but inextricably intertwined concepts, language and identity. Ernest Nyamekye, Gifty Anani and Getrude Kuttin examine how bilinguals manipulate their linguistic repertoires in different social settings to portray different identities. Their examination focuses on the language choices of university students at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana and how they use language to construct identity in different social settings.
{"title":"Editorial","authors":"L. Barnes","doi":"10.1080/10228195.2023.2208451","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10228195.2023.2208451","url":null,"abstract":"The opening article in this first issue of the year focuses on the two distinct but inextricably intertwined concepts, language and identity. Ernest Nyamekye, Gifty Anani and Getrude Kuttin examine how bilinguals manipulate their linguistic repertoires in different social settings to portray different identities. Their examination focuses on the language choices of university students at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana and how they use language to construct identity in different social settings.","PeriodicalId":43882,"journal":{"name":"Language Matters","volume":"54 1","pages":"1 - 2"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46843186","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-02DOI: 10.1080/10228195.2023.2193035
{"title":"Call for Contributions: A Special Issue on Afrikaans Sociolinguistics","authors":"","doi":"10.1080/10228195.2023.2193035","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10228195.2023.2193035","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":43882,"journal":{"name":"Language Matters","volume":"54 1","pages":"149 - 151"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49219702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-09-02DOI: 10.1080/10228195.2022.2125553
Isaac Mumpande, L. Barnes
Abstract Language revitalisation initiatives are often faced with numerous socio- economic and political challenges which, if not mitigated, could overwhelm them. Using three schools of thought on language revitalisation, namely the Proponents, the Pessimists, and the Opponents, this article examines how internal and external challenges affected the language revitalisation initiative of the endangered Tonga speech community in Zimbabwe. It argues that endangered speech communities are often misconstrued as homogeneous and willing to fight and die for their languages. This study, however, reveals that endangered speech communities are intricate heterogeneous entities in which competing interests may jeopardise the revitalisation process. The study identifies six factors which obstructed the process of Tonga revitalisation. The most significant factors were the lack of a standardised variety of Tonga, the legacy of discriminatory language policies in Zimbabwe, and the opposition of politicians.
{"title":"Obstacles and Challenges Confronting Tonga Revitalisation in Zimbabwe","authors":"Isaac Mumpande, L. Barnes","doi":"10.1080/10228195.2022.2125553","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10228195.2022.2125553","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Language revitalisation initiatives are often faced with numerous socio- economic and political challenges which, if not mitigated, could overwhelm them. Using three schools of thought on language revitalisation, namely the Proponents, the Pessimists, and the Opponents, this article examines how internal and external challenges affected the language revitalisation initiative of the endangered Tonga speech community in Zimbabwe. It argues that endangered speech communities are often misconstrued as homogeneous and willing to fight and die for their languages. This study, however, reveals that endangered speech communities are intricate heterogeneous entities in which competing interests may jeopardise the revitalisation process. The study identifies six factors which obstructed the process of Tonga revitalisation. The most significant factors were the lack of a standardised variety of Tonga, the legacy of discriminatory language policies in Zimbabwe, and the opposition of politicians.","PeriodicalId":43882,"journal":{"name":"Language Matters","volume":"53 1","pages":"25 - 46"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44038641","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-09-02DOI: 10.1080/10228195.2022.2143873
Pedro Álvarez-Mosquera, Frieda Coetzee
Abstract This article explores the linguistic landscape (LL) of semi-informal markets in townships in the Tshwane (Pretoria) Metropolis in South Africa. Similar to other urban African markets, these LLs operate in a context of longstanding and ever-changing multilingualism and multiculturalism. Several indigenous and colonial South African languages are spoken in the area and many traders in the markets are immigrants from other African and South Asian countries. Despite this multilingualism, the public signage is dominated by English. The analysis draws on the semiotic reading of the LL by residents regarding the indexicality of traders’ names. Local sign writers provide insight into their instrumental role in shaping the LL of these areas. Furthermore, we draw on the notions of emplacement, spatial scope, and assemblages of semiotics to discuss the significance of mobile phone numbers in unregulated, potentially high-risk activities.
{"title":"“A Name That Recognises You”: Local Analysis of Semiotic Dynamics in Semi-Informal Markets in South Africa","authors":"Pedro Álvarez-Mosquera, Frieda Coetzee","doi":"10.1080/10228195.2022.2143873","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10228195.2022.2143873","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This article explores the linguistic landscape (LL) of semi-informal markets in townships in the Tshwane (Pretoria) Metropolis in South Africa. Similar to other urban African markets, these LLs operate in a context of longstanding and ever-changing multilingualism and multiculturalism. Several indigenous and colonial South African languages are spoken in the area and many traders in the markets are immigrants from other African and South Asian countries. Despite this multilingualism, the public signage is dominated by English. The analysis draws on the semiotic reading of the LL by residents regarding the indexicality of traders’ names. Local sign writers provide insight into their instrumental role in shaping the LL of these areas. Furthermore, we draw on the notions of emplacement, spatial scope, and assemblages of semiotics to discuss the significance of mobile phone numbers in unregulated, potentially high-risk activities.","PeriodicalId":43882,"journal":{"name":"Language Matters","volume":"53 1","pages":"112 - 132"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46709163","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-09-02DOI: 10.1080/10228195.2022.2122540
G. Uwen, Eyo O. Mensah
Abstract This article explores the expressive use of slang and jargon by officers and men of the Nigerian Army in a bid to construct social identity, enforce discipline, and conform to work ethics. The study adopts linguistic ideology and community of practice theories which are complemented by the notion of style as performance to provide frameworks for understanding military subjectivities and attitudes represented by these emblematic linguistic resources. Data were sourced through participant observation and semi-structured interviews with 30 participants. The study found that military slang and jargon help ease communication between officers and men as they index power, enhance solidarity, facilitate inclusion (and exclusion), and promote varied military subcultures. We conclude that situated language practices provide a site for linguistic creativity and the enactment of style that sustain meaningful relationships between personnel in the army. This linguistic practice, therefore, offers strong social capital in defining collective identities and professional belonging.
{"title":"Tomorrow May Not Be Yours: Military Slang and Jargon as Linguistic Performance in Nigeria","authors":"G. Uwen, Eyo O. Mensah","doi":"10.1080/10228195.2022.2122540","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10228195.2022.2122540","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This article explores the expressive use of slang and jargon by officers and men of the Nigerian Army in a bid to construct social identity, enforce discipline, and conform to work ethics. The study adopts linguistic ideology and community of practice theories which are complemented by the notion of style as performance to provide frameworks for understanding military subjectivities and attitudes represented by these emblematic linguistic resources. Data were sourced through participant observation and semi-structured interviews with 30 participants. The study found that military slang and jargon help ease communication between officers and men as they index power, enhance solidarity, facilitate inclusion (and exclusion), and promote varied military subcultures. We conclude that situated language practices provide a site for linguistic creativity and the enactment of style that sustain meaningful relationships between personnel in the army. This linguistic practice, therefore, offers strong social capital in defining collective identities and professional belonging.","PeriodicalId":43882,"journal":{"name":"Language Matters","volume":"53 1","pages":"91 - 111"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2022-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43027750","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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