REVISITING THE LINGUA FRANCA QUESTION IN NIGERIA: INSIGHTS FROM THE 2015 ELECTIONEERING CAMPAIGNS

Chimaobi Dick Onwukwe, Uzoma Chukwuemeka Okugo, Roseline Ihuoma Ndimele, Edith Ngozi Onukawa

Abstract


This paper examined patterns and domains  of  the  use  of  languages  in  the  2015  electioneering  campaign  rallies across Nigeria. Mixed method involving content and critical discourse analyses as well as oral interviews were adopted. It was observed that some dominant language(s) in some regions were solely used during rallies. In some situations, they were used alongside the English language with the ethnic/local languages used for interpretations.  Our investigations  also  reveal  that  the  Nigerian  pidgin  was  used  frequently  across regions/zones  in  Nigeria. The study further identified that the  dynamics  in  the  use  of  languages,  reflecting ethnic/cultural  appeals  during  the  campaign  rallies,  is an indication of regional use of languages which is believed to be more efficient than the much-talked about but failed national lingua franca issue in Nigeria.


Keywords


Lingua franca; Political communication; Politics of language; Linguistic pluralism; Regional Lingua franca

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