Abstract
This study investigated
language use in public domains among communities speaking Kataf cluster
languages, focusing on the emerging trend of increased use of Hausa and the
implications. Guided by theories on language endangerment and multilingualism, the
quantitative research design was adopted to investigate the phenomenon. A sub-section
of a structured questionnaire (complemented by open-ended interviews) was used as
instrument(s) to generate the required data. The native speakers of the cluster’s
member languages were the research population. In keeping with the scientific
research procedure, purposive random sampling was used as the technique to
select five hundred persons as the research informants, as it was not possible
to reach all the persons that constituted the research population. The sample
comprised fifty persons from each of the ten ethnolinguistic groups covered by
the research (i.e. 50 persons x 10 groups = 500 informants). The desire to
select more enlightened persons who could read in-between the lines, i.e. persons
who knew the way language use practices should ideally be and understood how
such practices appeared among the focused communities, was the rationale for
employing the chosen sampling technique. Thus, the sample comprised educated
males and females between the ages of 18 and 45 years, mostly civil servants
(teachers, administrators, etc.) that possessed the Nigeria Certificate in
Education (NCE) or equivalents as minimum educational qualification.
Descriptive statistics in the form of frequency and percentage distributions were
employed as the mode of data analysis. The data analyzed in tables (1) to (5) not
only revealed a gradual decline in the use of Kataf cluster languages in public
settings in favour of Hausa but also provided strong evidence for the
endangerment of the affected languages, highlighting potential consequences for
cultural identity, community cohesion, and wider linguistic diversity.
DOI: www.doi.org/10.36349/tjllc.2024.v03i01.001
author/Ibrahim Ahmed (PhD)
journal/Tasambo JLLC | 15 February 2024 | Article 01
