Linguistic Strategies of Adaptation: Hausa in Southern Nigeria (original) (raw)
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This study entitled ‘Language and the behavioural patterns of the Hausas, Ibos, and Yorubas of Nigeria’ is designed to find out whether or not language determines the behaviour of its speakers, using the Hausas, Ibos and Yorubas of Nigeria as a focal point. The theoretical linguistic tool adopted in this study is linguistic determinism championed by Edward Sapir (1884 – 1939) and his follower, Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897 – 1941) in the popular Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. To achieve the objective of this study, linguistic tools such as words, proverbs, idioms and wise-sayings relating to types of food, clothing (wears), politics, education, law and other aspects of the culture of each of the above linguistic communities were randomly collected (through interview) for the purpose of finding out whether any of them can be said to be responsible for any particular behaviour being exhibited by members of the linguistic community. The study unambiguously revealed, among others, that each of the ...
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Port Harcourt City is the capital of Rivers State, Nigeria. Many centuries ago the present day location called Port Harcourt was inhabited only by the minority Ikwerre ethnic group, but today Port Harcourt is a metropolitan city, with over a million people (made up of Ikwerre and largely non Ikwerre indigenes from other parts of Nigeria, and a significant number of foreign nationals who work in the petroleum and allied industries). Due to the metropolitan nature of present day Port Harcourt, the Ikwerre now have to share their community with non Ikwerre people from other parts of the country, with whom they have no linguistic affinity. Thus, the medium of wider communication is naturally NPE (Nigerian Pidgin English). It is the language spoken at school and in the local neighbourhoods by children, at work and market by their parents and NPE is also commonly used for sermons in most Christian church services. Further, I observed, while doing fieldwork in Port Harcourt between May and...
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