Description
ABSTRACT
Previous studies have shown that people have different attitudes towards language, and factors such as status, role assignment and political considerations often condition users disposition. The studies have further shown that attitudes to the English Language in Nigerian have been largely positive, while attitudes to the indigenous languages have been negative. Some studies have been carried out on shift in language attitudes, which is a current sociolinguistic trend in Anambra State. This study therefore, investigated the attitudes of Igbo English bilinguals in selected work domains in Anambra State to determine the nature and pattern of the shift in attitudes to the English and Igbo languages. The mentalist theory formed the major theoretical framework of the study because it provided the basis on which speakers motivation/ language shift can be analysed. Data were collected through a validated questionnaire administered on 550 respondents selected through stratified random technique in five work domains: Judiciary, Legislature, Media, Sports, and Education. Also direct observation was carried out on the pattern of language attitudinal shift at the legislative, media, judiciary and education domains between January and September 2012. Interviews were conducted with 55 participants and two hypotheses were tested at 0.05 alpha level. Data were analysed using frequency counts, percentages and ttest. Findings from the media revealed a consistency to the English Language at the television sector but an attitudinal shift to the Igbo language at the radio sector. Also, the four weekly sessions at the Anambra State House of Assembly were conducted in both the English and Igbo Language at the ratio 3 to 1 respectively. An emerging attitudinal shift towards the Igbo language existed in media and legislative domains which 85.0 of the participants interviewed agreed had been influenced by government regulations. No significant differences were found in the attitudes of highly educated and less educated bilinguals as well as males and females. At the education domain, findings revealed no shift from the existing attitudinal pattern in which the English Language dominates. Attitudes to the English language among educated Igbo English bilinguals is still considerably positive, but there is a gradual positive attitudinal shift towards the Igbo language at the legislature and media domains. This is capable of influencing positive attitudes towards the indigenous language in several other domains in Anambra State. Government and other stakeholders in language development and policy making should further reengineer the language to be able to perform more functional roles in the various domains in order to sustain the positive attitudinal shift.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODCTION
It may seem unscholarly and unprofessional discussing language attitudes without examining what language is, what attitude is and what language attitude itself is. For this reason, we shall examine the concepts of language, attitude and language attitude. Language, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica is a system of conventional spoken or written symbols by means of which human beings as members of a social group and participants in its culture, express themselves.
Language can also be regarded as a noninstinctive system of communication which employs arbitrary and conventional symbols that are in accordance to the laid down set of rules that are used for human communication. This is what Kunle Adebayo 11 has in mind when he says Language is a representation of the world. Metaphorically, it is the carbon copy of the world made specifically for communication.
The concept attitude is defined as the way in which a person thinks, cognitive component feels affective component and intends to behave conative component towards something. It is the summation of the three components that is emphasised for determining the overall attitude and not a particular component Rajecki 33
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