Acquiring Yoruba as a minority majority language in its host context

Abstract

The National Language Policy (NPL) in Nigeria empowers Yoruba as a major (national) language to be used as a medium of instruction for students in their first six years of basic education and subsequently combined with English language for secondary education. The purpose of this research was to compare the national majority language status of Yoruba in Ile-Ife, south-west Nigeria with the actual status, in terms of usage, of the language by children in schools. The study examined the implication of this comparison for Yoruba acquisition by analysing questionnaire responses from 51 students, aged 7–13, enrolled in classes from basic education to junior secondary school level. Findings reveal that (a) the competence and usage of Yoruba at home, school and other social domains is being consistently challenged and relegated by English, and (b) the suppression of Yoruba use was more evident in the school domain where students followed strict rules on English monolingual usage from teachers and administrators. The study concluded that there is a need to overhaul the disposition (and actions) of parents, children and other language stakeholders to Yoruba use in addition to the enforcement of the NPL by the government.