Title: CAUSES OF MINORITY LANGUAGE DEATH IN NIGERIA: A SOCIOLINGUISTIC PERSPECTIVE

Authors:
Onyenwe Isidore Anayochukwu

Abstract: Abstract This study examines the causes of minority language death in Nigeria from a sociolinguistic perspective. Although language death has attracted considerable scholarly attention, limited research has specifically addressed the factors responsible for the decline of minority languages in Nigeria. The study is anchored on UNESCO’s (2003) framework for assessing language vitality and endangerment, which provides the theoretical basis for understanding the conditions that make minority languages vulnerable to extinction. The study adopted a mixed methods research design involving a descriptive survey and qualitative approaches. The population comprised all Professors, Senior Lecturers, and Postgraduate Students in the Department of Linguistics and African Languages, University of Abuja. A stratified purposive sampling technique was used to select 20 participants for the study. Data were collected using the Causes of Minority Language Death Questionnaire (CMLDQ), Focus Group Discussion Guide, and Key Informant Interview Schedule. The instruments were subjected to face and content validity, while the reliability of the questionnaire was established through a pilot test using the split-half method, which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.79. Quantitative data were analyzed using mean scores, while qualitative data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed thematically. The findings revealed that minority language death in Nigeria is caused by breakage in intergenerational language transmission between parents and children, bilingualism, negative governmental attitude, poor documentation, and negative attitudes of speakers toward their own languages. The study recommends language patriotism, quality documentation, unbiased governmental attitude, and the sustenance of intergenerational language transmission between minority language parents and children as necessary measures for reducing, if not preventing, minority language death in Nigeria. Keywords: Minority language, Language death, Intergenerational transmission, Language documentation, Bilingualism, Language policy and Language patriotism

Publication Date: 2026-06-04