Nigerian students’ attitudes toward endonormative varieties of Nigerian English

Abstract

Previous language attitude research in Nigeria compared Nigerian English (NgE) to exonormative Englishes, such as British, American and Canadian Englishes, whereas this study examines attitudes toward endonormative varieties (Hausa English, HE; Igbo English, IE; and Yoruba English, YE) of NgE. Four hundred and six students drawn from three Nigerian universities located in the regions where these varieties are mainly spoken served as listener judges in a verbal-guise experiment. The results indicate that YE received higher ratings on status, solidarity and quality of language dimensions than HE or IE. Whilst YE received the highest ratings, HE was consistently rated as the least attractive. The study shows that the higher a variety was rated on the quality of language dimension, the higher it was rated on status and solidarity. The results indicate that, unlike in many linguistic contexts where more favourable linguistic demographic profiles accompany varieties with greater political status, this is not the case in Nigeria’s sociolinguistic context. These findings are discussed in light of ethnolinguistic vitality and the history and social development of Nigeria. This study allows for a better understanding of stereotype formation in educational settings and language-based stigma toward varieties of NgE.