SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE USE OF LANGUAGES IN NIGERIA WITH A PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE POSITION OF ARABIC, ENGLISH AND FRENCH
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Date
2024
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Sri Lankan Journal ofArabic and Islamic Studies Published by Faculty of Islamic Studies and Arabic Language Volume Vol 6 Issue. II1, July - September 2024 E-ISSN: 2550 – 3014, P. 79-96
Abstract
Nigeria is a multi-lingual, a multi-ethnic and a multi-cultural nation with Hausa, Ibo and
Yoruba as its national languages. Although other Nigerian languages are in acrimonious rivalries with
these official languages, Nigerian successive governments have been promoting other local languages
in order to foster a peaceful co-existence in the polity. Moreover, strong loyalty expected ofthe Nigerian
peoples to Nigerian languages is sharply shared between Nigerian official as well as local languages
and some recognized foreign languages in Nigeria. Despite that Arabic, English and French languages
are of enviable positions in Nigeria and are equally promoted by government and individuals, Nigerian
national and local languages have been playing divisive and destructive roles among divergent
Nigerian ethnic groups. Using the descriptive and analytical methods to achieve the intended research
goal of the current studies, the paper has conclusively arrived at an outcome that linguistic jingoism
inherent in all Nigerians has been responsible for a lack of trust amongst the Nigerians. In the same
vein, there are other multi-lingual, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural nations in the world which are of
multilingualism related conflicts, rumblings and vendetta, no matter how high is the level of their
civilization, sophistication and education..