A Sociolinguistic Profile of Longuda: A Minority Indigenous Nigerian Language

Abstract

This paper considers the sociolinguistic profile of Longuda, a minority, indigenous Nigerian language spoken by about 100,000 people. It is spoken mainly in Guyuk area of Adamawa State, North-East, Nigeria. It belongs to the Adamawa Eastern group of Niger – Congo language family. This paper is a modest attempt to document and preserve an endangered minority indigenous Nigerian language. Relatively little linguistic work has been done on the Longuda language. It has an orthography that was developed by the missionaries as a means of propagating Christianity. The missionaries studied the language only as a means of spreading Christianity, and translated the New Testament into Longuda. A complete grammar of Longuda has not yet been produced as not much research work has been carried out on the language. Much work is needed to fully develop and codify the language, especially the orthography. This paper will bring to the foreground, the historical background, the language and its speakers, its dialects and sociolinguistic status with its genetic classification and typology of Longuda. It is believed that a sociolinguistic profiling such as this will go a long way in saving this endangered language from extinction.