Language Policy and Planning in Nigeria

Abstract

This monograph describes the language planning situation in Nigeria, one of the most multilingual countries in Africa. It is divided into four sections. The first section presents the language profile of Nigeria and provides a background of the general language situation in the country. The second section discusses language spread and use. It focuses particularly on language in education and the media. The core section of the monograph investigates language policy and planning, with an emphasis on the mother tongue medium (or first language) policy and the multilingual policy. The fourth discusses language maintenance and language shift in Nigeria with respect to the indigenous languages and English, the exoglossic language. It shows that in spite of the first-language and multilingual policies, English is still dominant in virtually every aspect of life and that concrete policy actions need to be taken not only to begin to break the hegemony of English but also to ensure that indigenous languages have a secure future. The final section also provides some practical insight on ways to begin to resolve some of the problems posed by Nigeria’s language policies.