Sociolinguistic Study of Language, Social Identity and Behavioural Patterns of Keke Operators in Lafia Metropolis

Abstract

It is safe to state that sociolinguistics is the study of the language identity and behaviour of a speaker. Such a study of sociolinguistics will normally and apparently rely on the individual’s considerable conscious or unconscious degree of choice of the linguistic variables or forms they use in their daily speech. These choices could make essential contribution to the indexing of personal stance, identity, and communicative function of language use since the belief is that language(s) do not exist outside the societies in which they are used. ‘Sociolinguistic study of language, social identity, and behavioural patterns of keke operators in Lafia metropolis is a study of how tricycle operators, called ‘keke napep’ construct their social identity through their linguistic patterns to suit their job. The study also identified the linguistic behaviours and peculiarities of the group. Being a qualitative study, a primary approach was employed with the deployment of a participant observatory method. The ethnography of communication was applied as the basis of the framework of the study, which relied on first-hand observations of the behaviour of the keke operators. The framework itself was an adaptation of the Sapir-Whorf theory of relativity hypothesis concerned with social problems that invade the field of language. The findings showed that language served the function of social identity and aspiration, while the environment in which the group operate does influence their speech, behaviour, and attitude.