INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES: AN ENDURING CULTURAL HERITAGE (Solg 104)

Introduction

Nigeria's linguistic landscape is one of the most complex in the world. These notes examine indigenous Nigerian languages as cultural heritage, the status of English as an official yet non-indigenous language, the majority/minority language distinction, and the contested question of how many languages Nigeria possesses.

I. Language as Cultural Heritage

Igbo women dancing 

• Elugbe (1990:10) defines a Nigerian language as any language indigenous to Nigeria, with a definite location, and forming part of an indigenous culture — encompassing both majority and minority languages.
• Language is not merely a cultural trait but the most essential vehicle of a people's culture (Oluwabamide, 2003).
• Greenberg (1948) argues that language uniquely enables both personal continuity of experience and vicarious participation in the experiences of past and present group members.
• Elugbe (1990:12) identifies language as among the most enduring artefacts of culture: a people surrenders their language only under conquest, demographic pressure, or socio-political domination.
• Nigeria's multilingualism reflects its multiculturalism; ethnic and language loyalty remain strong, reinforced by deeply entrenched regional identities (Adekunle, 1990).
• Three major ethnic groups — Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa — each possess distinct languages, alongside over 300 minority groups with their own languages (Oluwabamide, 2003).

II. Status of the English Language in Nigeria

• English was introduced during colonial rule as a medium of communication between colonial administrators and indigenous peoples, and was effectively imposed on Nigerians under pressure.
• Upon independence, English was retained as lingua franca given the impracticality of selecting a single indigenous language for a multilingual state.
• English is Nigeria's official language (language of administration, business, secondary and tertiary education) but is not a national language (Elugbe, 1990:10)
• Elugbe (1990:10) argues that Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba qualify as national languages by virtue of large domestic constituencies, whereas English "lacks any such constituency and is clearly not a rallying point for even a meaningful minority."
• Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba were inserted into the 1979 Constitution (Sections 51 and 91) as recognised national languages. Elugbe (1990:10), citing Amayo (1983:11) who cited Ikara (1981), explains this was to avoid the political embarrassment of relying solely on a foreign language at that stage of the country's development.
• The National Policy on Education (N.P.E., para. 8) mandates that each child learn one of the three major languages outside their mother tongue, formally designating Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba as the three major languages.

III. Majority and Minority Languages

• Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba constitute the majority languages; all others — numbering over 300 — are classified as minority languages.
• Bleambo (1999:1) defines minority languages as "those Nigerian languages that are not major," identifying a secondary tier of near-major languages: Edo, Efik, Fulfulde, Igala, Izon, Kanuri, Nupe, and Tiv.

IV. Classification Approaches

Several typologies have been proposed, none fully adequate to Nigeria's complexity (Hurel, 1970; Brann, 1979; Emenanjo, 1990):

• Adekunle (1972): Six groups based on interaction across administrative units.
• Williamson (1980): Demographic typology, weighted by available written texts.
• Brann (1979): Four indicators — language analysis, publications, mass media, and instructional use — as basis for majority/minority distinction.
• Agheyisi (1986): "Major," "minor," and "minority" categories based on native-speaker population.
• Emenanjo (1983/1986/1990): A three-way cross-cutting classification:
• Developed — established orthographies, long writing traditions, varied literature, sophisticated metalanguages.
• Developing — recent writing traditions, incipient standard varieties, nascent metalanguages.
• Underdeveloped — no standardised orthography, no written literature, no metalanguage
• Brann's Demographic Classification (1986): Currently the most widely adopted among scholars (Emenanjo; Bleambo):

1.   Decamillionaire— spoken by over 10 million (3 in Nigeria)
2. Millionaires— spoken by over 1 million (12 in Nigeria)
3. Centimils — spoken by over 100,000 (just over 50 in Nigeria)
4. Minorities — spoken by fewer than 100,000

Emenanjo (1990) concludes that all available classifications are valid and complementary.

V. Number of Nigerian Languages

• No universally accepted figure exists.
• Agheyisi (1986), cited in Emenanjo (1990): 390 minority languages; Emenanjo adds 9 major languages, totalling approximately 399.
• Bleambo (1999:2) accepts this figure: "By current knowledge, there are about 390 members in this [minority] group."
• Dawulung (1999:32): "as many as 395 different languages or more, about 50 of which are in Plateau State," noting the figure will likely grow with further research.

Conclusion

Nigeria's indigenous languages constitute a rich and layered cultural heritage. The dominance of English as the official language has not displaced indigenous linguistic identity, and the formal recognition of Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba in the 1979 Constitution marks a significant, if partial, step toward affirming that heritage. The ongoing work of classification and enumeration — however contested — reflects the scale and vitality of Nigeria's linguistic diversity.

Reference 

Peoples Of Nigeria And Their Cultural Heritage

Abiodun J. Oluwabamide