LANGUAGE ATTITUDE AND MINORITY LANGUAGE SHIFT AMONG AHAN YOUTHS IN OMUO-EKITI

Abstract

The current study investigated language attitude and the occurrence of language shift among youths speaking the Ahan language in Omuo-Ekiti community, Ekiti State, Nigeria. The study was motivated by the researcher’s observation that Ahan, a minority language in Omuo-Ekiti was gradually becoming less relevant among young speakers, as many of them increasingly adopted the dominant Omuo-Ekiti dialect, Yoruba and English due to the prevailing anguage attitude and social influences. The study was unerpinne by Language Attitude Theory and sociolinguistic approaches to language shift. The study employed a descriptive research design to examine the attitude of youths towards the Ahan language and the factors contributing to language shift. Data were obtained through questionnaires and interviews. The findings revealed that the language attitude of the youths towards Ahan were largely negative and indifferent.Many participants perceived the language as having limited prestige, social relevance and economic value, which contributed to reduced interest in its continued use. In contrast, the dominant languages were associated with education, social advancement, wider communication and economic opportunities and were, therefore, preferred in different domains of communication. The study further revealed that the increasing preference for these dominant languages had contributed to a gradual decline in the use and transmission of Ahan among younger speakers. The study concluded that negative language attitude and the perceived socioeconomic advantages of dominant languages were important factors contributing to language shift and the reduced use of Ahan language ong the youths in Omuo-Ekiti community.