LANGUAGE CONTACT AND INFLUENCE IMPLICATIONS FOR IGALA/BASSA-NGE CONTACT IN DEKINA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA KOGI STATE.

ABSTRACT

This study investigates language contact and influence, its implications for Igala and Bassa-Nge contact in Dekina Local Government Area, Kogi State. The study specifically deals  with the linguistic, socio-cultural and economic factors that influence   that   language   contact   between   Igala   and   Bassa-Nge   speech communities. The study uses 200 respondents comprising 100 individuals each from the two speech communities. This study reviews related literature both theoretical and empirical studies on language contact with its attendant positive and negative consequences. The instruments used for data collection are observation and structured questionnaires that contain a four point likert scale type on the phenomenon of language contact. Suggestions and recommendations are made on the possibilities for positive influence on language contact between speech communities if all conditions for favourable contact are taken care of.

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

1.1      Background of the study

Language contact is a major concept in sociolinguistics through which the study of language, people using the language and the society in general is made possible. According to  Agbedo (2007:31), the concept of language contact or languages in contact situation refers to practical sociolinguistic situation whereby people from different enthnolinguistic backgrounds converge at a particular place for whatever reason or reasons to interact, thus providing a veritable ground for contact between languages used by these people. This means that language has since become an essential element not only in human existence but also in establishing functional human relationship because there is simply no way people can exist or do anything without a form of language.

In explaining the results of languages in contact situation, Winford (2003:11) says that the results of languages in contact differ according to several factors, including the length and intensity of contact between the groups; the types of social, economic, religious and political relationship between them, as well as the functions communication between them must serve and above all, the degree of similarity or otherwise between the languages in contact situation. Situations of language  contact  therefore  can  assume  different  dimension  with  particular reference to historical situation, stable borders between language families, colonial expansion(for political and economic reasons), and migratory movement (Appel &

Muysken (1987:5), geographical proximity between different language communities with  slow  spread  of  features  across  languages,  thereby  creating linguistic areas or sprachbund. A good example is the Balican sprachbund, where speakers of typologically distinct languages like Greek, Albania, Romanian and Bulgarian to mention but a few, have adopted from one another centuries past as a result of these languages in contact situation Winford (2003).

In addition, most languages have been influenced at one time or another by contact, resulting in varying degrees of transfer of features from one language to another. For instance, English has borrowed a great deal of  vocabulary from French, Latin, Greek and many other languages in the course of history. Accordingly, transfer of this nature does not actually require speakers of different languages to have actual contact since it can be achieved or accomplished through book learning by teachers who then pass on the new vocabulary to other speakers via literature, religious texts, dictionaries among others. But it can also be understood that  many other contact situations has led to language transfer of various types, to the extent that new contact languages can emerge or be created and developed. However, language contact often plays a very important role in the history of languages. The history of a language involves gradual evolution as well as sudden changes that are consequent upon the types of language contact and the conditions  under  which  those  languages  have  come  in  contact.  Therefore, language and the people using the language as well as their culture are sometime inseparable. This is affirmed in Agbedo (2009:30) when he says that ‘language

contact always presupposes some degree of cultural contact however limited’. Okwoli (2006:1) commenting on the cultural contact said that, ‘the Igala people came in contact with many ethnic group in the past and that these ethnic groups have  in  one  way  or  the  other influenced  the  Igala history and  culture’. The implication of this is that when the history and culture of people are influenced, their languages are automatically influenced. Appel & Muysken (1987:13) sharing same view with Agbedo (2000) and Okwoli (2006) stressed that the importance of language is amplified by the fact that, it is used to cope with ethnic experiences, adding that people talk about all kinds of cultural and ethnic activities and issues, and therefore, language is connected with these, i.e peoples activities.

Furthermore,  the  amalgamation policy  of  colonial  administration  as  in Okwoli (1973) Lakpini (2004) Yakubu (2004) and Yakubu (1987) indicated that Igala and Bassa-NgeNge have lived and interacted for over a century either by commission or by geographical and political conveniences, thereby establishing contact  socially,  politically  and  even  linguistically. From  the  foregoing,  it  is crystal clear that  Igala and Bassa-Nge have  not only lived together but have equally established a kind of contact as a result of living together centuries ago. Consequently, when two groups of people come together for whatever reasons, there is the tendency that one group exerts control or influence the other culturally, politically and linguistically. Therefore, one can easily perceive that the contact between the Igalas and Bassa-Nge must have generated a lot of sociolinguistic phenomena, meaning that this contact must have brought some influences with

some bearing implications on the cultures and languages of these two distinct speech communities. Definitely, this contact must have brought some level of influences of one language upon the other or the contact must have affected speakers’ attitudes either positively or negatively, bidirectionally or mono- directionally. In the light of the above therefore, it has become imperative for us to investigate the sociolinguistic consequences arising from the contact between the Igala and Bassa-Nge, in Dekina local government area of Kogi State, Nigeria.

1.2      Statement of the problem.

When two languages come into contact, or when people speaking different languages come into contact chances are that some level of influence is exerted by one group on the other. The Igala and Bassa-Nge contact has been an age-long relationship  or  experience  which  may  require  some  kind  of  investigations following the present level of linguistic awareness in Nigeria. Even though much has been written on the two languages by their respective scholars Yakubu (1987,

2004), Lakpini (2004), Okwoli (1973, 2006) Omachonu (2000, 2001) and Abdullahi (2006), no actual study or investigation has been done on the implications of contact between Igala and Bassa-Nge, neither was any mention of language contact or influence made by the scholars of both languages.

Besides, even when a lot has been mentioned on Igala-Bassa-Nge relationship especially from the political and administrative point of view, Igala- Bassa-Nge contact  is  perceived with  some  negative  feeling which  may  have affected some interpersonal relationship, or which may have affected the desired

attention of the scholars of both languages to carry out a study on the linguistic implications or influence from this contact. No matter one’s perception, what is more important is that Igala and Bassa-Nge have lived together, and from this historical and administrative point of view, the sociolinguistic implications of this contact which is hardly investigation or mentioned by the scholars of both languages shall be the preoccupation of this study.

1.3      Significance of the study

This research work will enlighten scholars of both languages the degree vis-à-vis the nature of influence both languages exert on each other. The outcome of this will make available data that will help other scholars to appreciate the consequences of the contact between Igala and Bassa-Nge.

In addition, the result of this investigation will further enhance communication between the speakers of the two languages especially that the work stands to eliminate or minimize the negative feelings and misconceptions of one native speaker against the opposite native speaker. Again, the research work will provide useful data that will be of great value and benefit to the individual, governmental, non-governmental and cooperate organizations that may wish to explore or improve on the study of languages in contact situation.

Furthermore, the outcome of this study will enhance or raise the sociolinguistic status of the two languages, especially that Igala is perceived to be a dominant language in the Eastern Senatorial district of Kogi State, the study will on the final note help the scholars of both languages, fill the yawning academic

gap that exists in both languages as a result of dearth of this kind of linguistic investigation in the two languages. The work may equally serve as reference material to linguists who may want to investigate the sociolinguistic phenomenon in relation to Igala and Bassa-Nge.

1.4      Research Questions

The following research questions are drawn based on the above stated problem(s).

i. Can it be said that there exist linguistic and socio-cultural influence between

Igala and Bassa-Nge?

ii. What is the nature of direction of the influence?

iii.  To  what extent are  the  speakers  of  the  two  languages influenced in  this language contact situation?

iv. What are the effects of the influence on the users of both languages?

v. How do these effects agree with the effects from similar contacts and influences across cultures?

1.5      Purpose of the study

There is no denying the fact that scholars of both languages have done or carried out some linguistic investigations on their respective language but little or nothing is being done about the sociolinguistic consequences arising from the contact. The purpose of this study therefore, is to attempt to explore the sociolinguistic consequences as a result of this language contact phenomena.

Again, the purpose of this study is to determine to what extent there exists linguistic and socio-cultural influence between Igala and Bassa-Nge. The study is equally poised to investigate the nature of influence and to determine the degree/levels of these influences, as well as the effects of these influences on the users of both languages. More importantly, the purpose is to eliminate or minimize some misconceptions in the minds of the speakers of both languages in relation to the influence of one language upon the other so that at the end, speakers of both languages  can  appreciate  and  tolerate  one  another,  and  above  all,  enhance effective communication among the speakers of the two languages in contact situation.

1.6      Scope and delimitation

This research work investigates the consequences of language contact between Igala and Bassa-Nge speech communities. It also focuses on the linguistic and socio-cultural influence among Igala and Bassa-Nge. It equally concentrates on the nature and direction of this influence, its degree and the effects of this influence on the speakers of both languages.

However, it is important to note here that much research works have not been  carried  out  by  the  scholars  of  both  languages,  as  such,  one  may  have difficulty in accessing reference materials on the contact between Igala-Bassa-Nge languages in the course of this study. Despite that, this work shall attempt   to exhaustively address all the objectives/purpose of this study   as well as all the research questions raised in the course of this investigation. This work is also

capable of sparkling further research on language contact by the scholars and speakers of both languages – Igala and Bassa-Nge.

Although there are other language contact situations in Igala land in Kogi

State, such contact situations as observation has shown are Igala – Idoma, (Adaji,

2009, 2011) Igala-Igbo, Omachonu (2000) Igala-Edo among others. But this work is only limited to  investigating issues of language contact between Igala and Bassa-Nge in Dekina Local Government of  Kogi State.

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