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Author 1
Uguru Joy O.
Author 2
Author 3
Title
40 Pronunciation Variation as a factor in Ethnicity and
Globalization: Impact on Nigerian and the United States of
American Politics
Keywords
Description
Ethnic Nationalism & Democratic Consolidation: Perspective
from Nigeria and the United States of America
Category
School of General Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Publisher
Department of Linguistics & Nigerian Languages, University
of Nigeria Nsukka
Publication Date
Signature
40
Pronullciation Variation as a factor in Lthnicity and
Globalization:
Impact on Nigerian and the United States of American Politi*
' .Joy0. Uguru (Mrs.)
Humanities Unit
School of General Studies
University of Nigeria. Nsukkg
Introduction
Most African countries (including Nigeria) are multi-ethnic and consequently, multilingual. This
tends to generate ethnic rivalry and conflict. Most Nigerians focus 00 the multi-ethnic diffcrenccs
in Irlnpuegeand culturc and this has led to ethnic politics. making it difficult for effective democracy
to take off', In considering the problems of erhnicity, the tendency is to focus on inter-ethnic
problems. Howevcr. experience has shown that them can be intra-ethnic conflicts. In other words,
within the ethnic groups, we have what we could refer to as 'rival' groups and these are identified
by their dialects. In the Igbo ethnic group for example, we have so many of these groups that there
could be a call for the creation of more states within !he ethnic group. We could conclude that in
:he creation of the five lgbo states. pronunciation served as a greater criterion than that of
geographical tocation.
It will be seen from this paper that language can be a uniting factor when we understand that
most Nigerian lar~guages,particularly the Soutlhern ones Yorubn. lgho. Edo. Nupc. Ilrliobo. Igala
and so on are related. They belong to one language family. Also, Okonkwo (1972) teports that the
Niger-Benue confluencewas a socio-economic crossroad and a culturaI melting pot in pre-colonial
days. In other words. there was a contact between the North and the South and one could infer that
there niust have bcen a language used in the contact.
-
1
Lanuage and Ethnicity
Language differences can result in discrimination and piejudice between ethnic groups. According
to the World Bonk Encyclopedia. an ethnic group is "a group of people with characteristics in
iommon that distinguish them from most other people of the same society. Members may have ties
ofancestory.culture. lnngunge, nntionslity, religion or a combination of these things". Encyclopedia
Americana sees it ns a group ofpeople that share one or more of the following characteristics -race,
religion, na$onal origin, language and cultural traditions. From these definitions, we can see that
language is one of the characteristics used in determining an'ethnic group. In sociolinguistics , a
g o u p of people who use a given language pr dialect canstitutp a speech community. Thus an ethnic
group is usually associated with a f o w pf speech, whelher
. .
it is a regi~nal
ethnic group like the Igbo
.
*
.
.
or a social one like the Rastafarians.
Pronunciation refers to the way words are spoken, that is, dialectal~variations.According
to Encyclopedia Americana, geographical differences in speaking English are most noticeable
*rough pronunciation since differences in grammar and vocabulary are much less pervasive.
Language is the most striking characteristic by which an ethnic group can be identified. This paper
examines the relationship between languages both within and outside the shores of this country with
the object of emphasizing those factors that unite rather than those that divide their users.
,
'
:,
,
' , : ! ( .:
:
':
Ethnicity in Nigeria
,
. . I
: , .
Nigeria has three major ethnic groups -Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. Several other minor ethnic groups
.also exist. According to Okonkwo (2000) none of these ethnic groups existed as an zntity in precolonial days. Thc lgbo for example had more than two hundred territorial groups and there was
hostility and warfare between the groups. It was after colonization, following urbanization that the
groups came together, finding solidarity in lheirco;nmon language. This is applicable to the Yoruba.
The Hausa are simply a mixiure of people who adopted the same language and religion. Probably,
that is why the people of Middle belt have pulled out of the North, determined to show that they are
not Hausa. There is an erroneous belief that the various Nigerian ethnic groups would have been
better off without the amalgamation. The hostility and warfare within them in pre-colonial days, as
reported by historians, prove that wrong. .
,. . .
...
. .
I.,,
' . i . .
.
Etbnicity in the United States of America . , . : I . . . . . , . . . . .
According to, the Encyclopedia Americana, the .United states of America is one of the most
"ethnically mixed societies in the world". Apart from the native Indians, the earliest immigrants
like the English, Spaniards, French and so on, millions of people from all over the world have
lrooped and continue to troop to the United Slates in search of better living. Some social scientists
feel that the different ethnic groups in the pnited States have been able to give up their ethnic ties
and formed a unified culture. Hence they refer to it as a 'melting pot'. Others feel that ethnic
pluralisq is still being manifested. However, the rapid loss of non-English languages and the
consequenl loss of linguisiic versatility in America authenticates the view of the first group. The
problem aboul lan&~ageminority does not exist only in America. In Canada, the French-speaking
people are threatening to secede because ~ n ~ l i iss more
h
dominant. According to Anria and Haruna
( 1977). there is a fierce clash between the French South and Dutch nor,;^ 01' Belgium over language
matters in higher education, definition of boundaries and so on . In conclusion. English, the official
language of the Unitqd States has various pronunciations. However, the attitude of Ahericans to
pronuncialion is very acceptable. Here, the concept of a standard pronunciation is less applied. A
person from one part of United States cannot claim superiority of pronunciation over other areas.
Thisis why ethnic conflict and politics do not exist there.
,
,
Pronunciation Variation and Intra-Ethnic Conflicts
Pronunciation refers to the way words (or speech sounds) Bre spoken. The variations in
pronunciation result in dialects. Here, we will focus on the Igbo language. We can simply
categorize the dialects of Igbo under the five Igbo States -Abia ,Anambra, Ebonyi ,Enugu and Imo
States. We also have two other dialects spoken in some parts of Delta and Rivers States. It is
important to point out that further variations still exist within these dialects. Let us consider the
pronunciation of the word 'ilte', meaning thing for example;
I
ihe
-
Abia
e
Anambra
ife
.
.
;.,
i: Eboyi ; Delta
. . , ilte
.. $ei ihe .
(.
..RiverS
. ih." e
a
.
-!
.
.
. '.
'
,
Enugu
ihe
.
Above, we see the linguistic variable (h), varying among the states. A linguistic variable is any
linguistic item, which varies iti form hut does not bring about change in meaning.
. . . . . .. .
...
variable
h:
.
)
_
I
.
.
.
.
variants
[PI
[ f ]
.. -
I L ] : ~ . ~ ("hI ]
.
.
,
.
,
.
Above, we have five variants, which can be used in place of th;e variable without change in meaning.
They are said to be in free variation. We want to show that linguistic variables can account for .
social problenls (here. intra-ethnic conflict). The tendency is for people who use the same variant
to identify together and scorn the speech of oihers. Much more than this, is the impact this has on
politics. A good example is the unfortunate situation which prevailed in the old Anambra State
where the state was divided into Anambra North and South on linguistic basis -the Waawa and tht
Agl~eenu(respectively). This intra-ethnic conflict was as a result of dialectal differences. Other
examples are the issues of non-indigenes in Entlgu State, the controversy over which of the dialect
of Igbo should be the standard variety and a host of others. All these generate animosity. such that
conflicting parties pay greater loyalty to the minor groups than to the Igbo nationality, talkless of
the Nigerian nation. In the face of all these, democracy cannot grow. Pronunciation differences can
result in negative attitude and unfair behaviour among ethnic groups.
The case is different in America. English is the official language and no dialect claims
superiority over the other despite the fact that they have many pronunciations. Gleason (1 968:402),
shows that in ~ a s t e mUnited States alone, there are three major dialect areas. The Americans have
been able to imbibe the spirit of patriotism because they do not focus on their dialectal variations
but on the overall goal of language-communicationWeshould however. not'overlook the linguistic
problems Black Americans had. Abraham (1973), reports that Black English was used as " a
means by which the black proclaimed its sense ofcommunity". This brought a stigmatizingreact~on
from Euro-American middle, class. Also, Srnitherman (1983) reports that black pupils were
encodraged to despise Black English and that a black teacher said this was to enable them speak in
a way whites (decision makers) will appreciate. This shows that language and politics are related.
All these stopped when the Americans adopted a better attitude towards pronunciation. Nigerians
(particularly the Igbo) should take a cue from them.
'
412
~ L O B A L I Z A T I O NA N D S U S T A I N A B L E D E V E L O P H E N l
Pronunciation Variations as a facilitator of Globallsation
In this section,. we want to establish that there can be relationship in variation. Variation in
language, parlicularly free variation, points to the relationship between dialects or languages. 'The
study of historical linguistics has shown that different languages resemble one another in diffcrcnt
degrees. Languages in one family are related. According to Lyons ( l968), by this relationship, we
mean that the languages developed from "some earlier single language". Thus such languages are
said to belong to the same family of languages. Most European and Asian languages belong to the
Indo-European family. African languages belong to diverse families. According to Gleason(1 %I),
the most important language family of Africa is the Niger-Congo. These are languages spoken in
most of West Africa and in Africa south of the Equator. The kwa sub-group is a branch of the Nigrr
-Congo family and is spoken from the coast of Liberia to the Cameroons. Some Nigerian languages
which belong to this group are Igbo, Yoruba, Nupe and others. It is only by the study of
pronunciation variation that we are able to know the relationship between languages. 'The examples
. . .... ...
below cxpiain this:
I
Enyl~sh
Water
lgbo
mmiri
Y oruba
omi
Urhobo
omi
,
.
Edo
omi
.
.
d
3
The recurrence of the phoneme [ m ] in the words for water in the four languages show the~r
relationship to one another. This means that there could have been a single language spoken by
these ethnic groups and variation could have come because of migration to other geographical
locat~ons.It may not be an exaggeration to say that all language families in the world can be traced
to a smgle language. This can be seen in the bible tower of Babel where all people in the world
spoke one language before God introduced other languages. Variation exists in all areas of life.
Individual human bemgs differ in many ways includmg idiolects -the linguist~csystem (language
or dialect) of an individual person. Studies have shown that the chances for the survival of the
human species during the previous 1.5 millions years were greatly enhanced by the evolution of the
capacity for language which was of equal value to all human beings everywhere. All human
languages have the same degree of lexical and grammatical complexity and require the same
intellectual capacity to be learnt. By viewing dialectal or language variation in terms of the
relationship between languages rather than their differences, unity can be achieved, not only In the
lgbo nationality, but also in the Nigerian nation as well as the whole wide world. Globalisation has
to do with the globe, the world united as one single entity. This is a situation where we have free
movement from one country to another, a situation where we have a world that is not divided up
Into many countries with closed borders. It ensures easy migration and free flow of trade from one
country to the other. Understanding how closely -related the wholk world is, in terms of language
wrll go a long way to enhance the process of globalisation. The first personal pronoun for
instance. in most languages of the world, has the phoneme [ m 1.
,, -. . ,
-
.
*
< ! , I L
r
-,
P R O N U N C I A T ! O NV A R I A T I O N AS A , F A C T O R IN. E T H N I C I T Y A N D
GLOBALIZATION
413.
Summary anti Conclusion
We have been able to show that variation in pronunciation or language tends to weaken citizens'
loyalty to the nation, strengthening their loyalty to their ethnic or minor group. This generates interethnic and intra-ethnic conflicts. To ensure inter-ethnic, intra-ethnic, national and international
peace. languages should be viewed in terms of their relationship rather than their differences.
Bamgboshe (1 999) shows that the divisive role of language stems from the sentiments and attitudes
of speakers. According to Antia and Haruna (1997). to avoid the divisive role of language. the
"developmental rather than the politico-cultural aspect of language" should be emphasized. This
refers to the indigenous technology that can belearnt through these languages. This does not mean
that politics should be undermined but we posit that as we all focus on what language can help
Nigeria achieve. other aspects of life. including politics. will be positively affected. This will help
to inculcate national loyalty into Nigerians. This is the advnntage America has over Nigeria.
Alhough her official language is English. the cultures of other languages have bcen tappcd and the
citizens' goal is that of making the best of the nation.
Our aim should be to make the speakers of the diverse Nigerian languages and dialects selfreliant; improve their lives through education; and purge them from viewing politics as a gateway
to quick weahh and ethnic rivalry. Only then can true democracy be enthroned and consolidated in
Nigeria. J.F. Kennedy urged Americans qot to think of what America should do for them but what
they could do for America. Nigerian politicians should now focus on what they can do for Nigeria.
The electorate will no longer vote for go-getters but for those who are ready to spend and be spent
for the nation.
l~cfcrcncca
Almliams. R.1). (197.7) 'Tnlkinp my Talk': Bjack English nnd Sncial Segmentation in Illack
Amcrican Communities" Afiicarr Language Review Vol. 9 pp. 227-254.
I~ntia,B.E. and I-laruna , A. (1997) "Language in Ethnicity in Nigeria" in Okafor. F.U. (ed) New
Stralegiesfor Curbirrg Etkrric and Religions Cor?flictsin Nigeria. Enugu : Fourth Dimension
Publishrrs , pp. 136-15 1 .
Bamgboshe. A. ( 1991 ) Lnngtrage and the Nation: The Language Question in Sub- Saharan Africa.
Edintbrgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Encyclopedia Americana (1 996) Connecticut ;Grolier Incorporated.
Glcason, HA. (1 961) An brtroductiort to Descriptive Linguistics. New Dehlhi Oxford and IBH
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Hudson, R.A. (1 980) SociofingrristicsCambridge; Cambridge University Press.
~ ~ o n5.s(1. 968) Irrtroductiort to TlreoreticafLinguistics.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Okonkwo. R. (1992) "A sense of History and National Consciousness: The Case of Nigeria " in
Ijoma. J .O. (ed.) African Humanities. Awka: Meklink Publishers pp 1 25- 131
(2000) "Myths in Nigerian History" in Chuta, S.C. (ed.) Afiican H~tmanities;Onitsha:
Cape Publishers International Ltd. pp.159-166
---.
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414
Smitheman, G . (1983) "Language an
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