IMPORTANCE OF INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE IN BROADCASTING MEDIA

IMPORTANCE OF INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE IN BROADCASTING MEDIA

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BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The broadcast media have been considered an important public domain in the use, promotion and maintenance of language in line with the sociolinguistic nature and dictates of their host communities (Silentman, 1995; David, 2004; Adegoju, 2008). Languages in any multilingual society, whether minor or major, exoglossic or endoglossic or indigenous, should be seen as resources that need be effectively harnessed for development by all public domains irrespective of their origins, numerical strength, political or economic power, among others. In other words, no single language can or should solely and effectively perform the societal developmental goals (Adegbija, 1994: 4; 39; 2004: 64; Orekan, 2010). This is so given the fact that the media, as one of the public domains, which have the capability of promoting indigenous language use perform the role of creating and circulating meaning through the use of language (Oso, 2006: 176; Silentman, 1995).

 

Thus, the media which use indigenous languages are important for the purpose of information democratization and decentralization, access to resources, information comprehension and utilization, mobilization, socio-political empowerment, cultural and linguistic development and survival, among others (Salawu, 2006: 8; Mavesera, 2011; Capo, 1990:2; Chibata, 2006:266). Traditional formal domains like storytelling, songs, proverbs, parables, music, dance, celebrations, which often help promote languages are positively enhanced in the broadcast media (Onyeche, 2002).

Reinforcing the above indispensable benefits accruable from the use of indigenous languages in the broadcast media, Salawu notes that without the use of the language of the people, “development will only be communicated at the people; not to the people, and not with the people”. Mavesera (2011) asserts that development includes the ability of indigenous languages to express higher knowledge and technology beyond their traditional socio-geographic boundaries. Language development or empowerment programmes in the broadcast domain can turn around the fortunes of languages (Awonusi, 2008). In other words, both globalization and multilingualism or linguistic diversity are no longer seen as the dunghill for excuses for language under-development in multilingual contexts because the use of language in the broadcast media is part of language engineering efforts aimed at revitalizing languages feared to be going into extinction (Capo, 1990:6).

In line with this, Bodomo, Anderson & Dzahene (2009) note that, following the recommendation of the National Media policy of 2000, there has been maintenance of multilingualism in Ghanaian broadcast media which has resulted in the preparation of the Ghanaian child for effective functioning, inclusion of large population of Ghana in both the communication and democratic processes in the multilingual Ghanaian setting as well as the development of indigenous Ghanaian languages.

Mavesera (2011), on the other hand, says that globalisation is viewed by Roy- Campbell (2006:1) as the world getting smaller thereby making local languages expand their sphere of influence to communicate important knowledge on the global marketplace, express modern scientific and technological information to different parts of the world with a view to ultimately eradicating inequalities and inequities among people of the world. To this end, Swahili has been used by the broadcast media to give it prominence, growth, spread and development (swahililanguage.stanford.edu.com; accessed: 03/03/13). Munkaila and Haruna (2001: 32) have noted that the use of Hausa as a language of national and international broadcast has positively affected its prestige, growth and development and the loyalty given it. Similarly, Elugbe (2004: 41) observes that the use of nine major Nigerian languages (Osun, Efik, Fulfulde, Hausa, Igbo, Izon, Kanuri, Tiv and Yoruba) in the national broadcast media led to the development of such languages by the Federal Ministry of Education. Jennifer (2004) reported that the mass media now serve as a significant domain of status enhancement for Quechua. Adegbija (1994: 40) reports the overwhelming influence of the electronic media on Amharic in Ethiopia, Akan in Ghana, among others. These are a few of such instances showing the place of the media in the development and maintenance of indigenous languages alongside foreign languages to engender all-round desired development.

It, therefore, becomes clear why Bamgbose (2003: 84), cited by Adegoju (2008), charges that the media’s performance should be assessed along linguistic relevance. This is clearly captured thus:

the test of the efficacy of the media for empowerment should be how far they can reach the widest audience possible, and obviously, this must involve the intensive use of African languages’ given the fact that “…90% of our people in both rural and urban areas are untouched by the alleged communication role of English.

However, in all of these efforts, attitude has been identified by numerous scholars who take the middle course between foreign and indigenous language use as one of the important factors that impact on language choice, use, coverage, shift, esteem, development, growth and maintenance (Adegbija, 1994: 40; Gardner 1985, Holmes & Harlow 1991, cited by Igboanusi & Wolf 2009). Such attitude is quite instrumental to measuring the role, use and perception of the society in general towards efforts aimed at promoting indigenous languages used side by side with foreign language (s).

Nonetheless, such scholars have, thus, decried the negative attitude of the broadcast media as well as the native speakers’ towards indigenous language use and indigenous languages in use. Both the attitude of the broadcast media and the speakers of indigenous languages reflect support for the foreign languages and some major indigenous languages against the principle of egalitarian multilingualism characteristic of host locations of broadcast media. Worst still, research reveals that such negative attitude inimical to the use, growth, development, maintenance and sustenance of indigenous languages is common among the youths more linguistically responsible for language development. Such researches about language use, development and attitudes have been concentrated in the academic domain, especially with regard to Nigeria.

Few of such existing literature relating to mass media in Nigeria have been studied within monolingual settings, and on print media. Therefore, in this part of the country quite multilingual, little has been done on language use in the electronic broadcast media within multilingual context with respect to language attitude among youths. Thus, the purpose of this study is to assess attitudes of youths towards the role of the broadcast media in the use of indigenous languages and languages in use.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The study sought to find out the attitude of Osun state youths towards the use of Osun state indigenous languages on Osun Broadcasting Service radio and television as well as the linguistic and cultural roles of the state media towards using, promoting, maintaining, developing and revitalizing indigenous languages in their environment of operation. Scholars are agreed that language use in the broadcast media requires a reciprocal support, that is, simultaneous reciprocal support from the media and their audiences. In other words, the media have the institutional obligation to use the languages of their environment to communicate the peoples’ culture and bring them all other information as part of language engineering efforts (Capo, 1990: 2). Similarly, the people (audiences) for whom such indigenous language programmes conveyed through indigenous languages are meant have a corresponding responsibility to listen or watch the indigenous programmes through which such languages are used and promoted. It is by this manner they support the use of indigenous languages (Adegbija, 1994: 4, 20-22; 2004: 125-126; Mano, 2006: 273; Babajide, 2001: 3-9; Oyetade, 2001: 17 25; Elugbe, 1982: 10; Adegoju, 2008; Omoregbe, 2011; Ojebode, 2007; Mavesera, 2011). In other words, as noted by David (2004), audience survey is one way of establishing the link between broadcasting and language use.

However, while the electronic broadcast media which take much of the time of youths and have the power of promoting, using, revitalizing and developing indigenous languages do not use or minimally use indigenous languages; that minimal use of indigenous languages by the media does not imply their automatic acceptance by speakers of such languages (Adegoju, 2008). The attitude of most native speakers to their languages is found to be the greatest factor militating against the use and development of indigenous languages (Salawu, 2006: 12). Therefore, the youths who form the larger part of the population of the state and upon whom the future of indigenous languages rest do not support the use of indigenous languages through listening and watching indigenous language programmes aired on media. Elugbe (2005: 34), citing Crystal (1987: 366) states that “languages can be actively promoted, passively tolerated, deliberately ignored, positively discouraged, and even banned”. For instance, Ndimele (2003:355) shows in the case of Rivers and Bayelsa States, 60% of the respondents of her research indicated that none of the seven distinct groups of languages in the region is acceptable (Awonusi, 2007). More worrisome is the attribution of this observation to the youths among those who do not accept the use of indigenous languages (Dawulung 1999, Ohia 1998, cited by Igboanusi & Wolf 2009; Omogui, 2005;

Chibata, 2006: 257; Igboanusi & Wolf 2009: 455; Omoniyi & Ibrahim, 2010: 158; Omoregbe, 2011; Tanjong & Muluh, 2006: 223) either by tuning off whenever local languages are in use or not listening to the broadcast media using local languages (Mano, 2006: 280-282). This developmental trend is instrumental to the loss of indigenous languages given the enormous developmental power and influence of the media over languages and audiences (Omoniyi & Bello, 2007: 158).

By and large, no empirical study has been done to measure attitude towards indigenous language use in the broadcast media from the dual perspective of simultaneous reciprocal linguistic support that should be accorded indigenous language use in a multilingual society like Osun state where the youths form the larger part of its population. It is in the youths’ hands (the larger population of media audiences) that the linguistic future of indigenous languages lies (Omoniyi & Bello, 2007). The only study close to this in Osun state right from when it was part of Bendel State is that of Brann (1981), cited in Adegbija (2004: 75). This study which shows the attitude of the media towards indigenous language use in terms of time allotted to indigenous languages through indigenous programmes was done when Osun state was part of the old Bendel state. Bendel state has been divided into Osun and Delta states. This study, however, looked at the attitude of the electronic broadcast media towards indigenous languages. Second, generally, attitudes are not a constant variable (Ojebuyi, 2007). Attitudes towards languages are not a constant variable as well (Adegbija, 2004). Studies reviewed, however, reflect attitude towards language use from either the perspective of the media/government or their audiences.

There is, therefore, the need to look at attitude towards indigenous language use in the broadcast media from this dual perspective especially as the study of this nature will stimulate youths as well as the media towards reversing the ugly linguistic and socio-cultural attitude and situation quite inimical to the socio-cultural, political, economic, educational, scientific and technological development of the state through developing, maintaining, sustaining and promoting indigenous languages (Igboanusi &Wolf 2009). This study is, therefore, aimed at looking at the attitude towards indigenous language use from the dual perspective that indigenous language use in the Osun Broadcasting Service Radio and Television which require a simultaneous reciprocal linguistic support demand attitude study from the media and their audiences as well, especially as linguistic support given indigenous languages by media and their audiences tends to be mutually complementary.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following questions guided this study:

1. To what extent do the state broadcast media use and promote indigenous languages
2. To what extent do youths listen to/watch indigenous language programmes on OSBC Radio Ile-Awiye Oke-Baale Osogbo?
3. What are the attitudes of the youths towards the use of indigenous languages in OSBC Radio Ile-Awiye Oke-Baale Osogbo?
4. What are the socio-cultural implications of such attitudes towards indigenous language use on OSBC Radio Ile-Awiye Oke-Baale Osogbo and the society?.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

There are two basic objectives set out to be achieved by this study. One of the objectives is to examine the attitudes of the broadcast media towards indigenous languages use. Through this, the language situation as reflected in the state broadcast media, the roles assigned indigenous languages through indigenous language programmes, the issues covered by such indigenous programmes and time allotted them were revealed.

Second, the attitude of youths towards indigenous language use on Osun broadcasting corporation radio and television were ascertained. Through this, the socio-political implications of the attitudes of the youths towards indigenous languages used by OSBC and the society were examined. All these are aimed at language engineering efforts towards using, promoting, sustaining, developing and revitalizing indigenous languages in an era quite known for the diminishing use of indigenous languages in the public domains.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study focuses on policies towards indigenous languages in use in Osun broadcasting corporation Radio and Television. Osun broadcasting corporation is a public broadcast service sustained by the taxpayers’ money. More so, it is formally empowered to reflect the linguistic diversity of the state with the aim of ensuring the dissemination of information to all, irrespective of language barrier. Therefore, the state broadcast media broadcast in the major Osun state languages alongside foreign language shall be the focus.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

A studyon the use of indigenous languages alongside foreign languages in the broadcast media in a multilingual society will reveal the attitudes of government, state cultural and language policies, media, speakers of the languages within Osun state. Furthermore, this will help in further cultural and language assessment, language policy- making relevant to awakening interest in the use of indigenous languages among speakers of the languages, media staff, and the entire society towards ensuring decentralization of information, mass mobilization, cultural and language development.

Therefore, the study shall sensitize audience about OSBC’ role in the use and promotion of indigenous languages and elicit the required ethno-linguistic vitality attitude towards such languages used because language engineering can flourish or fail according to the attitudes of the community. Just as language use is a crucial factor in the use and choice of a station and programme so is it to development. Thus, the study will make the majority of the native speakers of indigenous languages to be aware of their responsibility at supporting the use of indigenous languages towards being promoted and sustained by the broadcast media which equally need to intensify efforts towards indigenous language promotion.

This study will enable the broadcast media (OSBC) to understand and appreciate its areas of strengths and weaknesses in indigenous language use with a view to improving them. This study will spur further research into language attitude towards language use in the broadcast media, place such attitudes in proper historical perspective, and finally, highlight the implications of language attitude on the broadcast media and the society; language policy making, planning and action in contemporary Nigeria in particular, and in general, multilingual settings. This research will be different from the conventional audience analysis of relying on text messages and phone-in assessment often used by broadcast media as it will help all the stakeholders to organize, simplify and understand the multilingual setting and the broadcast media in terms of language use, audiences’ needs and effective communication and development.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

Generally, the bane of language attitude research in this part of the world is the paucity of materials on attitudes towards the use of foreign languages vis-à-vis their indigenous language counterparts (Oyetade, 2001: 14; Adegbija, 1994: 57). Narrowed down to attitude towards languages in use in the broadcast media in multilingual settings like Osun state is serious dearth of literature. More so, most of the studies reviewed are broad and based on education and other public domains found outside Nigeria. This study did not take into cognizance attitudes towards code-mixing and code-switching between foreign and indigenous languages noticeable in local advertisements and other programmes and instances

of using the English language in expressing local content or indigenous culture of the people instead of using the people’s indigenous languages.

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS

Languages in use: Languages in use refer to languages used in the electronic broadcast media. This is to imply that this study does not involve any discourse or linguistic analysis characteristic of the term “language use in the broadcast media”.

Language Attitude: implies the feelings, opinions, perceptions and reactions to the choice and use of languages in the broadcast media. Language attitude may be positive, negative or ambivalent towards given language (s). Language attitude constitutes three components such as cognitive (knowledge), conative (behavioural), and affective (emotion). The cognitive component refers to the individual’s belief structure. In this context, cognitive component of attitude refers to the way language choice and use by the broadcast media is perceived. The affective component means the emotional reactions to language choice and use within the broadcast media, that is, whether positive, negative or ambivalent. The conative component refers to the tendency to behave in a certain way towards the language chosen and used in the broadcast media.

Youth: In this study, having considered the fluidity of the concept of “Youth” in terms of age-group limit because of some socio-cultural factors and some other studies, the age-limits considered here shall be between 18 and 45. Constitutionally in Nigeria, the age of consent is 18, that is, the age where a human being has outgrown childhood. 18, being the entry age for a youth is supported by The Nigerian National Youth Policy (2001: 2), which defines “youth” as comprising all young people between the ages of 18 and 35 years who are citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; Nigeria.unfpa.org/youngpeople.html, accessed: 13th July, 2013).

However, as obvious in definitions of “youth”, such as The Merriam-Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary which defines “youth” as a life between childhood and maturity, there is no fixed age limit for youth. It, therefore, implies that the age limit for a youth is discretional based on considerable variable of the researcher. For instance, While Omoniyi and Bello (2007: 161) used 4o as age limit for Nigerian youths, UNESCO and African Charter use 35 (www. Unesco.org/../youth-definition/). By and large, 45 is considered here as the age limit for youths believing that those within this limit will exhibit the characteristics typical of youths accused of showing negative attitude towards indigenous language use in the broadcast media. This will provide a solid basis for generalizing the findings of this study across the entire Osun state youths, judging by the multilingual nature of the state. Furthermore, this extension of the 40 used by Omoniyi and Bello (2007: 161) is to accommodate a reasonable age range assumed to be characteristic of youths especially as people beyond this age could still be found to be youth members or leaders in associations and organizations in Nigeria.

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