Abstract:
Ideologies are said to be systems of ideas that function to create views of reality that appear as the most rational view; a view that is based on ‘common sense’ notions of how the social world ought to be. A derivative of the ideology concept is language ideology, seen as the self-evident ideas and objectives a group holds concerning roles of language in the social experiences of members as they contribute to the expression of that group. This paper examines the concept of language ideology in Nigeria and how its application in a multilingual and multi-dialectal setting, which dictates linguistic preferences and choices in communication systems, has not only informed the enthronement of linguicism and conferment of undue linguistic capital on some communication systems but also engendered linguistic trauma. The ideologies and structures, which are used to legitimate, effectuate, and reproduce an unequal division of power and resources between groups, defined on the basis of language, provide veritable ground for linguistic disenfranchisement. In pure linguicist ideology, the dominant group/language presents an idealized image of itself, stigmatizing the dominated group/language, and rationalizing the relationship between the two, always to the advantage of the dominant group/language. Given that this deliberate ideologization of language traumatizes the dominated group, this paper calls for a radical reinvention of language ideology in Nigeria in a manner that guarantees the language rights of all Nigerians.
