Examining the impact of BBC news Yoruba on the revitalisation of Yoruba language of South-West Nigeria

Abstract

Languages are disappearing at an alarming rate all over the world and indigenous languages are the worst hit. Yorùbá, a language spoken by 50 million people in the South-West Nigeria, is one of the endangered languages. However, scholars have continued to advocate the need to use the media as a complementary approach to propagate indigenous language by ensuring that Yorùbá language does not lose its currency. Therefore, major stakeholders propose that language documentation and revitalisation be seen as the most important task in linguistics today. This study employed cultural marginalisation theory of language and cultural effects theory to investigate the interrelationship between BBC News Yorùbá and the promotion of Yorùbá language, its cultural values and traditions and how the medium could be used for the rejuvenation of Yorùbá language among the youths of South-West Nigeria. The study adopted mix-method research techniques in quantitative (survey) and qualitative forms (content analysis and in-depth interviews) to generate data for this work. A total of 93 news items posted on the Facebook page of the BBC News Yorùbá covering the period of six months (July-December, 2021) were sampled for content-analysis. For the survey, a self-administered questionnaire was adopted. Data from 1,200 usable questionnaire copies were analysed. A qualitative semi-structured interview based on purposive sampling was also used to elicit data from Yorùbá language scholars and professionals resident in Lagos, Oyo and Ondo States, South-West Nigeria to determine the level of endangerment of Yorùbá language and the attitude of youths neglecting their mother tongue for foreign languages. This data were analysed using NVivo and SPSS. Findings suggest that the coming of the BBC News Yorùbá is a timely intervention in the drive to revitalise Yorùbá language, with the introduction of technological innovations that attract the attention of youths in the region and beyond. The study also shows that BBC News Yorùbá adopts language styles that appeal to its audience in its day-to-day engagements. It was further established that 80% of the respondents, who are youths, have unrestricted access to Yorùbá language through social media technologies, as made available by the BBC News Yorùbá on its platforms. The study concludes that indigenous languages play a significant role in the revitalisation of mother tongue, hence, there is room for a language policy focused on the linguistic equity for both exogenous and indigenous languages in Nigeria. This could be achieved by enforcing the Language Policy Articles 51 and 53 of the 1999 Nigerian constitution which enhances the revitalisation of indigenous languages in the country. It is recommended that concerted efforts should be made by concerned stakeholders towards the development and standadardisation of all the Nigerian indigenous languages.