The Igbo People of Nigeria Anthonia D
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Globalization and Discursive Constructions of Identity in Two Generations: The Igbo People of Nigeria Anthonia D. Onyeibe A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfilment for the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Language and Global Studies at the University of Central Lancashire November 2017 DECLARATION I declare that while registered as a candidate for the research degree, I have not been a registered candidate or enrolled student for another award of the University or other academic or professional institution I declare that no material contained in the thesis has been used in any other submission for an academic award and is solely my own work Signature of Candidate: Anthonia Dumebi Onyeibe Type of Award: Doctor of Philosophy School: Language and Global Studies ii ABSTRACT The aim of this thesis was to investigate identity as a process (Eckert, 2000), examining how identity is influenced by a range of factors in our environment and is constructed discursively during spontaneous interactions. The study focused on the Igbo tribe in Nigeria, and addressed issues of generational and cultural complexity, language and identity shift and death, and new visions of national identity. The focus was on (a) language attitudes observed, in particular the language attitudes of elders and youths towards the use of proverbs and the transfer of this identity-related language practice from one generation to another, and (b) language use through the exploration of instances of discursive constructions of identity as identified in the data. The study, which is inspired by ethnomethodology and is rooted in interactional sociolinguistics, aimed to identify the effect of globalization on identity construction, especially in relation to the issue of generational transition of discursive patterns, including the use of proverbs, and the change in patterns of expression by the younger generation. The study also examined the role of local context in relation to the expression of identity and how the context of an interaction influences identity by exploring identity theories and narratives. It illustrated stylization (Blommert, 2001; De Fina, 2006; Georgakopoulou, 2007; Weber & Horner, 2012) and contextualization cues were employed by speakers to construct different Communities of Practice (CofP) within the wider local community and express their attitudes and identities in a changing environment. This was achieved by comparing the use of proverbs within each CofP via interviews with youths and elders (12 participants), and the observation of three CofPs (62 participants). The research was conducted over a period of two months and while the interview duration varied, the duration for observation of each CofP was 30 mins. The project also adopted where relevant a narrative framework and CofP framework, which focused on the importance of practice. These frameworks were essential in order to iii understand the use of social practice, discursive patterns, interactions and the concept of ‘process’ in the analysis of identity. The research questions were: (1) Can traditions (and in particular the use of proverbs) that index the identity of Ute-Okpu people, survive with globalization? (2) Do younger speakers provide new variations on proverbs as a way of re-appropriating this inherited and culturally significant practice? (3) How do speakers of different ages feel about these acts of re-appropriation of cultural traditions? Findings showed that the production of proverbs among Ika youths has declined as a result of their inability to speak the native language fluently. However, the research established that exploring new variations in the production of proverbs among Ika youths (Igbo tribe) indicated that the production of proverbs was transformed to cater for the younger speakers’ new social reality, a reality that combines a deep-rooted respect for inherited cultural structures and values, but also one that embraced a more accessible international context. This study deepens understanding of Igbo proverbs and furthers research on language contact, globalization and language variation in the field of sociolinguistics. The recommendation arising from the research emphasizes an immediate focus on language variations and re-appropriations of proverbs by the youths in a world affected by globalization. It is further suggested that future research could focus on children’s use of proverbs in interaction and consider the extent to which they adhere to the traditional ways of producing proverbs or start re-appropriating these proverbs at a young age. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Student Declaration ii Abstract IV Table of Contents xi Acknowledgements xii List of Abbreviations xiii List of Tables xiv Summary of Transcription Conventions xv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Background of study 1 1.3 Aims and objectives 10 1.4 Research questions 11 1.5 Originality and significance of study 11 1.6 Structure of the thesis 12 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW THEORETICAL APPROACH 14 2.1 Introduction 14 2.2 Background to the study of identity 14 2.2.1 Discourse and Discourse Constructionism 17 2.3 Ethnomethodology 20 v 2.4 Narrative and narrative analysis 21 2.5 Stylization and identities in talk 28 2.5.1 Code-switching 29 2.5.2 A historical overview of code switching 32 2.5.3 Multilingualism and switching 34 2.5.4 Language crossing 36 2.5.5 Translanguaging and third space 37 2.6 Community of practice 39 2.7 Summary 43 CHAPTER 3: LITERATURE REVIEW: LANGUAGE CONTACT, GLOBALIZATION AND PROVERBS 45 3.1 Introduction 45 3.2 The sociolinguistics of globalization 45 3.2.1 Perspective on the effect of globalization to African culture and proverbs 48 3.3 Language contact 53 3.3.1 Language contact in Nigeria 54 3.3.2 Outcomes of language contact: The use or death of proverbs in Africa 57 3.4 Defining proverbs 59 3.4.1 Proverbs as universal 62 3.4.2 Proverbs and culture 63 vi 3.4.3 Igbo Tribe and proverbs 65 3.5 The interpretation of African proverbs 67 3.6 Proverbs in conversation 70 3.6.1 Functions of proverbs in conversation 70 3.7 How to identify African proverbs used during interactions 75 3.8 The generational transition of African proverbs 80 3.9 Gender and proverb production 81 3.10 Summary 84 CHAPTER 4: METHODOLOGY 85 4.1 Introduction 85 4.2 Theoretical perspective (ethnomethodology) 85 4.3 Theoretical framework 86 4.4 Significance of research methodology 90 4.5 Approaches in research design 91 4.5.1 Research approach 91 4.5.2 Ethnographic research strategy 93 4.5.3 Research methods 97 4.6 role of the observer in qualitative research 100 4.7 Data Recording methods 103 4.7.1 Field notes 103 4.7.2 Video recording method 106 4.8 Sampling methods and data analysis 108 4. 9 Demographic details of Ute-Okpu 110 vii 4.10 Demographic details of CofP 112 4.11 Ethical approval 114 4.12 Audit trail 114 4.13 Pilot study 115 4.14 Summary 115 CHAPTER 5: IDENIFYING UTE-OKPU PROVERBS DURING INTERRACTION AND FUNCTIONS OF UTE-OKPU PROVERBS 117 5.1 Introduction 117 5.2 Identifying Ute-Okpu proverbs in conversations 117 5.2.1 Imagery as a signal for proverb production 119 5.2.2 Elderly Men CofP 119 5.2.3 Elderly Women CofP 122 5.2.4 Youth CofP 122 5.2.5 Formulaic turn of phrase as a signal for proverb production 123 5.2.6 Elderly Men CofP 123 5.2.7 Elderly Women CofP 124 5.2.8 Youth CofP 125 5.2.9 Switch to local language as a signal of proverb production 126 5.2.10 Elderly Men CofP 127 5.2.11 Elderly Women CofP 129 5.2.12 Youth CofP 130 5.2.13 Performance as a signal of proverb production 130 5.2.14 Elderly Men CofP 131 5.2.15 Elderly Women CofP 131 5.2.16 Youth CofP 132 5.2.17 Discussion 132 viii 5.3 Functions of proverbs 135 5.3.1 Elderly Men CofP 135 5.3.2 Elderly Women CofP 142 5.3.3 Youth CofP 144 5.3.4 Discussion 147 5.4 Summary 148 CHAPTER 6: CONSTRUCTING IDENTITY IN TALK 151 6.1 Introduction 151 6.2 The production of proverbs in daily interaction in a changing world 151 6.2.1 Elderly Men CofP 152 6.2.2 Observation of Elderly Men CofP 152 6.2.3 Interviews of Elderly Men CofP 153 6.2.4 Elderly Women CofP 159 6.2.5 Observation of Elderly Women during interaction 160 6.2.6 Interviews of Elderly Women CofP 160 6.2.7 Youths CofP 166 6.2.8 Observation of Youth CofP 166 6.2.9 Interviews 167 6.2.10 Discussion 174 6.3 New variations and style of interaction within the Youth CofP 177 6.3.1 Code-switching as a variation and style of interaction within the Youth CofP 178 6.3.2 Observation of Youth CofP 178 6.3.3 Interview with Youth Participants 183 6.3.4 Humour as a variation and style of interaction within the Youth CofP 184 6.3.5 Discussion on code-switching as a variation and style of interaction within the ix Youth CofP 190 6.3.6 Discussion on humour as a variation and style of interaction within the Youth CofP 196 6.4 Summary 199 CHAPTER 7: ATTITUDES TOWARDS RE-APPROPRIATIONS OF CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS 201 7.1 Introduction 201 7.2 Elderly Men CofP 202 7.2.1 Observation of Elderly Men CofP 202 7.2.2 Interview of men CofP 205 7.3 Elderly Women CofP 216 7.3.1 Observation of the Elderly Women CofP 217 7.3.2 Interviews of participants from the Elderly Women CofP 219 7.4 Youth CofP 227 7.4.1 Observation of Youth CofP 227 7.4.2 Interviews of Youth CofP 227 7.5 Discussion 240 7.6 Summary 243 CHAPTER 8: CONCLUSION 244 8.1 Introduction 244 8.2 Implication of the study 245 8.2.1 Proverbs 245 8.2.2 New spaces 248 8.2.3 Methodological implications 249 8.3 Limitations and future research 249 8.4 Summary 251 x Bibliography 252 Appendix 1: A partial map of Ute-Okpu 289 Appendix 2: List of proverbs produced by participants and the translations 290 Appendix 3: Schedule and summary of data during observation 296 Appendix 4: Consent form and list of interview questions 298 Appendix 5: Coding tags 300 Appendix 6: Sample transcribed interview 301 xi Acknowledgements First, my thanks go to God for making this a reality.