LANGUAGE ENDANGERMENT AND REVITALIZATION: OROKAM DIALECTAL SITUATION BY ABAH, AKOGWU JAMES PG/MA/12/62544 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND LITERARY STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA AUGUST 2014 i LANGUAGE ENDANGERMENT AND REVITALIZATION: OROKAM DIALECTAL SITUATION A PROJECT REPORT SUBMITED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND LITERARY STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF ARTS (M.A.) DEGREE IN ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE BY ABAH, AKOGWU JAMES PG/MA/12/62544 AUGUST 2014 ii TITLE PAGE LANGUAGE ENDANGERMENT AND REVITALIZATION: OROKAM DIALECTAL SITUATION iii APPROVAL/CERTIFICATION This project is approved and certified for the department of English and Literary Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Abah, Akogwu James, a post graduate student of the above department with the registration number PG/MA/12/62544 has satisfactorily completed the requirements for the course and research work for the award of a Master of Arts degree (M.A.) in English As A Second Language. The work embodied in this project is original and has not been submitted in partial or full for any other diploma or degree of this or other university . _______________________________ ____________________________ DR.BARR. (MRS) F.O. ORABUEZE PROF. DAMIAN U. OPATA SUPERVISOR HEAD OF DEPARTMENT __________________________________ EXTERNAL EXAMINER iv DEDICATION This work is first of all dedicated to the supreme God and secondly to my late parents, Mr. John Abah Ameh and Mrs. Cecilia K. Abah of the blessed memories. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENT A thousand tongues are not enough to appreciate God my redeemer who sustained me day and night to whether the storms of this programme, may your name forever be magnified. I am inexpressibly indebted to my erudite and dynamic supervisor, Dr. Barr. (Mrs.) Orabueze, Florence O. whose intellectual brilliance, constructive criticism, constant support and encouragement, motherly care, wholeheartedly directed and guided me throughout the process of writing this research and finally makes it a reality. I lack the right word to appreciate you. May the good Lord uplift you beyond your imaginations in Jesus name. My unreserved thanks go to Prof. D. U. Opata, Prof. E. J. Otagburuagu, Rev. Fr. Prof. A.N. Akwanya, Prof. L.C. Ngonebu, Prof. Sam Onuigbo, Prof. N.F. Inyama, Prof. I. Dieke, Dr. M. Ezugu, Dr. P.A. Ezema, Dr. C. Onunkwo, Mr.T.A. Chukwumezie, Mr. F.U. Okoro, and Mr. Kingsley Ugwuanyi whose scholarly assistance molded me academically. I am highly indebted to Engr. and Mrs. Nelson Okolo, Prof. Jerry Agada, Bello S. A., Gbaaikyo L.M., Mr. Sokari U., Dr. A.A. Alpha, Commandant Ochogwu M. U., Bishop & Mrs. Amuta, Mr and Mrs. Ogbodo, Mr. Amos A. Okoh, Mr. Ochai, A.B., Mr. Ochai, M.U., Mr. Akaa Mkav, Idoko Johnson, Paulina Ochogwu, Mr. Igoche E.I., Mr. Onyebuchi Okimini, Omadachi Umoru, Dr. Mrs. Cecilia Ohemu, Late Hon. Dan Ohemu, Pa Egwu Ode, Otene B.B., Utiri Blessing, Late Pa Idoko Apeh, Dr. C. C. Ukagu, Pat. Otanwa,Gabriel J. Ogirah, Pa. John Ijiga, Mrs. Lilian Odu, Ijiga Aaron, Emmanuel Ihediwah, Rosemary C. John, my wonderful course mates, etc for both your financial and moral support given to me to shoulder my academic challenges, I remain ever grateful and may the good Lord see you through in all your pursuit in life in Jesus name. Similarly, I gratefully appreciate the love, kindness and financial assistance given to me by my amiable brothers, Emmanuel, Innocent, and Benedict Abah. You people are truly brothers vi both in words and in action. More so, I can’t forget the warm closeness, love, and concern received from Mary Godwin, Paulina Ocheme, Idoko Felix, Johnson Idoko, Benjamin Abutu, Matty, Nneka, Lucy Adikwu, Blessing, Celestina, Godwin Agada, and many others during the programme, thanks and may God bless you bountifully. History will never forgive me if I should forget to acknowledge Prof. Francis Okwori, Prof. David Ker, Prof. James Alachi, Prof. Innocent Adikwu, Dr.Andrew Abah, Dr. Moses Tsenongu, Dr. Barnabas Eke, Dr. J. Ogwuche, Dr. Ata Pine, Mr. Elaigwu Audu, Mr. Joseph Apeh, all of the Benue State University, Makurdi for your numerous contributions to my academic wellbeing, I say, thank you all. Conclusively, I could not have done this work without my able and accurate typist, Perpetua Ogbonna, kudos to you. Since I cannot pay all of you acknowledged here for your goodness towards me, I recommend you all to the extravagant grace, favour, and protection of the most high God and may He loose His blessings on you for your good works in Jesus name. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Cover page - - - - - - - - - i Title Page - - - - - - - - - ii Approval/Certification - - - - - - - - iii Dedication - - - - - - - - - iv Acknowledgement - - - - - - - - v Table of Contents - - - - - - - - vii Abstract - - - - - - - - - ix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Brief Historical Background of Idoma Nation - - - 1 1.2 The Origin of Orokam - - - - - - - 2 1.3 Statement of the Problem - - - - - - 4 1.4 Purpose of Study - - - - - - - 5 1.5 Significance of the Study - - - - - - 5 1.6 Scope and Limitation of Study - -- - - - 5 1.7 Research Questions - - - - - - - 6 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 2.1 Theoretical Framework - - - - - - 7 2.2 Empirical Studies - - - - - - - 16 2.3 Orokam Dialect - - - - - - - 20 2.4 Language Endangerment - - - - - - 23 2.5 Sounds and Letters in Idoma - - - - - 26 2.6 Morphological Features of Orokam and Otukpo Dialects - - 31 2.7 Sentence Analysis in Orokam - - - - - 32 2.8 A Popular Hymn among the Idoma or Orokam - - - 35 3.9 Singular and Plural - - - - - - - 36 3.10 Causes of Language Endangerment in Orokam Land - - 39 2.11 Adverse Effects of Language Endangerment in Orokam land - 42 2.12 Revitalization of Orokam Dialect of Idoma Language - - 42 viii CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Preamble - - - - - - - - 46 3.2 Research Design - - - - -- - - 47 3.3 Area of Study - - - - - - - - 47 3.4 Population of the Study - - - - - - 48 3.5 Sample and Sampling Procedure - - - - - 48 3.6 Method of Data Collection - - - - - - 48 3.7 Method of Data Analysis - - - - - - 49 CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 4.0 Data Analysis and Interpretation - - - - - 50 4.1 Response to Questionnaires - - - - - - 50 4.2 Data Presentation- - - - - - - - 59 CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION 5.1 Summary - - - - - - - - 61 5.2 Recommendation - - - - - - - 62 5.3 Conclusion - - - - - - - - 63 WORKS CITED ix ABSTRACT At present, there is a renewed interest in the fate of endangered or dying languages. The death of any language or dialect means the extinction of such cultural heritage, and to some extent, the loss of a people. As the Orokam people increasingly abandon the use of their indigenous dialect in almost all domains of life, including the home, this study seeks to show that Orokam, a dialect spoken among the Orokam people in Ogbadibo Local Government Area of the Idoma kingdom in Benue State is at the verge of endangerment or extinction. So, this work seeks to know the extent to which the Orokam dialect has been endangered; factors responsible for the relegation of the dialect as well as measures on how the dialect can be revitalized and preserved for posterity. The purpose of the study is to determine the core dialect of Orokam as well as to suggest ways to which the dialect could be saved from extinction. Questionnaires and oral interviews were used for the collection of data. At the end of the research, the findings revealed that Orokam indigenes do not speak their dialect even at home; there was no written literature on the dialect and a such the dialect was not used as medium of instruction from the nursery to junior secondary school as recommended by the National Policy on Education; the indigenes feel inferior to use the dialect in social environment and the dialect has never been used by the media; Orokam people believed that teaching the dialect in their schools will be of benefits to them but they did not make any effort towards achieving that, and finally, the researcher recommended that the dialect should actively be used in Orokam homes, schools and even by the media; the religious leaders should use the dialect in their sermons; and that the government as well as the individuals should provide scholarship to encourage children who speak the dialect. x 1 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Brief Historical Background of Idoma Nation Etymologically, it is a difficult obligation to actually pin-point the first person that coined the word “Idoma”. Scholars like Erim (93) and Unoma (206) are of the opinion that the Idoma people migrated from the ancient Kwararafa confederacy. But there is a popular belief among the Idoma that the terms, “Idu” and “Oma” were first and foremost the surnames of the Idoma progenitors. There is a fervent practice among the Idoma that someone’s descendants are regarded as “Ai” and that is why we have Ai-Idoma, Ai-Orokam and many others. It is important to note that Erim’s study of the Idoma nation stipulates that “the Idoma people occupy areas of land which lies within both the broad valley of the Benue Rivers to the Northern fringes of Igbo land” (11). He further states, “ranging about two hundred and eight kilometres from the East to West, the area is flanked by the Tiv and Igede to the East and the Igala to the West. The bulk of the territory of the land is South of the Benue, some seventy two kilometres East of its confluence with the Niger” (6). It is worthy of note that, among the twenty-three(23) Local Government Areas of Benue State, the Tiv nation has thirteen while the Idoma have nine, which include Ado, Agatu, Apa, Obi, Ogbadibo, Ohimini, Oju, Okpokwu, and Otukpo respectively. Ogbadibo is the Local Government Area which is accommodating the endangered Orokam dialect, which is the subject of this study.