ELITES AND THE DECLINE OF SPOKEN AND WRITTEN IGBO, INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE ANDCULTURE

Abstract

This work examines Elites and the Decline of Spoken and Written Igbo, Indigenous Language and Culture. It investigates the elites’ level of Igbo language use in order to show causes and areas of decline of spoken and written Igbo and culture among Igbo people with doctorate degree, resident in Nsukka Central Local Government Area of Enugu State. The focus is on both married and unmarried men and women with that qualification and within the age ranges of 40 to 60 years. The descriptive research design is employed in the study. The theoretical framework of Ethnolinguistic vitality forms the basis of the analysis of data collected in the study. The paper adopts spoken and written talks of elites from Nsukka Central as data for the analysis. The talks were derived from family discussions, information from schools, and talks from social gatherings that involve elites. The study therefore, finds out that Igbo elites are part of the causes of decline in spoken and written Igbo, indigenous language and culture. Results show that Igbo elites do not speak Igbo language to Igbo children, where they try to speak Igbo at all. They code-switch Igbo and English languages. The study also reveals that key words found in elites’ construction are pronounced with English language. The study in addition discovers that elites never use Igbo, indigenous language in the leaflet description of their products for easy understanding. Again, the paper find out that Igbo elites mock Igbo children that want to study Igbo in higher institutions. Even those children at lower levels, elites forbid them from speaking Igbo in the class and also fine them. Also, kolanut cultural practice is found neglected by the elites.