The Importance of Indigenous Language in Broadcasting Media
Chapter One
OBJECTIVESย OFย THEย STUDY
There are two basic objectives set out to be achievedย by this study.ย One of theย objectives is to examine the attitudes of the broadcast media towards indigenous languagesย use. Through this, the language situation as reflected in the state broadcast media, the rolesย assigned indigenous languages through indigenous language programmes, the issues coveredย byย suchย indigenousย programmesย andย timeย allottedย themย wereย revealed.
Second,ย theย attitudeย ofย peopleย towardsย indigenousย languageย useย onย Edoย stateย Broadcasting Service radio and television were ascertained. Through this, the socio-politicalย implications of the attitudes of the people towards indigenous languages used by EBS and theย society were examined. All these are aimed at language engineering efforts towards using,ย promoting,ย sustaining,ย developingย andย revitalizingย indigenousย languagesย inย an era quiteย knownย forย the diminishingย use ofย indigenousย languagesย inย the public domains.
Chapter Two
LITERATUREREVIEWย
MEDIAย IMPACTย ONย USEย OFย INDIGENOUSย LANGUAGES
The media have the capacity of enhancing the status of, giving prominence to, promoting, maintaining, sustaining, retaining, projecting, popularizing, developing and revitalizing languages (indigenous languages inclusive) used by them (Adegbija, 2004; Jowitt, 1991: 10-11; David, 2004; Ezikeojiaku, 2006: 289). Abe (2004) who studied the attitude of Japanese towards the English and Foreign languages reports the significant role of the Japanese electronic media in the learning of foreign languages by Japanese between 1955 and 2000 through listening to and viewing radio and television. He further lists the media as one of the reasons languages contact with other languages. Similarly, Bodomo, Anderson & Dzahene-Quarshie (2009) believe that the media are one important tool used to promote or support multilingual model of education. In other words, the liberalization of the Ghanaian broadcast media has increased the use of indigenous Ghanaian languages. The majority of the FM stations, for instance, which broadcast in indigenous Ghanaian languages, have given opportunities to voices which were marginalized because of their inability to speak English to express their views. Thus, through the use of the indigenous languages in the mass media, large segments of the population who were otherwise excluded from the communication process can now participate in the democratic process. Since these indigenous languages are used in many media fora, the great majority of the rural as well as urban illiterate are now included in the process of communication.
However,ย Davidย (2004)ย reportsย theย generalย importanceย ofย mediaย onย indigenousย language use as responsible for linkingย many remote communities together and reducingย their sense of isolation,ย promoting effective governance by providing people with accurateย and relevant information about political and economic news in their languages, promotingย fluency in languages through social validation and employment opportunities, reinforcingย group identity and giving them the opportunity toย link together for common causes andย issues. These were backed up by audience survey reports by TNI which found that a highย percentย ofย respondentsย learnedย Inuttitutย wordsย fromย listeningย toย TNIย radioย andย television.ย A largeย majority of respondents wish toย seeย more programs on Inuitย culture,ย andย toย hearย traditional stories told in Inuttitut. A large majority of the respondents requested additionalย programming on Inuit culture. Inuit in Nunavik are very supportive of TNIโs programs; 83%ย of respondents were familiar with TNIโs radio programs and 73% were familiar with TNIโsย televisionย programming.
Similarly, Missinipi Broadcasting also conducted a recent audience survey, whichย reported a slightย decline in Cree-language speakers butย an increase in โotherโ languageย speakers, which includes Michif and Saulteaux, both languages where MBC began to offerย moreย programming.ย Whileย respondentsย saidย theย qualityย ofย theย programmingย andย theย announcing decreased slightly since the previous survey in 1998, respondents said the qualityย of the Aboriginal language on the radio has increased. Some causes for concern however, areย that more people wanted to hear less Aboriginal language on the radio or even none at all.ย There is a significant decrease in the amount people would like to watch/hear, with the manyย people only wanting less than an hour per day. There was also a decrease in the percentage ofย people whoย thinkย thatย MBCย โhelpsย preserveย language andย culture.
Through periodic programme evaluation, NNBAP members were very successful inย meeting the objectives of the federal government with regards to Canadian content, culturalย participation and strengthening the connections between Canadians. Areas of impact of theย media include increase in childrenโs programming to teach language;public forum programsย to engage people in civic opportunities; recording of elders and ability to preserve languageย andย cultural knowledge; and role of APTNย inย providingย aย vehicle toย produce languageย programming. This has led to more opportunities forย language speakers to work in the fieldย of broadcasting, opened up opportunities for youth, and encouraged them to maintain theirย language. By increasing the presence and legitimacy of Aboriginal languages, broadcastingย reinforces the interest and language competence of younger Aboriginal community membersย and helps slow the growing linguistic and generation gap between them and older unilingualย members.
More so, anecdotal evidence from the audiences further exposes the overwhelmingย impact of the media thatย use indigenous languages, broadcasting plays a significantย role inย the preservation of Aboriginal languages. In a predominantly oral culture, anecdotal evidenceย is viewed as a valid and valuable source of data. In the absence of in-depth academic studies,ย the statements of viewers and community members become increasingly important. Afterย three decades of phone-in programs, audience surveys, government program evaluations andย communityย consultationsย onย variousย issues,ย itย isย clearย thatย Aboriginalย viewersย andย broadcasters alikeย linkย access toย Aboriginal-languageย mediaย services with retention andย promotion of language. Some of the important anecdotal evidence culled from interviews,ย phone-in programmes, talk-shows, indicate that the audiences home or abroad feel a sense ofย ethnic pride hearing or watching their indigenous programmes, are granted access to theirย language through use in media, (want to) learn their language because they feel a sense ofย involvement, and become more aware of their languages and their overall importance in theย development of the individual and the society at large. One of such interview clips quiteย indispensableย is:
Language broadcasting has been โmusic to the earsโ of thoseย who understand it. It helps people reawaken to their languageย and culture and the two are intrinsicโฆseeing and hearing theย languageย onย TVย andย radio, youย feelย connectedย toย theย languageโฆย itย hasย alsoย provided consistencyโaย placeย whereย you can always hear the language, even if there is nowhere else, they canย always tune into radio and TV programming to help re-learn theย language (David,ย 2004).
The support media give indigenous languages because of broadcast in indigenousย languages is further expressed by Enemakuโs (2001: 97-128) study. The study, lamenting theย decline of print media in Igala, praises the thriving of the state broadcast media, Kogi Stateย Broadcasting Corporation on Igala soil at Ochaja, Dekina L.G.A., which has tremendouslyย enhanced the status of Igala language broadcasting, and listening to the station as a favouriteย traditionย inย Igalaland.ย Announcementsย aboutย weddings,ย deaths,ย launchingsย andย otherย functions โย social, political, official,ย and religious, etc, โare notย complete until they haveย beenย placedย onย Radioย Kogi, Ochaja,ย inย Igalaย language. Thisย helpsย theย stationย toย makeย money,
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just as it boosts the status of radioย broadcasting in the language as the most effective meansย of transmitting messages to the Igala people. This has reflected in the positive attitude of theย audience who find watching and listening to the broadcast stations (radio and television) aย favouriteย traditionย becauseย ofย broadcastย inย indigenousย languageย of theย Igalaย peopleย ofย Nigeria.
Chapter Three
RESEARCHMETHODOLOGY
RESEARCHย DESIGN
This study set out to examine the attitude of people towards languages in use, specifically, indigenous languages, through listening and watching indigenous languages programmes through which indigenous languages are used, promoted and maintained on the Edo Broadcasting Service (radio and television). In addition, the study examined attitudes towards indigenous language use by looking at the role of the broadcast media in terms of the institutional support accorded indigenous languages through their use and promotion alongside foreign language. Consequent upon this, a combination of survey, historical research methods and content analysis will be used to elicit attitudes towards indigenous languages in the media and the society at large.
STUDYย POPULATION
The population for this study will cover all Edo state people.ย Theย choiceย forย thisย age-bracketย will beย basedย onย theย conviction that those, therefore, considered are perceived as people by this study. They areย said to take more than 32% of Edo state population of 3.2 million (2006 Population &ย Housing Census Priority Table, 2010, Vol. IV; Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette,ย 2009, No. 2, Vol. 96; Omogui, 2005; Omoniyi & Jimoh, 2010).
Chapter Four
METHODย OFย DATAย COLLECTION
ย A number of methods will be employed in eliciting data for this study. This will be inย reaction to Adegbijaโs (1994) charge, citing Baker (1992), that a combination of approachesย should be used in attitude measurement, especially of language attitude. One of such methodsย will be the use of review of documents. By this, both television and radio programmes of theย stationย will beย requestedย toย elicitย theย day,ย programmeย title,ย concept/content,ย type,ย time,ย duration, frequency and language used in the transmission of each dayโs programmes allย through the week. The indigenous language programmes will be, therefore, sought out. This isย line with the fact that documents, specifically records, may be analyzed as a way of dataย collection under evaluation research (Ogundipe, Lucas and Sanni, 2006: 107-108). Also, theย state cultural and linguistic policies as well as the media policy documents in soft and hardย copiesย will beย readย andย utilized whereย appropriate.
REFERENCES
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