English As A Language Of Integration In A Multilingual Country A Study Of Selected Nigerian Pentecostal Christian Songs.pdf

This paper examines the role of English usage in the social integration of adherents through a study of Nigerian Pentecostal Christian songs. The study adopts Societal Multilingualism as the relevant linguistic approach. This is because the concept explains the use of more than two languages by an individual, a group or society as it is the situation in Nigeria. Data for the study were collected from 20 Pentecostal Churches in Calabar, a cosmopolitan city, by means of participant observation, audio tape recording of 28 songs and unstructured interview with 40 randomly selected congregants. The collated data form the analyzable corpus. Findings indicate that English lexical items perform integrating and accommodating roles through multilingual language practices such as code mixing, code switching, interpretation and Nigerianisms. By these practices, the faithful participate actively, and reveal a deep sense of belonging, linguistic inclusion and mutual trust. The songs‟ lyrics also highlight the sensitivity to Nigerian English, and to the area‟s linguistic diversity since participants are from diverse ethnolinguistic backgrounds. These realisations emphasize the relevance of English usage in Nigerian multilingual worship settings