Literacy, self identity and class eradication, and implication for socio-global futures: The Nigerian experience

Rachael O. Bello (Department of English, Lagos State University, Nigeria)

Email: yoruba1010@yahoo.com

 

ABSTRACT:

This paper takes a look at the processes of achieving full socio-integration through the notions of literacy, self identity and class eradication. The study is both qualitative and quantitative in nature. We particularly see a situation where every society is linguistically independent while it relates with other societies. The paper draws a link between linguistic citizenship and material, mentifact, cultural, social and political freedom. The Nigerian situation is the concern of this paper though Lagos, being a cosmopolitan community is used as a case study. Literacy concerns the nation’s interest in educating her citizenry as well as making them computer literate. Self identity relates to the country’s ability to recognize every linguistic group. Class eradication helps to give all groups equal air of importance. Though Bernstein’ theory of Deficit Hypothesis is the model on which the paper is anchored, we relate its claim to both the nation’s as well as the individual’s social class. Thus, our application of the theory to our data does not only bear upon the fact that the social success of members of a society and their access to social priviledges is directly dependent on the degree of organization of the linguistic messages but also on the readiness to exterminate the artificial caste so created. The methodologies adopted for the study include participatory observation, interview and questionnaire. Four hundred informants were used. We found out that the country could help her members to identify ‘self’ by not only exposing them to their native languages, their roots, but by also making them realize that the various indigenous languages and cultures are as linguistically effective as any second or foreign language or culture they may be exposed to later in life.