Exploring Language Contact Phenomena: The Interplay of French and Arabic in Nigeria

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dc.contributor.authorIsa Bayo
dc.contributor.authorOyekulehin Ridwan
dc.date.accessioned2026-04-17T21:16:19Z
dc.date.available2026-04-17T21:16:19Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.descriptionLALICO Journal of Languages, Literature and Communication Volume 3, Issue 3
dc.description.abstractThis study examines French–Arabic language contact in Nigeria, addressing a notable gap in scholarship where both languages have largely been studied in isolation despite their coexistence within shared sociolinguistic spaces. While Arabic has sustained a centuries-long presence through Islamic scholarship, Qur’anic education, and trans-Saharan intellectual traditions, French has gained strategic relevance due to Nigeria’s proximity to Francophone states and its participation in regional institutions such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). However, the nature of their interaction within Nigeria’s multilingual ecology remains undertheorised. Drawing on language contact theory, linguistic capital theory, and multilingual ecology perspectives, this study argues that their relationship is characterised not by structural convergence or competition but by functional complementarity across differentiated domains. Arabic operates primarily as a language of religious authority and intellectual heritage, while French functions as a medium of commerce, diplomacy, and regional mobility. The findings demonstrate that their coexistence produces layered linguistic repertoires shaped by identity negotiation, institutional structures, and geopolitical positioning. The paper contributes to broader debates on transnational language dynamics and linguistic stratification in West Africa.
dc.description.sponsorshipIgnatius Ajuru University of Education, Rumuolumeni, Portharcourt
dc.identifier.issn2651-6462
dc.identifier.urihttps://uilspace.unilorin.edu.ng/handle/123456789/17313
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherDepartment of English and Literary Studies; Mass Communication; Linguistics Faculty of Humanities
dc.relation.ispartofseriesVolume 3; Issue 3
dc.subjectLanguage Contact
dc.subjectFrench–Arabic Interaction
dc.subjectMultilingualism in Nigeria
dc.subjectTransnational Languages
dc.subjectSociolinguistic Ecology
dc.titleExploring Language Contact Phenomena: The Interplay of French and Arabic in Nigeria
dc.typeArticle

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