MULTILINGUALISM, NATIONAL AND OFFICIAL LANGUAGES IN NIGERIA AND INDIA

Abstract

Multilingualism is a common phenomenon in most nations of the world. It is a situation where more than two languages exist. In many countries like Nigeria and India, there are hundreds of languages. When there are too many languages in a nation, it is usually very difficult to have a single working indigenous language as a national language. This is the situation in Nigeria and India, where English language is the official language and it dominates the other indigenous languages including the national languages. In this paper, we are going to set a background for the study, define multilingualism, national language and official language, then list the recognized indigenous languages in Nigeria and India, discuss national and official languages in Nigeria and India, and finally draw a conclusion.