The Sociolinguistic Setting of AÌ€ leÌ ge

Abstract

Alege is a small group Bendi language spoken in Obudu Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria,West Africa. In the  light of the community’s efforts towards developing the language,  this survey was conducted to access the different domains of language use and the factors that affect the continued sustenance of the Alege language in these domains.The aim of this study is to help  the Alege community make informed decisions on the type of  language development project (s) to initiate and what problems to address.  Forth is study, three different survey methods were  employed: individual and group interviews, participant observation and the use of three structured questionnaires– village profile, house hold and school-based questionnaires. Findings from the study show that Alege is a multilingual community where Alege is predominantly spoken with English, Nigerian pidgin and Bette  language (mostly spoken by adults) being used in certain domains. Regardless of the high level of multilingualism, the Alege people have a strong positive attitude towards their language, which they  proudly speak in their homes, markets, church and other domains of use with in the community. Taking in to account the various socio economic and demographic factors such as migration and youth unemployment currently affecting the community, it is imperative that development strategies that would enhance the vitality of the language be established before an intergenerational gulf erupts