Making African names trendy:
sociolinguistic implications of the
Englishisation of indigenous Igbo names Cover Image

Making African names trendy: sociolinguistic implications of the Englishisation of indigenous Igbo names
Making African names trendy: sociolinguistic implications of the Englishisation of indigenous Igbo names

Author(s): Chidimma Ugomma E. Inyima, Onyebuchi Nwosu
Subject(s): Sociolinguistics, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology, Globalization
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: globalization; Englishisation; Igbo names; cultural diversity; language;

Summary/Abstract: This study examines an aspect of linguistic globalization known as Englishisation (Kachru 1994; Boussebaa & Brown 2016; Mensah 2021) by adopting the sociolinguistic approach to investigate the creative modifi cations of some Igbo indigenous names with the aim of ascertaining their underpinnings and implications for linguistic and cultural diversity in a globalized world. The fi ndings reveal that in addition to contact and assimilation, the quest for global relevance and integration underlies the linguistic modifi cations of African (Igbo) names. The study concludes that Englishisation is posing a threat to linguistic and cultural diversity and recommends deliberate concerted reorientation in order to check the trend.

  • Issue Year: 2025
  • Issue No: 59
  • Page Range: 37-59
  • Page Count: 23
  • Language: English
Toggle Accessibility Mode