DEVELOPMENT OF A FORMAL ADDRESS PATTERNS IN CONFORMITY TO SOCIOLINGUISTIC DATA BASE EXISTING IN KANO STATE TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS

Authors: Mrs. Jamila Tukur Maigari & Muhammad Sani Shu’aibu

ABSTRACT

This study investigates variations in the use of address terms often in phases or sentential forms among academic staff of some tertiary institutions in Kano state using sociolinguistic variables, such as age, status, gender, etc. The rationale behind the study is to come up with a developed formal address patterns that will conform to the sociolinguistic data base typical to academic staff of Kano State. The motivation of the study is informed by the fact that based on the burgeoning works researched; the study in address forms in academic setting received little attention, (Chamo2018).The objective of the study is to examine potential or possible variations in the use of address terms among academic staff vis-à-vis the way they are affected by them in their day-to-day interactions and analyze them socio-linguistically. An extensive review of related literature is done in three phases, namely conceptual, theoretical and empirical reviews. This illuminates much the current study, as to reflect the gap not addressed by the previous researches in address usage. The methodology used for data collection encompasses the use of a purposive sampling where five tertiary institutions have been selected and visited the institutions (Field work), records, and interviews the respondents before analyzing their responses. Equally, questionnaires are be administered, transcribed and later analyzed; using quantitative and qualitative approaches that enable the researchers to arrive at developed formal address patterns that conform to sociolinguistic data based existing in Kano State. The justification of the study is derived from the basis that it is the first of its kind to be conducted in some tertiary in institutions of Kano, using comparative analysis to generate data that forms the findings of the study. Above all, the findings of the research will be beneficial to both language students and their teachers, sociolinguist experts as well as potential researchers and language policy makers and by extension text book publishers because they will draw ample knowledge from cultural mores typical to address system from socio-linguistic setting of Kano state.

REFERENCES

  • Agyekum, K. (2003). Honorific and Status Indexing in Akan Communication.  Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 24.5: 369-385.
  • Agbedor, P. and Johnson, A. (2005). Naming Practices. In Benjamin Lawrence (ed.) A Handbook of Eweland. Accra: Woeli Publishers.
  • Afful, J. B. A. (2006a). Address terms among university students in Ghana. A case study. In Journal of Language and Intercultural Communication, 2006, vol. 6, no. 1, pp.76-91.
  • Afful, J. B. A. (2006b). Non-kinship address terms in Akan. A sociolinguistic study of language use in Ghana. In Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2006, vol. 27, no. 4, pp.275289.
  • Afful, J. (2012) When Sir and Madam are not: Address terms and reference terms students use for faculty in a Ghanaian university. Sociolinguistic Studies 6.3: 491-517.
  • Akinnaso, F. N. (1980). The Sociolinguistic Basis of Yoruba Personal Names. Anthropological Linguistics 22 (7), 275-304.
  • Bonvillain, N. (2000). Language, culture and communication. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
  • Brown, R. Gilman, . (1960). The Pronouns of Power and Solidarity. In T. A. Sebeok (ed.), Style in Language, MIT Press. Retrieved from http://mapageweb.umontreal.ca/tuitekj/cours/2611pdf/Brown-Gilman-Pronouns.pdf
  • Brown, G. & Yule, G. (1989). Discourse Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Chabata, E (2015) features of names and identity in Zimbabwe. (unpublished Doctoral Thesis): South Africa: Sipros University.
  • Chamo, Y.I (2018). The Use of Address Forms among Faculty Academic Staff of Bayero University. Symposium of West African Languages held in Poland: Warsaw University
  • Dickey,E.R. (1997) Forms of address and terms of reference. Journal of Linguistics 33.2: 255-274.
  • Egblewogbe, E.Y. (1977). Ewe Personal Names: A Sociolinguistic Study. (Unpublished doctoral thesis) Ghana: University of Ghana.
  • Frege, G. (2012) ‘On Sense and Nomination.’ In: Readings in Philosophical Analysis, Herbert Feigh and Wilfred Sellars (eds.) New York: Appleton- Century- Crafts.
  • Fitch, K. & `Maorford, L. (1997). The interplay of linguistic universals and cultural knowledge in personal address: Colombian Madre terms. Communication Monographs,58, 254-272.
  • Hawthorn, G. (2008). Pronouns of address and their differentiation in European languages. (Unpublished Dissertation) London: Oxford University
  • Keshavarz, M.H. (2001). The role of social context, intimacy, and distance in the choice of forms of address. International Journal Social Science and Language. 148, 5-18. Tehran, Iran.
  • Leech, G. (1999). The distribution and function of vocatives in American and British English Conversation. In H. Hassel Gard & S. Oksefjell (Eds.), Out of corpora: Studies in honor of Stig Johansson (pp. 107-118). Amsterdam: Rodopi.
  • Oyetade, S.O. (1991). A sociolinguistic analysis of address forms in Yoruba.
  • Mashiri, P. (1999). Terms of Address in Shona: A Sociolinguistic Approach. [Online]. Available: http://archive lib. M.S.Uedu/DMC/African % 20 Journals/pdfs/ Journals % 20 of % 20Zimbabwe /vo/ 26nl/Juz 026001007pdf
  • Murphy, G.L. (1988). Personal reference in English. Language in Society, 17, 317-349.
  • Nevela, M. (2004). Accessing Politeness Axes: Forms of Address and Terms of Reference in Early English Correspondence.Journal of Pragmatics 36, pp.2125-2160.Online. [Accessed 29 March 2013]. Available from: http://0referenceworks.brillonline.com.wam.leeds.ac.uk/entries/encyclopedia-of arabic-language-and-linguistics/proper-names-COM_vol3_0272
  • Norris, J. M. (2001). Use of address terms on the German Speaking Test. In K. R. Rose, & G. Kasper, Pragmatics in Language Teaching (pp. 248-282). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Philips, F . (2013). ‘Onomastics’. In: The Oxford Companion to the English Language, Tom McArthur (ed.) Oxford, Oxford University Press.
  • Philipsen, G. &Huspeck M. (1985). A bibliography of sociolinguistic studies of personal address.Anthropological Linguistics, 27 (1), 94-101.
  • Pritchard E. E. (1964). Nuer Modes of Address. In Dell Hymes (ed.), Culture and Society: A Reader in Linguistics and Anthropology (pp.221-225). New York: Harper and Row
  • Salami, L. O. (1986). Problems and Prospects of urban sociolinguistic survey in Africa: Notes from Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Anthropological Linguistics, 28 (4), 473-483.
  • Salihu, H. (2014). The Sociolinguistics Study of Gender Address Patterns in the Hausa Society. In International Journal of Social Science and Humanity Vol. 4, No. 1,
  • Schottman, W. (2000). Baatɔnu Personal Names from Birth to Death. (Unpublished Thesis) Kampala: Kamfala University.
  • Spolsky, B. (1998). Sociolinguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Tseng, C. H. (2015). “You Must Let Me Pass, please!”: An Investigation of Email Request Strategies by Taiwanese EFL Learners. Journal of ELT and Applied Linguistics (JELTAL), 3(1), 11-28.
  • Yassin, M. A. (1975). A Linguistic Study of Forms of Address in Kuwaiti Colloquial Arabic. (unpublished Doctoral thesis). London. University of Leeds.
  • Zhang, H. (2002). Bilingual creativity in Chinese English. Ha Jin’s in the pond. World Englishes, 21(2), 305–315.
  • Zhou, X. (1998). The comparison of terms of address between Chinese and American English.Journal of Guangdong Education College 1.88-92.
  • Wardhaugh, R. (2006). An introduction to sociolinguistics. (5th ed). London: Oxford University.
  • Yassin, M. A. (1975). A Linguistic Study of Forms of Address in Kuwaiti Colloquial Arabic. (unpublished Doctoral thesis). London. University of Leeds