Linguistic Landscape of Religious Signboards in Ado Ekiti, Nigeria: Culture, Identity and Globalisation

Abstract

This paper focuses on the linguistic landscape (LL) of religious signboards in select areas of Ado Ekiti, Nigeria with a view of establishing the relationship between the languages used on these signboards and the implication for identity, globalisation and culture. Fifty-three LL items were photographed for the study. The areas selected were based on activity level and the number of religious signboards they featured. The data were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The findings revealed the dominance and the pervasiveness of the English language over and across the other languages in the public space. The use of Yoruba texts across the items revealed religio-cultural and loyalist reasons while the use of Arabic confirmed the inherent attachment of the language to Islamic religion, and fostered a religion-based collective identity between the sign writer and the sign reader.

Religious performance in Malang, Indonesia: Linguistic landscape on worship sign

“…Three studies have reported. LL research publications in Malaysia (Coluzzi & Kitade, 2015), Mecca, Saudi Arabia (Alsaif & Starks, 2019), and Nigeria (Inya, 2019). Some LL studies in Indonesia have also been carried out, Malang (Yannuar & Tabiati, 2016), (Sumarlam, 2020), (Sumarlam et al, 2019), (Purnanto & Ardhian, 2020), Gresik (Oktaviani, 2019), Yogyakarta (Andriyanti, 2019) (Erikha, 2018), Dili, Timor Leste (Taylor-Leech, 2012.…”

“…The presence of Christianity marks a new religion that reflects globalization. Therefore, English is present as a marker of sophistication and globalization (Inya, 2019). Over time, Christianity marked the arrival of the diaspora in Indonesia.…”

What Languages are in Names? Exploring the Languages in Church Names in Ghana

“…Christianity, however, is said to have lost such a connection (Pennycook 2005). Pennycook ( 2005) suggests that language-religion mapping is not universal, although Inya (2019) thinks otherwise. More so, such a nexus is evolving where religions that resisted the use of some languages are now beginning to adopt and allow the use of other ones based on the sociocultural milieu.…”

“…Given its 'dual' or bridging position as occurring in both global and local spheres (Akoto 2018), English is regarded more powerful and persuasive as it projects an enviable identity of the churches (Inya 2019). It is common to hear some Ghanaians pride themselves as belonging to an English-medium church.…”

“…Table 1 shows that three Ghanaian local languages are employed in church names in Ghana. The presence of these Ghanaian indigenous languages can be described as a mark of Ghanaianism, or Ghanaian exceptionalism in ecclesionymy which is "indicative of linguistic loyalty" (Inya 2019(Inya , p. 1157). These languages enact local identities of the churches (Fairclough 1960, Akoto 2018.…”