Thesis Abstract

Abstract
This research project focuses on conducting an in-depth study of lexical borrowing from English to Hausa language. Lexical borrowing is a common linguistic phenomenon where languages borrow words from one another due to various reasons such as cultural exchange, technological advancements, or historical interactions. Hausa, as a language spoken by millions of people in West Africa, has been influenced by English due to colonial history, globalization, and modernization. The study aims to investigate the patterns, extent, and implications of lexical borrowing from English to Hausa. By analyzing a wide range of lexical items borrowed from English into Hausa, the research seeks to understand the linguistic processes involved in borrowing, the phonological and morphological adaptations, as well as the semantic shifts that occur during the integration of borrowed words into the Hausa lexicon. Furthermore, the research will explore the socio-cultural factors that influence lexical borrowing between English and Hausa speakers. This includes examining the contexts in which borrowed words are used, the attitudes of Hausa speakers towards borrowed vocabulary, and the impact of borrowed words on the language identity and language vitality of Hausa. Methodologically, the study will employ a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. Data collection will involve compiling a corpus of borrowed words from English to Hausa, analyzing the phonological and morphological changes that occur during borrowing, and conducting surveys and interviews to gather insights from Hausa speakers regarding their perception and usage of borrowed vocabulary. The findings of this research project are expected to contribute to the fields of sociolinguistics, language contact, and lexical studies. By providing a comprehensive analysis of lexical borrowing from English to Hausa, the study will enhance our understanding of language dynamics in multilingual societies and shed light on the processes of language change and adaptation in response to external influences. Overall, this research project seeks to fill a gap in the existing literature on lexical borrowing in African languages, particularly focusing on the case of English borrowings in the Hausa language. The study is significant for its potential to enrich our knowledge of language contact phenomena and their implications for linguistic diversity and cultural exchange in the globalized world.

Thesis Overview

1.0   Introduction

This project is centered on An In-depth Study on Lexical Borrowing from English to Hausa, with the aim to study the English and Hausa lexical loan words. The concept borrowing has been defined and explains by different scholars. It is a universal socio-linguistic phenomenon which is as a result of different cultures in contact, as a result of this contact cultural items filter freely from one culture to another.

This is true in the case of language as there is a dare need for communication between speakers of different language communities who come into contact. This is therefore in the case with language development through lexical borrowing in English and Hausa.

It is a common fact that no language can live in isolation without interacting with neibouring or other language around it. The interaction could be political, economic and social In a situation where a language remains without new words, there is every tendency that such language would logging behind other language.

The borrower words are often referred to technology e.g. machine, engine, telephone e.t.c. language which is the major need of any society.

It is almost impossible for any language to remain purely on its own unless the speakers do not leave their domain for another and similarly do not allow speakers of another language in to their domain. Lexical borrowing is common in most languages because no language is an inland on its own, it is on this note this project will discuss the phenomenon of language development through lexical borrowing. It is going to deal with study of English and Hausa language as each borrowing from one another.