Igbo Language Endangerment in Urban Centres: An Empirical Assessment of Language Shift Patterns in Lagos Metropolis

This study presents an empirical assessment of Igbo language shift patterns among Igbo-speaking families in Lagos Metropolis, South West Nigeria, contributing to the growing body of urban language endangerment research in West Africa. While Igbo is estimated to be spoken by well over twenty million people nationally, its intergenerational transmission in major urban diaspora communities has not been subjected to rigorous quantitative measurement. The study employs a multi-generational household survey design, collecting language use and proficiency data from six hundred and thirty respondents drawn from three generations of Igbo families resident in Alimosho, Mushin, and Lagos Island local government areas. The Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale is adapted for the Lagos Igbo context and applied to generate comparative endangerment scores. Logistic regression analysis identifies key predictors of language shift. Findings confirm a statistically significant and accelerating pattern of intergenerational language shift, with third-generation respondents demonstrating Igbo proficiency levels thirty-nine percent below first-generation baseline scores. Mixed-ethnicity marriage, English-medium schooling, and high parental educational attainment are the strongest positive predictors of shift. Conversely, active church membership in Igbo-language congregations and grandparental co-residence are the strongest protective factors. The study contributes an original quantitative endangerment index for urban Igbo and proposes targeted urban language revitalisation policy interventions. Keywords: Igbo language endangerment, urban language shift, Lagos, EGIDS, intergenerational transmission.