Oral Literature and Language Preservation Among the Igala People of Kogi State

This study investigates the role of oral literature in the preservation of the Igala language among communities in Kogi State, North Central Nigeria. The Igala are among the larger ethnolinguistic groups in the North Central zone whose language faces increasing pressures from urbanisation, English dominance, and reduced transmission in formal schooling. The study adopts a qualitative approach grounded in ethnolinguistic vitality theory and oral tradition scholarship. Data were collected through observation of cultural performance events, structured interviews with twenty oral artists and language custodians in Ankpa and Idah, and audio-visual documentation of selected oral performances. The analysis examines how proverbs, riddles, praise poetry, and folk narratives encode and perpetuate Igala lexical heritage, morphological structures, and culturally significant worldviews. Findings reveal that oral literary genres remain active vectors of Igala language use among adults over 50 years of age, but their transmission to younger generations has declined sharply over the past decade. The study identifies school-based language instruction and cultural festival participation as the two most effective mechanisms for reinvigorating intergenerational oral literary transmission. The research contributes to the language documentation and vitality literature and recommends the establishment of Igala oral literature archives at Kogi State University. Keywords: oral literature, language preservation, Igala, Kogi State, ethnolinguistic vitality.