Hausa Language Planning and Corpus Development in the Digital Age: Toward a National Strategy

Language planning for Hausa in the digital age requires theoretical and practical engagement with new challenges of orthographic standardisation for digital environments, terminology development for rapidly evolving technology domains, and the creation of computational language resources necessary for natural language processing applications. This doctoral study develops an original theoretical framework for Hausa language corpus planning in the digital age and generates empirical recommendations for a national Hausa digital language development strategy. Drawing on language planning theory, corpus linguistics, and computational linguistics, the research combines theoretical synthesis with an extensive empirical programme spanning five years. The empirical component includes a comprehensive audit of existing digital Hausa language resources encompassing corpora, spell-checkers, speech tools, and online content; a survey of 300 Hausa language users across three geopolitical zones on digital language needs and practices; participatory terminology development workshops with 60 domain specialists; and a series of computational experiments testing the adequacy of existing digital Hausa tools for natural language processing applications. Original theoretical contributions include a Hausa Digital Language Planning Framework that articulates the planning interventions required at corpus, status, and acquisition levels to establish Hausa as a fully functional digital language. The empirical programme generates new data on the current state of digital Hausa resources and user needs. The study makes actionable recommendations for a national Hausa digital language development strategy, including institutional architecture, funding mechanisms, and priority development programmes. Keywords: Hausa language planning, Digital language, Corpus planning, Computational linguistics, Language strategy.