📖 ABSTRACT/OVERVIEW
The presence of large Hausa-speaking trading communities in Lagos, South West Nigeria, has generated sustained linguistic contact with Yoruba-speaking populations, creating conditions for borrowing, code-switching, and the emergence of contact varieties. This study investigates the influence of Hausa language on Yoruba traders who interact regularly with Hausa merchants in Lagos markets, specifically at Trade Fair Complex in Badagry Road and Idumota Market. A sociolinguistic survey design was adopted, with data collected from 150 Yoruba traders who reported regular Hausa interaction through structured questionnaires and recorded conversation samples. Hausa words integrated into Yoruba trading vocabulary were identified, transcribed, and classified by semantic domain. Interviews with 12 experienced Hausa merchants examined their language adaptation strategies in Lagos commercial settings. Findings document a significant body of Hausa commercial vocabulary adopted by Yoruba traders, particularly in domains of commodity naming, measurement, pricing negotiation, and greetings. The study finds that exposure duration and transaction frequency are the strongest predictors of Hausa vocabulary acquisition among Yoruba traders. Intermarriage and residential proximity to Hausa communities further accelerate linguistic integration. The research contributes to literature on Hausa language spread as a lingua franca in southern Nigerian urban commercial contexts and highlights implications for inter-ethnic communication and national integration. Recommendations include further sociolinguistic research on Hausa contact phenomena in South West Nigeria and documentation of emerging contact varieties in Lagos market communities. Keywords: Hausa, Yoruba, Language contact, Lagos, Sociolinguistics.
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