The Role of Chinese Language in Nigeria’s Emerging Linguistic Hierarchy: A Sociolinguistic Analysis

Nigeria's linguistic hierarchy, in which English occupies the prestige apex, indigenous languages occupy ethnically bounded status positions, and Pidgin English serves as the national vernacular, is being disrupted by the introduction of Mandarin as a formal school and higher education language. This study conducts an original sociolinguistic analysis of Mandarin's emerging position in Nigeria's linguistic hierarchy, drawing on language prestige theory, language ecology, and critical sociolinguistics. The study employs a comprehensive mixed-methods design including a nationally representative attitudinal survey of 1,200 Nigerians across all six geopolitical zones measuring perceived prestige, utility, and threat perceptions associated with Mandarin relative to English and major indigenous languages; matched pair sociolinguistic interviews with 60 Mandarin learners and 60 non-learners examining language ideology formation; and critical discourse analysis of government and media texts on Mandarin in Nigerian education. Original theoretical contributions include a Mandarin Prestige Paradox concept describing how Mandarin gains instrumental prestige through economic associations while simultaneously experiencing stigmatisation through its association with Chinese economic neo-colonialism narratives. Zone-level analysis reveals that Mandarin prestige perceptions are significantly higher in the North West and South East zones, reflecting Chinese commercial presence and diaspora commercial networks respectively. The study fills a major gap in Nigerian sociolinguistics and contributes to global debates on the role of Mandarin in reshaping linguistic hierarchies in developing country contexts.

Keywords: Mandarin in Nigeria, linguistic hierarchy, language prestige, sociolinguistic analysis, language ecology