The Use of Igbo in Parliamentary Debates in the Anambra State House of Assembly: A Critical Discourse Analysis

This study applies critical discourse analysis to examine the use of Igbo language in parliamentary debates in the Anambra State House of Assembly, investigating the ideological functions, power dynamics, and identity performances that Igbo language use serves in this formal governmental setting. Legislative language in African states has been studied predominantly from an English-medium perspective, leaving the dynamics of indigenous language use in parliamentary contexts almost entirely unexamined. The study compiles a primary corpus from official Hansard transcripts of sixty parliamentary sessions spanning 2019 to 2024, supplemented by video recordings of debates and interviews with twelve members of the State House of Assembly. Critical discourse analysis examines code-switching triggers, ideological framing through Igbo proverbs, audience construction strategies, and the relationship between Igbo use and position on culturally sensitive legislation. Findings reveal that Igbo is deployed strategically rather than systematically, with members switching into Igbo predominantly to invoke cultural authority, perform local constituency alignment, or introduce emotionally charged arguments on matters of land, tradition, and community welfare. Proverbs function as condensed ideological instruments that invoke shared cultural knowledge to pre-empt opposition. The study reveals that Igbo in the Anambra legislature functions as a political resource unevenly distributed across membership seniority lines. Keywords: Igbo, parliamentary discourse, critical discourse analysis, Anambra State Assembly, political language.