FROM DIVERSITY TO CONVERGENCE: A SOCIOLINGUISTIC PERSPECTIVE OF DIALECT LEVELLING AND THE SHAPING OF NIGERIAN ENGLISH

Abstract

Nigeria’s highly multilingual environment has produced a distinctive
form of English shaped through sustained interaction among
numerous indigenous linguistic systems. This study investigates
dialect levelling in Nigerian English, examining how convergence
emerges across phonological, lexical, and syntactic domains through
multilingual contact and social interaction. Drawing on spoken and
written language data collected from both urban and rural contexts,
the study analyses patterns of linguistic variation and reduction across
speakers of diverse backgrounds. The analysis demonstrates that
urbanisation, education, media diffusion, and social mobility
significantly promote convergence, while indigenous languages
simultaneously contribute structural influence and cultural
continuity. The findings indicate that Nigerian English is not simply
a collection of regional variants but an evolving national variety
shaped by patterned social processes. The study contributes empirical
and theoretical insight into dialect levelling in complex multilingual
settings and advances understanding of how postcolonial Englishes
stabilise over time.