ABSTRACT
African Sociolinguistics is about the social and cultural dimensions of language in Africa. It studies the patterns of language use on the one hand, and the factors involved in language variation on the other. Therefore, differences in language use and language variation are due to complex patterns of interlocking factors, mainly historical, geographic, ethnic, cultural and social. This paper examines the functional roles of language in determining the social stratification and identity among the Hausa of Northern Nigeria. For the purpose of presentation, the paper is divided into five sections. Section one is the introduction and is followed by operational definitions of social stratification and identity in section two. Section three and four consist of language use as it relates to stratification and identity among the Hausa of Northern Nigeria. There is a conclusion.
Author: Yakasai, S.A.
