Language and Identity construction in Nigerian Pentecostal Churches

Abstract

The paper investigates how the creative appropriation of linguistic genres in the Nigerian Pentecostal discourses contributes to the construction of collective identity among its community of members. The objective is to analyse how religious identities and experiences are expressed, determined and shaped by sociolinguistic features like language shift, naming practice, greeting and address system; and the socio-cultural issues that underpin the production and communication of these identities. Using Fishman’s principles of Sociology of Religion and Language (Fishman, 2006), which sees religion as dynamic and utilitarian, data was purposively gathered from three multitudinous neo-Pentecostal churches in Nigeria. I argue that the pragmatic and multimodal operations of the churches contribute to their creating a definite identity of belongingness and otherness; thereby aiding their widespread and acceptance by Nigerians and non-Nigerians.