A Feminist Linguistic Analysis and Reading of Nigeria’s ‘National Anthem’
The vanguard for non-sexist language reforms has started counting its gains in many parts of the world as government bodies, private and public institutions are overhauling their language use in a bid to conform with the dictates of gender neutrality in language use. However, it appears that similar responses are far less evident in some African countries, e.g., Nigeria, thus this paper appraises the linguistic content of Nigeria’s ‘National Anthem’ from a non-sexist perspective. Our analysis reveals that the text does not contain any linguistic item that refers to women although it uses generic words that render women invisible. This finding suggests direct or indirect perpetuation of some gender assumptions that all we have to see and experience is men and that the male sex is the only point of reference. Thus this paper calls for the removal of sexist words that render women invisible from the ‘National Anthem and advocates for the use of sex-neutral/inclusive words and phrases in their place.
Keyword: feminist linguistics, Nigeria, National Anthem, sociolinguistics, non-sexist language use.
