Article Per Year (5 Year)
p-Index From 2021 - 2026
0.408
P-Index
This Author published in this journals
All Journal International Journal of Humanity Studies (IJHS) CaLLs : Journal of Culture, Arts, Literature, and Linguistics
Izu, Benjamin Obeghare
Unknown Affiliation
Arts Humanities Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Social Sciences

Published : 2 Documents Claim Missing Document
Claim Missing Document
Check
Articles

Found 2 Documents
Search

 1 
Code-Switching in IsiXhosa Music: A Mechanism for Language Preservation or Shift? Izu, Benjamin Obeghare; Somlata, Zakhile
CaLLs (Journal of Culture, Arts, Literature, and Linguistics) Vol 11, No 1 (2025): CaLLs, June 2025
Publisher : Fakultas Ilmu Budaya, Universitas Mulawarman

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.30872/calls.v11i1.19711

Abstract

Code-switching, the alternation between two or more languages within a discourse, is a prevalent linguistic phenomenon in multilingual societies. In South Africa, where English often coexists with indigenous languages such as isiXhosa, music has become a key medium for linguistic and cultural expression. This qualitative research paper examines the role of code-switching in Xhosa music, specifically analysing Amanda Black’s song Kutheni Na featuring Kwesta, to determine whether such linguistic alternations contribute to language preservation or language shift. Using discourse analysis, this study looks at how isiXhosa, English, and isiZulu are used together in the song's lyrics, looking at the language patterns and the sociocultural reasons for these choices. The analysis is framed by Myers-Scotton’s Markedness Model, Fishman’s Domain Theory, and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to assess the implications of code-switching for Xhosa preservation or shift. Findings indicate that code-switching in Kutheni Na serves expressive and functional purposes. While this interplay of language fusion in the song helps sustain isiXhosa in contemporary music, the growing use of English in South African music is worrying. It might lead to people gradually preferring English in mainstream discourse, which could cause shifts in language use over time.
LINGUISTIC AND PERSUASIVE TECHNIQUES IN CONSTRUCTING DIVINE ENTITLEMENT IN NIGERIAN POP MUSIC Izu, Benjamin Obeghare; Agunbiade, Oyewumi Olatoye
International Journal of Humanity Studies (IJHS) Vol 9, No 1 (2025): September 2025
Publisher : Sanata Dharma University

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.24071/ijhs.v9i1.12334

Abstract

In recent years, Nigerian popular music has moved away from narratives about earning success through hard work. Instead, it now focuses on the narratives that success comes from divine blessings or entitlement. This study explores how Nigerian pop artists use persuasive strategies and linguistic techniques to construct and legitimise expectations of financial breakthroughs as a divine right. Through a textual analysis of Syno’s “Money Fit Me” and Adekunle Gold’s “Pick Up”, the study applied Aristotle’s Rhetorical Appeals, Cialdini’s Principles of Persuasion, and Critical Discourse Analysis to look at how narratives of divine entitlement are shaped.  The analysis revealed that the lyrics of Syno focus on communal validation through social proof and reciprocity, demonstrating success as a common expectation, whereas the lyrics of Adekunle Gold employ strong emotional appeal and fear of being left behind, so success appears pressing and deeply personal. These findings show how Nigerian pop music reinforces social perceptions that spiritual devotion and material success are interrelated, and they shape the way people perceive wealth, faith, and upward social mobility in a challenging socio-economic situation. This study contributes to the broader debates on the nexus of language, religion, and popular culture and how they interact with advancing contemporary aspirations in Nigeria.
Co-Authors Agunbiade, Oyewumi Olatoye Somlata, Zakhile