University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Home bilingual and cultural literacy practices of Yoruba heritage speakers towards identity maintenance in the Midwest United States

Fabusoro, Adetutu Temitope

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/116118

Description

Title
Home bilingual and cultural literacy practices of Yoruba heritage speakers towards identity maintenance in the Midwest United States
Author(s)
Fabusoro, Adetutu Temitope
Issue Date
2022-07-20
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Sadler, Randall W
Committee Member(s)
Martinez Negrette, Giselle Del Carmen
Department of Study
Linguistics
Discipline
Teaching of English Sec Lang
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.A.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
Bilingualism, Culture, Literacy Practices, Yoruba Heritage Speakers, Identity Maintenance
Abstract
There is a dearth of information on the bilingual and cultural literacy practices of Yoruba-speaking families in the U.S. In view of this, this study set to investigate the home bilingual and cultural literacy practices of Yoruba heritage families living in the Midwestern United States. The study seeks to understand how Yoruba-speaking parents in the Midwest part of the United States teach their children their heritage language vis-a vis the English language at home. This is a qualitative study that used ethnographic observation and interviews to examine how the Yoruba families in the Midwest U.S. maintain their language and cultural heritage while living in an English-Dominant environment. In addition, it investigates the ideologies, motivations, and struggles of Yoruba-speaking parents towards their children’s acquisition of English and Yoruba language. It also investigates the bilingual and cultural practices utilized by Yoruba parents to help their children maintain Yoruba heritage language while at the same time developing English and Yoruba biliteracy. Finally, it analyses the technological resources used as pedagogical tools to teach these two languages. The study found that Yoruba families are willing and motivated for their children to learn the Yoruba Language and culture. The level of motivation and affinity each parent has towards the language was reflected in how the parents deliberately speak Yoruba to the children. The result showed that children in families that put effort into intentional literacy events learn the Yoruba Heritage language more than those that do not. All Yoruba families in this study engaged in cultural practices, but not all engaged in active literacy events. It was, however discovered that the English Language still takes predominance even in bilingual literacy practices in Yoruba-speaking homes. Findings show that there are not enough resources for parents to teach the Yoruba language, (both technological and traditional resources), as there are for English Language. The findings in this study provided important insights into the understanding of the literacy and cultural practices of Nigerian-immigrant populations. This may help to understand how to develop useful interventions to improve the literacy and cultural practices of Nigerian-immigrant families in the U.S.
Graduation Semester
2022-08
Type of Resource
Thesis
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2022 Adetutu Fabusoro

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