Language Endangerment and Globalization: The Northern Experience

Much emphasis over the last two decades on language endangerment has only been placed firmly on the protection of cultural diversity, ahead of the sweeping homogenizing tidal wave of globalization. Linguists have been worried over the vast amount of cultural and linguistic knowledge that is disappearing in an increasing global world. The fear of language loss on daily basis or endangerment in this era of globalization has been a great concern to most Linguists which is the main concern this paper. The endangered languages are doomed to go into extinction like species lacking reproductive capacity. The target of this paper is therefore to discuss the circumstances; using the northern Nigeria language situation as a case study, that leads to language mortality, through the corollaries and agencies of globalization. The paper discovered that globalization has both positive and negative effects of globalization although the negative effect is more pronounced on the languages. The paper therefore recommends that mobilize remedial steps must be languages from the negative effects of globalization. This, if done will reduce the rate of language endangerment and death especially in northern Nigeria.