Discussion of language endangerment on the African continent maintains that indigenous majority languages are replacing minority vernaculars (Brenzinger 1998). It presumes that majority languages are sociolinguistically dominant: that young people are acquiring them as mother tongue, retaining them in discussions with siblings and peers, and utilizing them inside and outside the home arena. But what evidence stands in support of this assumption? Are majority languages in Africa as dominant as the prevailing interpretation assumes?

Two of Nigeria’s majority languages, Yoruba and Igbo, exist in distinct regions of its southern geographic area. Each contends with linguistic systems inspired by the non-indigenous language English. According to one estimate (Elugbe 1994), 70% of the population in southern Nigeria speak Pidgin English. And upwards of 20% of the population utilize Nigerian Standard English (Bamgbose 1991). Despite this dynamic situation, language use among majority populations remains unassessed. To address this neglect and to construct an initial language use profile, we designed a 37-item questionnaire. Accepting open-ended language preferences (e.g. vernacular, English, vernacular and English), the questionnaire was administered to 175 first-year university students in Nigeria, substantial numbers of whom identified themselves as Yoruba or Igbo.
             
Responses revealed a limited profile for Yoruba (Y) and Igbo (I) outside the home, although the two are not uniformly restricted. Even within the home setting, some age-based language shift is evident. Overall, both groups identified English as Nigeria’s most important language (Y 80% and I 89%). At the same time, both identified their respective vernaculars as the language children should learn (Y 60% and I 65%).

Additional responses disclosed language profiles linked to the variables of home and parent-peer interlocutor. Language preference in the home setting favored vernacular (Y 60% and I 59%) over the multilingual combination of vernacular and English (Y 34% and I 36%). The parent dimension leads to similar patterning. Preferences favored the vernacular for language spoken to father (Y 59% and I 55%) and mother (Y66% and I 69%) over the multilingual combination of vernacular and English (Y 31% and I 40%) and (Y 28% and I 30%), respectively. Compared to other at-home variables, sibling-based interaction was distinctive. Preferences favored a vernacular and English combination (Y 55% and I 63%) over exclusively vernacular (Y 27% and I 24%) or exclusively English (Y 18% and I 12%).