Chinazor Nwoda

Chinazor Nwoda is a sociolinguist whose work explores language policy, multilingualism, and the politics of language choice in Nigerian higher education, with a particular focus on indigenous languages and their role in education. Her research examines how language ideologies and institutional structures shape language use and learning in multilingual societies.  

Her doctoral research, Politics of Language Choice: A Case Study of the National Institute for Nigerian Languages (NINLAN), investigates how language policies are interpreted and implemented across institutional settings. Drawing on qualitative data from language teachers, policymakers, linguists, and educationists, her work examines the gap between policy and practice, with particular attention to issues of access, equity, and the marginalisation of minority indigenous languages. Through a comparative perspective that includes selected Nigerian universities, her research highlights how programme structures, student backgrounds, and societal attitudes influence language teaching and learning outcomes.  

Chinazor’s broader research interests lie in language policy and planning, multilingual education, sociolinguistics, and the development of Nigerian indigenous languages. She is particularly interested in how power relations and language ideologies shape educational practices, as well as in the role of institutions in promoting or constraining the use of indigenous languages in formal education. Her research is grounded in an interdisciplinary approach that brings together sociolinguistics, language policy studies, and educational research.  

In addition to her doctoral research, Chinazor has contributed to academic scholarship through publications and editorial work. She is the author of a journal article examining attitudes towards Nigerian Pidgin English among Nigerian students at Coventry University and has served as a co-editor for SOAS Working Papers in Linguistics (Volume 22). She has also contributed a book chapter on language policy in Nigeria, forthcoming in Applied Linguistics in Africa: Perspectives on Language Policy, Multilingualism, Education, and Identity (De Gruyter Mouton). Her work contributes to ongoing discussions on language policy and the future of indigenous languages in education.

• Language policy and planning
• Multilingual education
• Nigerian indigenous languages
• Sociolinguistics
• Language and identity
• Language policy in education