Abstract
Nigeria is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world, with over 500 indigenous languages serving as primary means of communication among diverse ethnic communities. Despite this linguistic richness, public health communication has historically relied on English as the dominant medium for disseminating health information, thereby limiting accessibility among populations with limited English proficiency. Consequently, linguistic barriers continue to undermine health literacy, public awareness, and equitable access to healthcare information, particularly in rural and under-served communities. Against this background, this study examines the role of indigenous languages as strategic tools for enhancing public health communication in Nigeria. The study adopted a qualitative research design and analysed twenty purposively selected public health communication samples drawn from Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, and Nigerian Pidgin. The samples were obtained from radio broadcasts, community announcements, posters, SMS campaigns, social media messages, religious gatherings, and public outreach programmes. Data were analysed through thematic content analysis using Systemic Functional Linguistics, Sociolinguistic Theory, and the Health Belief Model as analytical frameworks. The findings reveal that indigenous-language communication significantly enhances health literacy, improves message comprehension, strengthens trust between health communicators and communities, and promotes positive health behaviours. Furthermore, culturally embedded expressions, proverbs, and familiar linguistic structures increase audience engagement and facilitate the translation of biomedical information into locally meaningful knowledge. The study also found that indigenous-language communication encourages community participation and contributes to more inclusive healthcare delivery. The study concludes that indigenous languages are indispensable resources for achieving effective, culturally responsive, and sustainable public health communication in multilingual societies. It therefore recommends the institutionalization of multilingual health communication policies and the expansion of indigenous-language health campaigns across traditional and digital communication platforms.
Keywords: Indigenous languages, public health communication, health literacy, Systemic Functional Linguistics, Health Belief Model.
DOI: 10.36349/sojolics.2026.v02i01.048
author/Dr. Raphael Idowu Ibiowotisi
journal/Sokoto JOLICS 2(1) | June 2026 |
