The Attitudes of Non-Native Hausa Students of Languages at Federal College of Education Zaria (Nigeria) Towards Ajami Writing System.

Abstract

This study investigated the attitudes of non-native Hausa students of languages towards Ajami writing system. The participants (n=200) were purposively selected from the population of non-native Hausa students of languages at Federal College of Education Zaria (Nigeria) in 2022/23 academic session. This quantitative study used a survey research design and data were collected through a questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that most (78 – 85%) of the participants had negative attitudes towards Ajami script. It was also found that 95 to 97% of them had zero understanding of Ajami script and were unable to distinguish it from an Arabic language text. The study recommended that non-native Hausa students of languages be exposed to Ajami writing system to enable them unlock the yet to be explored knowledge of Hausawa, their language, history, and culture and to also reconstruct their understanding of the differences between language, religion, and writing systems.