Military Slangs Among Nigerian Army Personnel in Selected Barracks in Kaduna State, Northwest Nigeria

This study investigates Military slang usage among Nigerian army personnel, in the selected military barracks in Kaduna State, Northwest Nigeria. Using a descriptive survey design, the study combines qualitative and quantitative approaches to analyze the linguistic features of military slangs in communication. Data were collected through participant observation, structured interviews, and questionnaires administered to 30 military personnel across different ranks. The study analyzes 35 selected military slangs, examining their morphological, phonological, syntactic, and semantic properties. Findings reveal that military slangs exhibit complex patterns of linguistic hybridization, incorporating elements from English, Nigerian Pidgin, and major indigenous languages (Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba). The quantitative analysis shows that 60% of the analyzed terms derived from English, 25% from indigenous languages, and 15% represent hybrid formations. The research demonstrates that these military slang terms serve dual functions: facilitating efficient communication and reinforcing in-group identity within the military community. The study concludes that the Nigerian military's slangs represent a distinct sociolect characterized by creative word formation processes, semantic shift, and context-bound meanings. This linguistic variety transcends ranks and specific service branches, contributing to institutional cohesion while reflecting Nigeria's multilingual environment. This research contributes to sociolinguistics by documenting and analyzing an understudied variety of Nigerian military English, providing insights into language contact phenomena in professional institutions, and demonstrating how military slangs practices contribute to group identity formation. Additionally, it establishes a framework for analyzing occupational varieties of English in multilingual contexts.