The use of Ateso among educated Iteso youth in Soroti City

Abstract

This study investigated the use of Ateso among educated Iteso youth in Soroti City; a cosmopolitan urban setting where other languages like English, Luganda and Kiswahili are widely used. The research problem centered on examining how multilingual influences affect the language behaviors of educated Iteso youth. The descriptive survey research design was adopted in this study. Both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods were employed, using questionnaires and semi-structured interview guides respectively. Seventy participants were selected using purposive sampling. They completed a language attitude questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were conducted with a subset of thirty respondents from the same group. The quantitative collected data was analysed using SPSS while the qualitative data was analysed using thematic development. As such, findings from both the questionnaires and interviews were triangulated to ensure in-depth interpretation. The findings reveal that while English, Luganda and Kiswahili are widely used in Soroti City due to its cosmopolitan nature, with English maintaining dominance in formal domains, the majority of educated Iteso youth recognise the value in daily communication using Ateso and express a strong interest in promoting its use. This study recommends that maintenance of high tolerance for multilingualism be upheld while implementing a consistent language policy to promote and preserve mother tongue languages. Specifically, Ateso language should be actively promoted by making its teaching compulsory in both primary and secondary schools. It is also suggested that the Government invests in increasing the availability of Ateso reading materials by translating key resources and ensuring their accessibility in public spaces such as libraries, churches, district offices, educational institutions and Local Council office. Future studies could employ longitudinal designs to track changes in the language use patterns of this demographic over time. Research could also be expanded to compare the language behaviors of educated Iteso youth in rural versus urban settings or investigate the role of digital media and technology in either eroding or supporting the use of Ateso.