kihemere@pmu.edu.sa
S128
Dr Kelechukwu Ihemere is an Associate Professor of Linguistics, educated at Newcastle University, UK, where he earned both an MA in English Language and Linguistics and a PhD in Linguistics. He is a Senior Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy.
Before joining Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Dr Ihemere held academic positions in China at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University and in the UK at the University of Westminster, Newcastle University, Northumbria University, and Birmingham City University. He also spent several years in Moscow as an EFL instructor.
His research investigates the intricate relationships between language, identity, and society, with a particular emphasis on sociolinguistics and multilingualism. He has published extensively, including research monographs, edited volumes, and journal articles that provide a coherent synchronic analysis of multilingual language choice across varied contexts. His methodological approach integrates ethnographic observation, in-depth interviews, and matched-guise experiments to reveal underlying sociolinguistic patterns.
Dr Ihemere’s teaching philosophy centres on critical thinking, collaboration, and the practical application of knowledge. He empowers students to bridge theory and practice while cultivating analytical skills essential for academic and professional success.
He is committed to advancing interdisciplinary research in the humanities and championing student-centred education at PMU, contributing to Saudi Arabia’s growing stature as a global centre for higher education excellence.
Selected Research Output
Monographs
Ihemere, K. (2016) Igbo-English Bilingualism: A Matrix Language Frame Account. London: Bloomsbury Academic Publishers. ISBN: 978-1-4742-7814-0
Ihemere, K. (2010) A Comparative Analysis of Grammatical and Lexical Cohesive Devices in Authentic Texts in English. Victoria, Australia: Common Ground Publishing. ISBN: 978-1-8633-5651-0
Ihemere, K. (2007) A Tri-generational Study of Language Choice and Shift in Port Harcourt. Florida: Universal Publishers. ISBN: 978-1-5811-2958-8
Book chapters:
Ihemere, K. (2016) Igbo-English codeswitching and the Matrix Language Frame model. In Payne D., Pacchiarotti S. and Bosire, M (eds), Diversity in African languages. Berlin: Language Science Press, pp. 539-559. DOI: 10.17169/langsci.b121.498
Ihemere, K. (2013) Language contact. In: Ihemere, K (ed.), Language contact: A multidimensional perspective. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, pp. 1-22. ISBN: 978-1-4438-4401-7
Ihemere, K. (2011) Language choice and language shift in Port Harcourt. In: Ihemere, K (ed.), Language contact and language shift: Grammatical and sociolinguistic perspectives. Munich: Lincom Europa Academic Publishers, pp. 140-154. ISBN: 978-3-8628-8052-2
Ihemere, K. (2008) A sequential analytic approach to code-switching in the Ikwerre community of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. In: Nikolaev, A., and Niemi, J (eds.), Two or More Languages. Joensuu: University of Joensuu Press, pp. 84-93. ISBN: 978-952-219-100-7
Ihemere, K. (2006) An integrated approach to language attitudes: The case of the Ikwerre of Port Harcourt City, Nigeria. In: Olaoba, F. A., and Pemberton, Michael (eds.), Shifting the Centre of Africanism in Language Politics and Economic Globalization. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press, pp. 194-207. ISBN: 1-57473-414-8
Journal articles:
Ihemere, K. (2024) A Synchronic Sociolinguistic Survey of Patterns of Language Use and Attitudes by Selected 16-25-Year-old Mauritius Secondary School and University Students. The International Journal of Communication and Linguistic Studies, 23(1) pp. 141-161. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18848/2327-7882/CGP/v23i01/141-161
Ihemere, K. (2022) Igbo root-outward vowel harmony in feature spreading and stem-affixed form faithfulness proposals. The International Journal of Communication and Linguistic Studies, 21(1) pp. 143-160. DOI: 10.18848/2327-7882/CGP/v21i01/143-160
Ihemere, K. (2018) Insertion strategies used with lone English verbs in otherwise Igbo utterances. Journal of Languages and Culture, 9(5) pp. 30-41. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5897/JLC2018.0484
Ihemere, K. (2016) In support of the Matrix Language Frame model: Evidence from Igbo-English intrasentential codeswitching. Language Matters, 47(1) pp. 105-127. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10228195.2015.1110194
Ihemere, K. (2010) Codeswitching practices in Port Harcourt: code-switching as a linguistic resource. International Journal of the Humanities, 8(1). pp. 181-194. DOI: 10.18848/1447-9508/CGP/v08i01/42776
Ihemere, K. (2009) Revisiting the issue of language in educational policy and mother tongue medium of instruction in Nigeria. International Journal of the Humanities, 7(3). pp. 119-132. DOI: 10.18848/1447-9508/CGP/v07i03/42646
Ihemere, K. (2006) A basic description and analytic treatment of noun clauses in Nigerian Pidgin. Nordic Journal of African Studies, 15(3), pp. 296 – 313. DOI: https://doi.org/10.53228/njas.v15i3.29
o The Open University UK partnership with the Arab Open University, 2021 – 2023: BA (Hons) English Language and Literature.
o The University of Edinburgh, 2017 – 2021: MSc Applied Linguistics external examiner – School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences.
Research Statement
My research explores the dynamic interplay of language, identity, and society, with a focus on sociolinguistics and multilingualism. I investigate how language practices evolve in multilingual communities, the factors driving language shift, and the role of translanguaging in transnational contexts. My work combines qualitative and quantitative methods, including ethnography, discourse analysis, and sociolinguistic surveys, to examine language attitudes, code-switching, and identity construction in diverse setting.
Key Contributions
1. Language Shift and Multilingualism in West Africa
My doctoral research (A Tri-Generational Study of Language Choice and Shift in Port Harcourt City) analysed language attitudes and code-switching among Ikwerre-Nigerian Pidgin English bilinguals. Using ethnographic observation, social network analysis, and matched-guise experiments, I demonstrated how urbanisation and globalisation influence language shift. This work resulted in a monograph, four book chapters, and three journal articles, establishing foundational insights into African sociolinguistics.
Building on this, my postdoctoral project (Grammatical Constraints on Code-Switching: A Study of Igbo-English Bilingual Discourse) tested the Matrix Language Frame model, providing empirical evidence that bilingual clauses retain distinct phonological and grammatical features. Published as a monograph (Codeswitching in Igbo-English Bilingualism, Bloomsbury, 2016), this work was hailed as a "landmark in language contact research" (Prof. Karen Corrigan of NewcastleUniversity, UK) and a "major contribution to sociolinguistics" (Late Prof. Tope Omoniyi of Roehampton University, UK).
2. Language Shift in Mauritius: A Sociolinguistic Survey
Funded by Westminster Research, I examined the decline of Bhojpuri among Indo-Mauritian youth, revealing how Mauritian Creole supplants ancestral languages as a marker of national identity. My findings (published in 2024) highlight the tension between heritage preservation and socioeconomic mobility, with implications for language policy in multilingual nations.
3. Current Projects: Multilingualism in China
Heilongjiang Dialect Shift (2024–2025): Leading a team at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, I investigated intergenerational language practices in northeastern China. Findings show rapid Mandarinisation, with younger generations disfavouring regional dialects, a trend mirroring global patterns of minoritised language loss.
Translanguaging among African Migrants in Guangzhou (2024–2026): This project, funded by XJTLU, explores how transnational Africans deploy multilingual repertoires to navigate identity and social integration. Preliminary results, presented at international conferences (Rome 2024, XJTLU 2024), reveal WeChat as a translanguaging space where migrants blend languages to construct fluid identities.
Methodology and Theoretical Framework
My approach integrates:
I emphasise ethical engagement, ensuring participant anonymity and culturally sensitive dissemination.
Future Directions
I aim to:
Conclusion
My work bridges theory and real-world applications, offering insights into language sustainability, identity, and globalisation. I welcome opportunities to collaborate with colleagues and advance interdisciplinary research in sociolinguistics and Applied Linguistics at PMU.
My research interests centre on sociolinguistics, with a particular focus on multilingualism, language contact, and World Englishes. I investigate how social structures, mobility, and ideology shape patterns of language use, variation, and change in contact settings. I am especially interested in how speakers negotiate identity, equity, and power through repertoires across languages and English varieties, and how these processes are reflected in education, policy, and digital communication. Using mixed methods, ethnography, corpus analysis, and sociophonetics, I aim to document emergent practices, theorise contact-induced change, and contribute to socially responsive language scholarship that foregrounds speakers’ agency in diverse, globalised communities around the world.
