Multilingual speech communities may appear similar on the surface yet
they are different in several respects. These differences are not
visibly manifest until they are investigated. In this regard therefore,
the study has selected three (3) multilingual speech communities across
three geo-political zones of Nigeria for comparison which are Billiri in
North-East, Sabongida-Ora in South-South and Zuru in North-West. The
aim is to ascertain whether the selected speech communities share common
characteristics or are divergent in their use of language and also to
determine whether or not multilingualism produces similar implications
in all the settings. In this regard, Howard Giles‟ Communication
Accommodation Theory has been adopted as the framework for this study.
The survey method was used to obtain data from the respondents while
questionnaire and interview were employed as instruments of data
collection in addition to non-participant observation. The findings
reveal that the selected speech communities share certain
characteristics while they equally differ in varying degrees in respect
of factors constraining language choice and motivation for acquisition
of additional languages. The study has established that minority speech
communities in North-West and North-East are more vulnerable and more
likely to lose their languages faster than their counterparts in South
South parts of Nigeria. The study therefore recommends that more
attention should be devoted by linguists to studying such communities
with a view to adopting measures to prevent extinction of minority
languages in the affected geo-political zones.