The following column from from the Lagos paper Daily Champion was seen on AllAfrica.com at http://allafrica.com/stories/200511280234.html . DZO
Revitalising the Igbo Language Daily Champion (Lagos) http://www.champion-newspapers.com/ COLUMN November 28, 2005 Posted to the web November 28, 2005 Adiekwue A. Lotanna Enugu Okuko n'akpa nni, anya ufie akonaya (while a chicken scants for food, it should not lose sight of other odd happenings around it) is a brief but all encompassing statement of wisdom used to capture the essence of guarded sovereignty - which in the instance of this write-up will factor in on the plight of our dear but scantily revered Igbo language. Some people do not think it is an overstatement to refer to our language - the Igbo language as being endangered and facing gargantuan threats of extinction going by its declining level of acceptability amongst umuigbo. It is disheartening to see a language that is supposed to be an insignia, a trademark and a common identity amongst us rather than being proudly flaunted as treated with so much scorn and disdain. We seem to have jettisoned the inter-generational transmission of the Igbo language in exchange for 'newer trends', which include the Nigerian pidgin English and the English language with their obvious linguistic threats. Language in its general connotation is the vehicle with which the culture and traditions of a people are transmitted from generation to generation, and it also helps to enshrine unity, peace and decorum within a given society. Consequently therefore, when a people cannot defend their language, they automatically become an endangered specie, i.e. one with no definite distinguishable language and cultural identity. A clarion call was made by UNESCO who warned that many languages would be extinct by the end of the 21st century. It therefore behoves umuigbo to salvage our heritage from decadence by elevating the Igbo language at all levels of the Igbo society. Revitalizing the Igbo language means that our children should be taught the language straight from our homes. A scenario where a second language (English) takes precedence over our first language (Igbo) in an Igbo family household, does not do well for the survival of the language. Parents therefore owe it as a point of sacred duty to our fatherland to teach their young infants who are still learning the rudiments of our dear language because it is only in a family setting that kids are easily prone to learning their local dialects. Out there in the school (kindergarten and primary) where they mingle with children from other ethnic groups, vernaculars are usually suspended while the English language ascends into dominance. I had a personal experience in my home sometime in my junior secondary days when our mum sensing her children were no longer proficient enough in spoken English language and gave us a very bizzare rule. I know so many readers of this piece can easily guess what this rule is without losing much steam. Well, without further semantics, her rule stated that the speaking of Igbo in the house be suspended till further notice. Obediently but ignorantly, we complied. You could imagine us then brimming with youthful exuberance at the thought of having our English arsenal sharpened and ready to unleash a barrage on any unfortunate creature whose prowess does not march ours. We finally secured a victim in the person of the housegirl we had then who more often than not confused Igbo with English while talking. The rule finally fell apart because at some point, we all naturally got tired of blowing hot grammar and mum equally got fed up with the role of an enforcer which she bestowed on herself. Dad also intervened to save the situation because the whole thing didn't make much sense. This is an example of what is obtainable in many Igbo-speaking families today where you can only guess that a household is ndigbo by the names they call each other but just listen for a little while longer to see if a simple bia will slip out from the tongue of any one of the family members, you're in for a wait till thy kingdom come. Now tell me when the English speaking virus has infected both the elderly and young ones alike, who is going to be the proverbial one-eyed beggar that will lead a colony of completely blind beggars? There is an Igbo adage that says okenye amanno, ewu amayepu na-ogbuli (an elder will not sit back while the goat releases itself from the rope that holds it bound to a spot). But in this instance, some elders have been found wanting. The dwindling fortunes of the Igbo language must be halted by any means so as to avoid posterity's wrath. It calls for concerted efforts from all stakeholders in the Igbo project because generations yet unborn should be able to raise their heads high and say that they are ndigbo by virtue of the fact that they can speak the language. The family as the bedrock of any form of learning should inculcate the primary essence of language learning in a child before he or she is exposed to the vagaries and vicissitudes of a cosmopolitan society. A Research Centre For Igbo Studies should be set up to articulate strategies and policies that would guide us through. This centre could be an arm of our apex socio-cultural organizing symposiums, workshops and seminars that will educate and enlighten school pupils, market women, business men/traders, civil servants etc on the need for proficiency in written and oral literature. This department can partner with traditional rulers, prominent sons and daughters of Igboland and civil society groups to surmount this arduous task. An orthography committee should then be set up to formulate modalities for producing an Igbo language Dictionary. Publishers can publish daily, weekly or even monthly newspapers and bulletins in Igbo language and circulated to every nook and cranny of this nation. The state governments of the eastern region should make the teaching of the language mandatory at both the primary and secondary levels of education for both public and primary schools. Pupils should then be encouraged to take up Igbo literature courses in tertiary institutions by the award of exclusive scholarships and special bursary allowance packages in their favour. The federal government should on its part, make concerted efforts at arresting the declining fortunes of Nigerian languages by ensuring the practical realization of the language policy statements as enunciated in the National Policy on Education. Government should enact a policy that will scale down the influence of the English Language in our curriculae at the secondary level thereby making it no longer a compulsory subject in WAEC exams. In its stead, students should be encouraged to study the literature of their native dialects and mandatorily pass them with a credit (in the least) in the senior exams. Adiekwue A. Lotanna, writes from Enugu ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Know an art & music fan? Make a donation in their honor this holiday season! http://us.click.yahoo.com/.6dcNC/.VHMAA/Zx0JAA/TpIolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AfricanLanguages/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
