Thanks for these thoughts. It is indeed illustrative to compare what the situation is with other world regions. Perhaps an initiative like the Year of African Languages will help - I'll forward some more items, but it doesn't seem like there is a lot of publicity on it yet (I'll forward what I've found to the list). Ultimately as in any such development issue (yes, I consider language as a dimension of development in its fullest sense), it is the will and initiative of the people that makes the difference, but leaders and experts can call their attention to the importance of various things.
Don --- In [email protected], "egbaman1" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > It's been a long time, but I've just read your reply, good one. > You hit the nail on the head right there, the 64 million dollar > question however, is, what can be done about Africans' own negative > attitudes towards their own mothertongues ? > > In a world where winner takes all, and survival of the fittest is > the name of the game, it seems Africans are shaping up to be the > biggest loosers on the block! > > The pidgenisation of the larger African languages is also another > symptom of this mentality. Thus in future, there won't be any > real/true African languages/cultures left, just creolised hybrids. > Unless Africans change that colo-mentalised attitude. > > Thanx > --- In [email protected], "Don Osborn" <dzo@> > wrote: > > > > Thanks for this - you make a couple of good points. I'd like to > carry > > it a step or two further if I may. Before that, I'd like to ask if > you > > or anyone has access to the BBC site (I don't), to post anything > > relevant or of interest coming out of their "Africa have your say" > > program. TIA. > > > > 1) I think that the subject of the BBC program misses an essential > > element. While extinction of languages is a crucial concern, it is > > less often recognized that a process of what I call "language > > impoverishment" can affect the quality of communication long before > > one can call a language "endangered." The quoted note about the > > quality of Yoruba in sw Nigerian cities is but one example. That > can > > be a long process, esp. for languages with a lot of speakers. > > > > 2) This kind of language impoverishment is part of a larger > tragedy. > > I've suggested elsewhere (on Multilingual_Literacy, for example) > that > > there may arise situations where young people have no deep > knowledge > > of *any* language: they aren't schooled in their maternal language > (or > > immersed in any informal learning process) so "top off" at a level > > that permits casual conversation but not much more; and they don't > > master the language of school, due to several possible reasons. > There > > are always a few who will excel no matter what, but for the mass of > > students and thus for society as a whole, there would seem to be a > > real problem that one might describe as "limited" or "impaired" > > bilingualism (or multilingualism), and all that that might mean for > > success in life, contribution to humanity, etc. The answer is not > to > > abandon either the maternal or the international language, but to > > encourage both as many societies do. > > > > 3) Another part of the mentality you mention, I think, is what one > > colleague referred to as many Africans taking their cultures and > > languages for granted. IOW, that language and culture are and > always > > will be there. But that is not the case in Africa or anywhere > else. At > > some point with language and culture, just as with the natural > > environment, it's necessary to recognize that the future is not > > guaranteed and that some proactive management and investment is > > necessary. Or else you lose things that are invaluable and > unrecoverable. > > > > 4) It is interesting to compare the situation of indigenous > American > > communities, many of which are now desperate to hold on to their > > languages. In many cases, their current predicament is in large > part > > the result of explicit policies to eliminate their languages (in > the > > US and Canada, for instance, though these were changed some years > > ago). In Africa there is/was not to my knowledge a campaign to wipe > > out African languages (with a couple of possible exceptions), but > > rather a nexus of attitudes, focus on an external language > for "nation > > building," a passively negative attitude about multilingualism from > > donors, and a globalizing economy in which English is seen as the > > "language of the stomach." But the long-term results may end up > being > > the same as if the powers that be mandated the languages' > > marginalization or elimination. > > > > There's much more to say but I'll leave it there... > > > > DZO > > > > ... 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/
