LINGUACOLONIALISM: SAVE THE AFRICAN SPECIES! By Abajuo Reason Emma
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Transcript of LINGUACOLONIALISM: SAVE THE AFRICAN SPECIES! By Abajuo Reason Emma
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LINGUACOLONIALISM: SAVE THE AFRICAN SPECIES!
Abajuo Reason Emma.
Abstract
Language is not just a medium of communication, but it is fundamental for any
cognitive process. Thus, language not only aids interaction, but also reflects each
society‘s culture, norms, and values. African languages – the mirrors of African cultures
– have been continually threatened by hegemonic colonial languages, the most
reprehensible of which is English. This paper presents the effects of this menace, and
advocates the salvaging of these endangered language species by using them as the
languages of instruction (LOI) in the various places where they are spoken. Using
Nigeria as an instance, it also establishes a strong correlation between using these
native languages as LOI in science and increased technological advancement in Africa
— an aid to achieving the much needed economic independence.
4
Linguacolonialism
If we are our tongue and our tongue we,
then, killing our tongue means killing us.
— Abajuo Reason Emma.
Colonialism, neo-colonialism, and imperialism are all overused concepts depicting
political and economic domination by most European countries. In fact, the history of
many African countries will not be told without a detailed analysis of their colonial past.
While considering factors viewed as colonial heritage and bequeathed by colonial
ancestors, many scholars mention various items, especially, benefits — economic,
social, political, etc.; also, others expose the bad sides of colonialism — exploitation,
cultural sequestration, etc.; however, very few look at one issue as a problem, many do
not even know of it: Linguacolonialism.
While colonialism is seen as political and economic domination of one population
by another, neo-colonialism defines the situation that operates in less industrialised
countries whereby their former foreign rulers continue to determine the terms and
language of their economic exchange. All these are forms of imperialism.
Linguacolonialism is yet another form of imperialism often called linguistic imperialism.
Linguacolonialism conceptualizes the product of the age-long scrimmage in the
language milieu: languages compete for hegemony, and in the end, when one language
wins it dominates the others around it. One may wonder, though: ―Is not language just
a medium of communication; or as Edward Sapir says, ‗a purely human and non-
instinctive method of communicating ideas‘? Why, then, is there a battle of languages
as there is a battle of the sexes?‖ Well, the truth is that ―language is not merely a
means of communication; it is also an expression of shared assumptions. Language,
thus, transmits implicit values and behavioural models to all those people who use it.‖1
To this end, as people interact, their various languages interact; consequently, if one
1 Attributed to Elizabeth Burr, Susan Dunn, and Norma Farqhuar in Language Awareness, eds. Paul A. Escholz et al
(New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1974), 105.
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population wears the crown over another, the language of the former prevails over that
of the latter: thus, Linguacolonialism.
Over the years, many languages have become victims of Linguacolonialism.
Worse still, as nationalists and economists fight for political and economic
independence, no one braces to fight for linguistic independence. In history one readily
notices the death of the Celtic languages in Western Europe and the death of several
Native American languages. For example, Cornish, spoken in Cornwall, became extinct
around the end of the nineteenth century, and is now only spoken in valiant attempts to
revive it as an artificial language; also, British, a now dead language which was the
origin of the Brytonic group and spoken long after Anglo-Saxon settlement in England
and lowland Scotland in the Celtic kingdoms of StrathClyde, Cumbria and Elmet, as well
as in Wales.2
In Africa the case is no less different. In fact, African languages have been
perpetually enslaved by hegemonic languages, and these African languages have no
other option than to remain servile because no one exists to fight for them. Arabic,
French, and English are the three lingual superpowers that have held sway in Africa.
Other foreign languages, though, are spoken in Africa, like Hindi, spoken in sizeable
Indian communities in South Africa and East Africa; Portuguese, spoken in Angola, Cape
Verde, Guinea Bissau, and São Tomé and Princípe; and Spanish, spoken in Equatorial
Guinea, and Morocco.
Spanish is Equatorial Guinea‘s official language because in 1778, Portugal ceded
the island to Spain, and Spain remained in control until 1968. Portuguese, itself, is
found in the populations listed above as a result of these populations‘ colonial history.
At least, history shows that at one time Angola was called ―Portuguese West Africa.‖
Today, Portuguese is the official language of these African territories. Hindi is an Indian
language and came to be spoken in those African settlements as a result of migration of
Indians to those places. Arabic is largely spoken in Muslim Africa. Among Muslims,
Arabic is considered sacred as it is the language in which the Qur‘an was written. Thus,
2 Awe, Celtic (Language), slb-itsu.hull.ac.uk/awe/index.php?title=Celtic_(language), (accessed February 28, 2012.)
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with the rise of Islam to dominance after AD 622, Arabic has gained hegemony in all
lands where Islam is practiced. French, like Portuguese, is a Romance language spoken
in many former French colonies in Africa. English, also, is spoken by many former
British colonies in Africa. Thus, apparently, when these colonial powers left the African
soil on the premise of independence, their language remained as a reminder to their
former subjects that they, the powers, were there. The result? The many indigenous
languages that had existed before the advent of colonialism have continued to
experience colonialism even after their native speakers have proclaimed themselves
free. African languages, truly, are not yet free.
True, subjugation and colonization of one population by another comes with
imposition of the latter‘s language on the former. Because the language of a people
reflects their values, when appendage territories are compelled to learn the values of
the main empire, they must, irresistibly, learn the language. However, one exception, at
least, exists: English survived the 1066 conquest of England by the Norman French.
More so, it is obvious that in the battle for hegemony, English has gained ascendancy
over Chinese, French, Spanish, Russian, German, Japanese, Arabic, Portuguese, and
Italian. Thus, today, when one thinks of Linguacolonialism – the dominance of one
language over another – in the world context, it is really anglocolonialism that is borne
in mind. Why?
7
Anglocolonialism: An Incidence of Globalisation
It may not be very correct to assert that colonialism alone gave rise to the
spread of English. Why, in West Africa, for instance, Britain colonised only four
territories: Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Gambia; but France colonised many
others: Senegal, Mali, Togo, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Cote D‘Ivoire, Benin, Mauritania, and
Niger. However, in these French West African territories, although French is the official
language, English occupies a supercilious position over the native languages. In other
African territories too, colonised by European countries as highlighted above, although
the language of their former masters remain official, English occupies a preeminent
position. Why, even the Qur‘an has been translated into English! These African
countries, thus, face a more complex problem: they are battle grounds for fights
between at least two hegemonic languages — English and one other. However, even
though these languages hit one another with bare knuckles, they unite to endanger
language species that had existed before they came. Why, though, has English gained
the upper hand? The reason is not far-fetched — globalization.
Globalization is the comprehensive term for the emergence of a global society in
which economic, political, environmental, and cultural events in one part of the world
quickly come to have significance for people in other parts of the world.3 Since the
biblical story of the incident in the tower of Babel, where ―Jehovah4 had confused the
language of all the earth‖,5 man has endeavoured endlessly to ―construct an ideal,
supranational language as a medium of intellectual exchange for all lands.‖6 A language
achieves a genuinely global status when it develops a special role that is recognized in
every country.7 This can be effected by making the language the official language of a
country, to be used in courts, parliaments, media, and schools; also, it can be effected
by making the language a priority in a country‘s foreign-language teaching, even
3 Microsoft Encarta Multimedia Encyclopedia, s.v. “William K. Tabb, ‘Globalisation’” (Redmond, WA: Microsoft,
2009), CD-ROM. 4 Jehovah is the English rendering of the name of God used in many English translations as this one.
5 Genesis 11:9, (New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures).
6 Lincoln Barnett, “The Linguistic Wonder of the Modern World,” from The Treasure of Our Tongue, by Lincoln
Barnett (1964), reprinted in Language Awareness, eds. Paul A. Escholz et al, op cit., 267. 7 David Crystal, English as a Global Language, 2d ed. (Cambridge: University Press, 2003), 3.
8
though the language has no official status: children are taught the language at schools,
and in the markets it is used effectively.
In both ways the English language has succeeded: in countries like Nigeria,
Ghana, India, Singapore, and Vanuatu as in other sixty-five countries, English is the
official language;8 while in countries like China, Russia, Germany, Spain, Egypt, and
Brazil,9 the emphasis is on English. This is because of some factors highlighted below.
Simplicity:
The English language is relatively simple when compared to other languages
in the ring. For example, it takes less time to say jettison or job hunt than to say
their French equivalents, jeter par-dessus bord and être à la recherche d‘un emploi
respectively; it is, also, easier to say customer service than to say in Spanish,
atención al cliente, worse still, in Italian, servizio assistenza al cliente.
Though not even in the contest, African languages rank amongst the most
difficult. Consider Luganda, the most common of the more than 32 languages
spoken in Uganda, ―the pearl of Africa.‖10 This language is full of tongue twisters;
for instance, God‘s Kingdom, in Luganda, is translated Obwakabaka bwa Katonda.11
The thought of learning such language, indeed, will make a person creep. Igbo,
also, a language of the Igbo people of Nigeria, is an unnerving language to learn —
it has many dialects. For example, an irritated man who wants to exclaim: ―what is
this?!‖ will in the Ngwa dialect say: ―A kpọkwanụ hekenanịa nṅịrị?!‖ while in the
Anambra dialect he will say: ―K‘ezikwanu ife d‘ife a?!‖ This variation
notwithstanding, there exists the standard Igbo language, spoken and understood
by all, and used in writing. Moreover, one will not forget Swahili, a linguistic hybrid
of Arabic and Bantu: the mix makes it complex. Because of these complexities of the
African tongues, wherever European influence has left its mark, Africans talk to each
other, especially, in English, French, or Arabic.
8 Ibid, 4.
9 Ibid, 5.
10 Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 2010 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses (2010), 72.
11 Ibid, 111-2.
9
Political and Military Power:
True, simplicity of a language plays a role in making it global; however, when
Latin had been the global language, was it any easy; or when French had been the
global language, were not the masculine-feminine dichotomy of words in existence?
This shows that a much stronger reason must hold for a language to become global:
the power of the language‘s native speakers. David Crystal explains:
A language has traditionally become an international language for one chief
reason: the power of its people — especially their political and military
power. The explanation is the same throughout history. Why did Greek
become a language of international communication in the Middle East over
2,000 years ago? Not because of the intellects of Plato and Aristotle: the
answer lies in the swords and spears wielded by the armies of Alexander the
Great. Why did Latin become known throughout Europe? Ask the legions of
the Roman Empire. Why did Arabic come to be spoken so widely across
northern Africa and the Middle East? Follow the spread of Islam, carried
along by the force of the Moorish armies from the eighth century. Why did
Spanish, Portuguese, and French find their way into the Americas, Africa, and
the Far East? Study the colonial policies of the Renaissance kings and
queens, and the ways these policies were ruthlessly implemented by armies
and navies all over the known world. The history of a global language can be
traced through successful expeditions of its soldier/sailor speakers. And
English ... has been no exception.12
When British adventurers first carried their speech to far places of the earth,
erecting their initial bastions of empire, then British traders with their business
prowess came along, and subsequently, missionaries, what else should be the result
other than a global language? Lincoln Barnett explains:
The occupation troops that moved into defeated countries after World War I
and on incomparably greater scale after World War II did more to spread
English (particularly American English) than any other agency of
dissemination. From the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and their
12
David Crystal, op cit., 9
10
dependents deployed throughout both hemispheres, English words and
phrases filtered down to every level of the diverse populations in every nation
and zone. No longer was English speech the limited possession of the
educated, the wealthy, and the peripatetic social elite. It became the
economically valuable property of all, from shopkeepers and salesgirls,
bellboys and bartenders, down to barefoot urchins in the streets of Tokyo,
Teheran, Berlin and Baghdad, who swiftly learned to chirp, ―Hey Joe, gimme
gum,‖ or ―Hey Joe, wanna some fun?‖ 13
Economic Might:
While it takes a militarily powerful country to broadcast the seeds of its
language, it takes an economically strong nation to water and fertilize the soils
wherein these seeds were sown.
David Crystal, in his exposition of the relationship between the native
speakers‘ economic progress and the language‘s global status, says of English:
Any language at the centre of such an explosion of international activity
would suddenly have found itself with a global status. And English ... was
apparently ‗in the right place at the right time‘. By the beginning of the
nineteenth century, Britain had become the world‘s leading industrial and
trading country. By the end of the century, the population of the USA (then
approaching 100 million) was larger than that of any of the countries of
Western Europe, and its economy was the most productive and the fastest
growing in the world. British imperialism had sent the language around the
globe, during the nineteenth century, so that it was a language ‗on which the
sun never sets‘.14 During the twentieth century, this world presence was
maintained and promoted almost single-handedly through the economic
supremacy of the new American superpower. Economics replaced politics as
the chief driving force. And the language behind the US dollar was English.15
By this, is it any wonder, then, that English is winning the battle of tongues?
13
Lincoln Barnett, op. cit., 264 14
An expression adapted from the nineteenth century aphorism about the British Empire. 15
David Crystal, op. cit., 10
11
The Result
What has been the result of a web of these factors? People the world over chore
themselves with learning the English language. When China produces goods, it proudly
brands it in English, ―Made in China‖; when the UN‘s General Assembly meets, the
language spoken is English; when scientific theories are formulated and written down,
the language used is English — which other is preferable?; when fiction is written, it is
either, originally, in English, or translated into English from its original language; and
take a stock of the movies in the world, even many Chinese films are acted in English.
The internet has, also, in modern times, become a veritable instrument for the
spread of the English language. Why, the world has become ‗a global village‘ with one
language — English. Social networks, especially, have not helped matters. Youths, who
want to show superiority and class, use English in chat rooms and network sites. Worse
still, they have developed for use in chat rooms their own amorphous variant of English,
which I call twitenglish16 : a hybrid of mnemonics, colloquialisms, and slangs. An
excerpt from a chat between two friends on a social network is given here below as an
example:
F1: Wia u at? F2: ‗m jus cumin hom. F1: u wit ur gurl? F2: No. F1: Y? F2: Hmmm. Seems u re intrestd in her. Lmao17. F1: LOL18.
The few of them who want to distinguish themselves stick to Standard English.
In all sets of the Anglo-variants, however, the least common multiple is English.
The situation is as the former Indian Prime Minister Nehru described: ―[English]
is the major window for us to the outside world. We dare not close that window, and if
we do, it will spell peril for our future.‖19 Lincoln Barnett, himself, says that ―English [is]
a window, a magic casement opening on every horizon of loquacious men.‖
16
Derived from Twitter, a popular social network where this variant is used opulently. 17
Laugh my ass out 18
Laugh out loud. 19
Lincoln Barnett, 262.
12
Frankly, this trend is relatively positive. After all, a literate Nigerian can only use
his cell phone effectively after having read the user manual written, at least, in English.
Scientists, moreover, do not risk the limitations of translation as almost all works are
now in English. Film producers, also, make more money from Anglo films, because, in
many cinemas across the globe, almost all persons who purchase tickets speak English.
However, this tenor has its downside: the colonised languages — especially,
those minorities not in the battlefield — are faced with the threat of extinction. The
African languages are not an exception. At a meeting of the foreign ministers of the
Organization of African Unity (now AU) early in 1964, the Egyptian delegate began an
address in Arabic. From all sides of the hall came cries of ―Speak English!‖ or ―Parlez
Français!‖20 That event illustrates what has happened to African tongues as a result of
the force of English – the most reprehensible poacher – and many other poacher
languages: African languages have been neglected and may soon face extinction.
Save the Species!
When the white man came to Africa, he had the
Bible and we had the land. And now? We have the
Bible and he has the land.
— Jomo Kenyatta
Given the capricious nature of man, a culturally integrated world envisioned by
crusaders of Anglo-globalization is unreal. Thus, while Africans accept English as their
―window to the world‖ – there is no gainsaying that – it is important that they save their
native languages, else the ―leaders of tomorrow‖ grow up sequestered from their
language — the mirror of their culture.
Governments should, therefore, launch massive awareness programs to
champion a renaissance of these dying languages. More so, the learning of these
languages should be made compulsory in basic schools and should be taught
vigorously. In polyglot populations like Nigeria, the educational institutions in each
20
Lincoln Barnett, op. cit., 259
13
geopolitical zone should continually enforce the learning of native languages in their
zone.
It is here recommended that African languages should be used as the LOI in the
settlements wherein those languages are spoken. One may also suggest that African
countries develop and use a lingua franca. Well, the possibility of this should not be
ruled out. If Noah Webster could start the venture into what is now known as American
English, a venture borne by nationalist sentiments, why can‘t African linguists and
lexicographers in the world come up with a lingua franca for their respective countries
through the process of pidginization? In this way, threads from native languages mixed
with the ‗super language‘ of the country are woven into a unique language understood
by all. For instance, in West Africa today, a variant of English known as the West
African Pidgin is spoken. However, this variant is not uniform, given the differences in
cultural backgrounds. For example, while in Sierra Leone, the pidgin form of my boss is
me boss man, in Nigeria, it is my oga; and Cameroon has its own well developed pidgin
variant called Kamtok. This is how the Bible‘s Mark 6:1, 2 is rendered in Kamtok:
Den i bin lef dat ples, an i bin kam fo i on kontri, an i pipu bin folo i. An i bin di tich di pipu fo insai di Jew dem God haus...21
Given these variations, it is better that each African settlement develop its own
native language for use as LOI. African countries, furthermore, should not only develop
the language, but enforce its learning by everybody. As it has Nigerian authorship, this
paper‘s prognosis is in the Nigerian context. In Nigeria, the learning of native languages
and their use as the LOI should be enforced. For a start, Igbo, mostly spoken in the
South-East; Hausa in the North; Yoruba, mostly spoken in the South-West; and Pidgin
English in the Niger-Delta region should be enforced as LOI in these regions. Was
Pidgin English just mentioned? Yes. Why, in Rivers State Television (RSTV), Port
Harcourt, there is a news section tagged ―News in Pidgin‖; also, in Wazobia FM, no
other tongue is used by the presenters except Pidgin English. Thus, this variant can be
21 Microsoft Encarta Dictionary, s.v. “Pidgin” (Redmond, WA: Microsoft, 2009), CD-ROM. (The English
rendering reads: “Then he left that place, and he came into his own country and his people followed him. And he was teaching the people inside the synagogue...”)
14
standardized in those places where it is gaining ascendancy – especially, in the Niger-
Delta region – for use as LOI. As time passes, the development of native languages and
their use as LOI will be spread to other languages in Nigeria. What benefits could be
gotten from this shift in LOI from English to the native languages?
Saving the Species: A Force for Technological Advancement
Innovation requires creative thinking, and creative thinking relies on language mastering as its major tool.
— Liliana Mammino
Science and technology are twin brothers used by many countries to achieve
economic independence. Both of them imply a thinking process, both of them are
concerned with causal relationships in the material world, and both of them employ an
experimental methodology that results in empirical demonstrations that can be verified
by repetition.22 It is said that technology is the application of scientific laws in
construction of tools and processes. However, it will not be very correct to assert that
knowledge of scientific laws and theories is indispensable for achievements in
technology. After all, the steam engine, developed first as piston engine by the French
inventor and physicist Denis Papin in 1690, was commonplace before the science of
thermodynamics, whose first law – the law of conservation of energy – formulated in
1842 by German physicist Julius Robert von Mayer, elucidated the physical principles
underlying the operations of the steam engine.23 Thus, there is no gainsaying the fact
that technology – the study of crafting – can exist without standard knowledge of its
underlying science.
Credence to this fact is seen from the activities of craftsmen in Aba, the
commercial centre of Abia state, Nigeria. In this paper, Aba is used just as an instance
of the vast potentials in Nigeria and Africa at large. As rightly described by a former
Nigerian Head of State, Aba is ―the Japan of Africa.‖ Majority of the people living there
are nothing less than innovative. They make shoes, clothes, furniture, doors (wood or
metal), etc. It is common saying among Aba youths that ―whatever finished material is
22
Microsoft Encarta Multimedia Encyclopedia, op. cit., s.v. “Raymond H. Merritt, ‘Technology’”. 23
Ibid.
15
imported from Europe or any other place in the world into Aba, Aba craftsmen can
produce its replica.‖ Surprisingly, when the state government banned the use of
motorcycles for commercial transport in Aba, even before BAJAJ cycle rickshaws were
imported from India into the town, Aba local engineers constructed relatively good cycle
rickshaws from erstwhile motorcycles for use in commercial transport. These innovative
men did not see the four walls of the university — most even did not complete their
basic education. They have not heard of or studied the laws of electricity,
thermodynamics, mechanics, hydraulics, etc; however, they produce works wherein
applications of these laws are showcased. In agriculture, the case is the same. Farmers
in Aba and neighbouring environs own pineapple orchards, and take care of these with
amazing expertise; yet, they have neither read nor been taught in a book or a school
how these are done. How, though, do they achieve these feats?
Observation and practice. Apprenticeship is rife in Aba. Youths whose parents
cannot afford university education – or sometimes basic education – are sent to learn a
craft under a skilled craftsman. This they do for about seven years after which they are
settled with a sum of money to start up on their own. During these seven years, they,
by observing their masters and practicing by observation, gradually learn the craft and
turn out to be skilled — even more than university graduates in that field! The learning,
thus, is strictly oral and informal — no books, no lectures. This practice is not peculiar
to Aba, but is seen virtually everywhere in Nigeria.
Unfortunately, although Nigerians are innovative and produce home-made
goods, foreign products gain more market in Nigeria than their local counterparts. Why?
It is not because Nigerians are xeno-centric24, but because the foreign finished products
are really superior and well-finished than their Nigerian counterparts. Thus, Nigeria
imports goods that it can conveniently produce. The fact is that Nigeria even imports
shirts — something Nigerian designers can more-than-efficiently produce. This
unfortunate menace affects Nigeria‘s GDP. The major output group of the economy is
the oil sector. In the non-oil sector, growth is seen only by the activities of the
24
Meaning the feeling that foreign culture is superior over one’s own: gotten from xeno, meaning foreign, and centric, meaning focus of interest or activity.
16
wholesale and retail trade, telecommunications, finance and insurance, and building and
technology sub-sectors. Materials used or sold in these sub-sectors are imported even
when they could be produced in Nigeria. Why the preference for these imported
manufactured goods?
The reason is that the local inventors are crude and lack the standards dictated
by science. Although technology can exist without the knowledge of science, such
knowledge fine-tunes technology, thus, standardizing it. The concepts of observation,
experiment, analysis, logic, ethics, entrepreneurship, etc can only be enhanced using
the scientific method. However, these local technicians lack such knowledge. How can
they be taught?
Language. Without the use of language, Nigeria‘s local inventors will not gain the
desired proficiency in science and technology. The challenge, though, is that these
inventors and craftsmen are not English literate; however, English is seen and
acknowledged by many people – even Nigerians – as the language of science and
technology. Thus, it appears that if these craftsmen must be taught, they must be
taught in English language; and since they can‘t comprehend English so much as to use
it in science and technology, then things must remain the same.
It is here unreservedly said that English is not the language of science and
technology. Any language can be the language of science and technology; thus, if
science must be brought to the people, it has to be done in a language that people
understand and communicate well in.25 Which language is used to teach science in
China; or which language is used as the LOI for technology in Japan; or what other
language is used in Russia to train nuclear scientists; or which tongue is the LOI for
science in Germany? The answers to these questions reveal that if Nigeria wants to
develop with science and technology as its key, then the LOI must be indigenous, not
English:
Teaching students how to write science or engineering texts, both
in their mother tongue and in languages utilised for international
25
Birgit Brock-Utne, “But English is the language of science and technology” – the language of instruction in Africa – with a special look at Tanzania, www.netreed.ulo.no/../brock_utne.pdf. (accessed February 24, 2012).
17
communication, is viewed as a relevant part of their preparation
for the requirements of professional activities in the modern
context.26
Analysis of the difficulties encountered by both science students and local inventors in
Nigeria leads to the irresistible inference that the shift to mother tongue instruction
would be fundamental for development.
Fafunwa has observed that a major factor impeding the dissemination of
knowledge and skills, and consequently, the rapid socio-economic wellbeing of the
majority of people in Africa, is the imposed medium of communication. Fafunwa sees a
possible correlation between underdevelopment and the use of a foreign language as
the official language of a given country in Africa. It is believed in this paper that the
correlation is not only possible, but definite and strong. Fafunwa says:
We impart knowledge and skills almost exclusively in these foreign
languages, while the majority of our people, farmers, and
craftsmen perform their daily tasks in Yoruba, Hausa, Wolof, Ga,
Igbo, Bambara, Kiswahili, etc...The question is: Why not help
them to improve their social, economic, and political activities via
their mother tongue? Why insist on their learning English or
French first before modern technology could be introduced to
them?27
Kwesi Kwaa Prah similarly affirms:
No society in the world has developed in a sustained and
democratic fashion on the basis of a borrowed or colonial
language…Underdeveloped countries in Africa remain under-
developed partly on account of the cultural alienation which is
structured in the context of the use of colonial languages.28
26
Liliana Mammino, The Essential Role of Language Mastering in Science and Technology Education, www.noun.org/../19-067.pdf. (accessed February 24, 2012)
27 Babs A. Fafunwa, “Using National Languages in Education: A Challenge to African Educators,” Unesco-Unicef,
1990: African Thoughts on the Prospects of Education for All, 103, quoted in Birgit Brock-Utne, op. cit. 28
Kwesi Kwaa Prah, African Languages for the Mass Education of Africans, CASAS Book Series No.7. (Cape Town: CASAS, 2000), 71, quoted in Birgit Brock-Utne, op. cit.
18
These assertions by the scholars above show that the call for mother-tongue LOI
is not new in Africa. What, though, is hampering the progress of this movement? One
may say it is procrastination, but really, it is neglect. African leaders and scholars shirk
from embarking on zealous implementation of policies aimed at using native languages
as the LOI in Africa. This paper, having joined in the call, also makes practical
recommendations — albeit in the Nigerian context.
In Nigeria there is said to be three major native languages: Igbo, Hausa, and
Yoruba. They are really four if one adds Pidgin English, dominant in the Niger-Delta
region. If Nigeria must advance in science and technology, the LOI must be indigenous.
For a start, let the Igbos be taught science in Igbo, the Hausas in Hausa, the Yorubas in
Yoruba, and many others – especially in the Niger-Delta region – in Pidgin English.
Gradually, the development will reach other areas. For the already established local
technicians, workshops should be conducted wherein the LOI will be the technicians‘ or
the craftsmen‘s first language. In these workshops, business ethics, improved scientific
practices, and entrepreneurial skills will be taught. This, surely, will lead to a steady
growth of made-in-Nigeria goods, and not just the growth, but the preference of such
goods by Nigerians.
More so, in Nigeria‘s tertiary institutions, science and technology students have
as part of their curriculum, a six-month student industrial work experience. The goal of
this scheme, though, has not been achieved as students bastardize the program —
some choose industrial works very different from their course of study, while others do
not even engage in it at all. It is recommended here that the academic planners in
Nigeria redesign the system such that three out of the five school days in a week are
used for theoretical learning in the class, while the remaining two days will be used for
full-time workshop practice. Thus, students will be attached to skilled technicians
around who might not even be graduates. The tertiary institutions will have a list of the
approved workshops and will receive feedback of the students‘ performance each
semester from the workshop. This feedback will be used to grade the student. This will
lead to a marriage of theory and practice. While the university students may learn in
the class with English as the LOI, in the workshop where the learning is informal, the
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LOI will be the native language. To this end, the students will show the craftsmen
which laws they apply, and they will impart theoretical scientific knowledge to the non-
graduate craftsmen, while the latter will give practical skills back to the students. This
marriage of minds, surely, will be done using the native languages. Undoubtedly, this
design will mean skilled graduates and polished craftsmen in the end — a boost to
technological development.
Lest this recommendation sound more ideal than practical, it is worthwhile
mentioning some possible challenges to achievement of effective mother-tongue
instruction:
— The difficulty of translating scientific and technical terms from English into the
local languages;
— The cost of such translation; and
— Absence of proficient teachers.
True, while some technical terms cannot be used in a local language form,
others can. Meanwhile, it is remarkable that words have meaning when they are
attached as symbols to objects or terms. Thus, if no word exists for any technical term,
a word can be created and attached to that term. With continuous usage by the media
and in teaching, this word can gain acceptance as a word denoting that term or that
symbol. Even in English, words are created that way. Before the advent of the www,
there had been no word like ‗internet‘ or ‗sexting‘ or ‗social networking‘; but as the
world got ‗global‘, these words evolved. Hence, it will be wrong to say that an English
term cannot have its mother-tongue equivalent. For example, if in Igbo, it becomes
difficult to translate the word ‗science‘, the form ‗sayensị‘ can be used; at least,
‗technology‘ in Igbo is translated ‗nka na ụzụ‘. In some cases, teachers and workshop
instructors will achieve success by using both the native language and English. To
illustrate the importance of using native languages as the LOI in science, consider this
conversation between a teacher and two pupils who failed a test in a public school in
one of the remote areas in South-East Nigeria; one of the questions failed was ―What is
used for grinding?‖ The teacher brought the pupils to her table and was ready to flog
them.
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―What do you use for grinding?‖ The teacher asked them in English. The pupils
remained silent.
―Gịnị ka unu na-eji akwọ ihe?‖ The teacher asked again, this time in Igbo. The
pupils‘ eyes beamed.
―Inginụ a na-eji akwọ ihe,‖ 29 one of the pupils answered.
―Ọdụ na ikwe,‖ 30 the other one added almost immediately.
Obviously, they knew the possible answers to the question; yet, they failed it
because the question was in English and the answers required were to be in English.
The important thing for teachers and instructors should be to get the subject matter
across. No matter how hard Nigerians try to learn it, English remains a second
language. Thus, it is necessary to learn science primarily with the first language; the
second can be learnt with the passage of time. With this, the activity- and inquiry-based
approach to scientific learning will be enhanced; and undoubtedly, there will be
commensurate advancement in science and technology, which will help to achieve
Nigeria‘s vision of an economic independence by 2020.
The cost of translating science materials from English to the native languages is
not more than that involved in children dropping out of school, repeating grade after
grade, or only copying notes in school. It is not even more than that involved in
importing foreign textbooks into Nigeria — something that fattens the countries where
these texts are published. With advancement in technology, Nigerians – Africans – can
translate effectively at reduced cost. Permission should be gotten from the foreign
authors to translate and publish their books in the native languages. That will help.
Nigeria‘s teeming population is full of unemployed youths — graduates in science
and technology. These youths, also, can speak their various native languages. Thus,
their bilingual knowledge should be put to good use in making native languages the
LOI. Workshops should be conducted to train teachers — especially science teachers —
in using native languages as LOI. With that, there will not be absence of proficient
teachers.
29
Grinding machine 30
Pestle and mortar.
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While emphasizing the need to save Africa‘s language species by using them as
LOI in science and technology, thus, developing the continent, one cannot but agree
with Kwesi Kwaa Prah:
Where LOI is the same as the mother tongue/home language, it
not only affirms the developmental capacity of the mother tongue
to grow as a language of culture, science and technology, it also
gives confidence to a people, with respect to their historical and
cultural baggage. LOI in the home language or mother tongue is
an instrument for the cultural and scientific empowerment of
people. Its denial signifies the social and cultural inferiority of the
culture and people whose mother-tongue-use is denied.
Therefore, in free societies, knowledge transfer takes place in the
language or languages of the masses; the languages in which the
masses are most creative and innovative; languages which speak
to them in their hearts and minds most primordially. Cultural
freedom and African emancipation therefore cannot be cultivated,
expanded or developed where the LOI is different from the
languages or language the people normally speak in their
everyday lives.31
31
Kwesi Kwaa Prah, “Going Native: Language of Instruction for Education, Development and African Participation,” in Brock-Utne,Birgit, Zubeida Desai and Martha Qorro (eds.), Language of Instruction in Tanzania and South Africa. (LOITASA) (Dar es Salaam: E & D Limited, 2003), 14 – 35, quoted in Birgit Brock_Utne, op. cit.
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Conclusion
Critics may readily say that this prognosis is typical of fiction. However, when
Noah Webster had begun changing reasoning to reezoning , young to yung, reading
to reeding, and zeal to zeel, it must have seemed as a project in futility. Now, though,
with the help of economic advancement, Ame is blazoned beside English words of the
American variant. In many other fields, history shows that impossibilities can become
impressive possibilities: Ferdinand Magellan with his sail around the world, Thomas
Edison with his light bulb, and Henry Ford with his quadricycle to mention but a few.
The secret, thus, to a successful mother-tongue instruction for Nigeria and all other
African countries is dedication and adventurous patience.
Indubitably, while African languages surrender helplessly to Linguacolonialism,
Africans can still keep their tongues alive by ―saving the species.‖ Yes, each indigenous
language can be standardized into a unique code as LOI, that when future generations
learn arts, science, and technology using their mother tongue and inquire into the
etymology of words they encounter, they will remain in touch with their culture, values,
and norms — the whole essence of language, the whole essence of existence.