Promotion of Efik - a major minority language in Nigeria

[Stan & Sandy Anonby]

>>From what I've seen, when a language is promoted as is being done with Efik,
there is language shift going on.  I wonder if this is the case with Efik.
I also wonder what the longer term impact of Efik being promoted at the
university level will be.  Will it help maintain the language, or will it
speed language shift?

Stan Anonby

----- Original Message -----
From: "Oladipo Salami" <diposalami at hotmail.com>
To: <lgpolicy-list at ccat.sas.upenn.edu>
Sent: Friday, January 09, 2004 6:50 AM
Subject: Promotion of Efik - a major minority language in Nigeria


> Efik - a major minority language spoken in the region (Southeast of
Nigeria)
> where the English lanuage was first implanted in Nigeria is reported in a
> Nigerian daily - DAILY SUN - to have its first university trained
garduates
> this month. Here is the report:
>
> UNICAL to graduate first Efik language students - DAILY SUN, Friday,
January
> 2, 2004
>   From Boniface Mzama, Calabar
>
> History  is about to be made in Efik Kingdom as the University of Calabar
> [Unical] will soon graduate eight students who read Efik language.
Although
> thousands of the Efik race have over the years graduated in various fields
> of learning, the graduation ceremony coming up this month, will be quite
> spectacular as the eight students will be the first to have read the
> language in the university. Excited by the unprecedented ceremony, the
grand
> partriarch of Efik Kingdom, Professor Nta Elijah Henshaw , the Obong of
> Calabar, has said that plans were in the pipeline for the language to be
> made compulsory for natives of the race at the primary and secondary
levels.
> The apex traditional ruler of the Efik Kingdom, has said that his palace
was
> initiating a scholarship scheme to assist interested students of the area,
> wishing to study the language.
> Following the programme, he said each family in Calabar would be expected
to
> contribute to the promotion of the language in schools and the university.
> Speaking to newsmen at the Obong's palace to mark the 2nd coronation
> anniversary of the Obong of Calabar, Prince Eyo Adam III,
Secretary-General
> of the Etubom Council, said apart from individual families, every native
of
> the area would  contribute N200 [$1.50] each, as his or her contribution
to
> the promotion of the language.
> "Already, we have sent letters to Efik sons and daughters, both at home
and
> in diaspora to assist in the programme, which is tagged: Promotion of Efik
> Language", he said.
>
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