Let's review our language policy

[Harold F. Schiffman]

>>From the (Kenya) Daily Nation, 10/10/2005


Let's review our language policy

Story by MWANGI NDIRANGU

The greatest wealth a country has is not oil or other minerals, but
citizens able and willing to use their brain to provide solutions to
problems affecting the family, the community and the nation. The presence
of a critical mass of individuals willing and able to use their minds
creatively to bring in new attitudes, processes, machines and other
devices that help in doing things more easily or cheaply, determine
whether a country is considered poor or wealthy.

Since people cannot read our minds, productive thinking and the ability to
communicate our thoughts effectively promotes or limits our impact at
social, political and economic level. Kenyas language policy provides for
English as the official language. This is the practice in all sub- Saharan
Africa, where English, French or Portuguese is used as the official
language, depending on the colonial master.

What is of interest is that in other parts of the world, countries have
jealously protected and promoted their languages. For example, Israel with
a population of six million people, despite her American influence, uses
Hebrew as its official language and promotes its teaching in schools.
Slovakia, with a population of more than five million, uses Slovak as
official language as well as in commerce. In fact, all European countries
have promoted the use of their languages in their countries. The same
applies to the North African countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and
Libya; all these use local language in schools and business.

The wisdom of using a foreign language as the means of our communication
process cannot stand a reasoned argument. Kiswahili for example is our
local lingua franca, spoken by more than 60 million people in East Africa,
Rwanda and even parts of the DRC. It is ironical that Microsoft has
noticed the enormous market potential Kiswahili presents and has developed
some of its computer software in Kiswahili. This may not be said of our
policy makers, who at best have been lukewarm at the promotion of
Kiswahili.

The appalling standards of spoken and written English, even among
university graduates, calls into question the wisdom of using this
language in our schools and offices. Lack of mastery of a language robs us
of our self-confidence due to the fear that we may speak or write it
incorrectly, resulting in a loss of face, especially when dealing with
native speakers. Could this be the reason why our intellectual landscape
is barren? Where are creative ideas in the economic arena? Where are
todays Ngugi wa Thiongos and other creative artists? Graduates of Kenyan
universities have been accused of having appalling English language skills
and inability to ask or answer questions appropriately. Lack of mastery of
the language of instruction forces students to accept half-digested ideas,
leading to a poor conceptualisation and inability to utilise these ideas
to bring about change.

With large class sizes that are characteristic of most university
programmes, a curriculum that is overloaded with unnecessary trivia and a
lack of tutorials, denies the learners the opportunity to engage the
content, debate it with the lecturer and his or her peers, make meaning
and provide ownership of the ideas. The need to rethink the use of English
is critical. Language defines who we are. It is experiential, evolving
through our interactions with our environment and developing a world view
that is uniquely ours. It is dynamic. The role of language in
socio-economic development is crucial.  Language projects the values of
the speakers and is therefore likely to lead to the cultural
disorientation of recipients.

A full scale adoption of Kiswahili in all our communication process would
also enable us promote our identity and have something to give to the
world, rather than uncritically embracing other peoples world views
encapsulated in their languages. Debate rages between those who argue that
language determines thought and those who think that it merely influences
it. Whichever position we take, the bottom-line is that mastery and
fluency in a language is very important.

Being able to think creatively and communicate these ideas well enhances
our impact in influencing our socio-economic environment as already
mentioned above. The use of the English language may prove
counterproductive in the long run.

Dr Ndirangu is a senior lecturer at Egerton University.

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