[lg policy] Nigeria: Are we not burdened enough that we must yet add learning French to Nigeria’s problems?

Mon Feb 15 15:29:18 UTC 2016

Are we not burdened enough that we must yet add learning French to
Nigeria’s problems?
Posted By: Oyinkan Medubi <http://thenationonlineng.net/author/david/>on:
February 14, 2016In: Oyinkan Medubi
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*The resources that would otherwise have been used to enforce this decision
can be better employed in developing writing systems for our many unwritten
languages so that they will no longer die just because the speakers are
dying. The speakers will bless us for this. France itself can assist in
this venture.*

There is an estimate in scholarship that Nigeria presently houses over four
hundred and fifty (450) indigenous languages within her linguistic walls,
in addition to English and Arabic. It is also estimated that nearly, if not
all, have an appreciable number of speakers, no matter how few they are.
Once, one language in Nigeria was said to have only two (2) speakers left,
if they have not emigrated to Australasia, or died.

As of now, very few of these languages have been developed to the point of
having literature written in them; and fewer still even have alphabets.
Yet, scholars agree that it would be a crying shame to let any of these
languages go into extinction because of the nation’s indifference. And what
is the cause of that indifference, you might ask? We have plenty of
languages to spare.

This means that if we run out of languages within the country, we can
always call on those of our neighbours. I guess this is why the Minister of
State for Education felt confident enough to state not too long ago that
Nigerians would soon be called upon to learn French even up to the tertiary
level, if only for the sake of our neighbours. As if we did not have enough
problems, no? Ha, ha!

I have nothing against French. It’s a fine language, but is it for us? Just
consider, out of these 450+ languages, Nigeria is presently using only a
fraction of them for her internal and external affairs. With English
lording it over everybody anyways, even those few find themselves with
little or nothing to do. Well, for one thing, they just generally provide
an alternative way of saying something already said in the official
language; and for another, they provide a means for ethnic brothers to
bond. For a third reason, they probably allow people to think in their
native intelligences.

Scholars have told us – bless these scholars for the things they keep
telling us – that each language has its own logic and thought system.
Therefore, learning more than one language means learning and having more
than one thought system. As it is now, Nigerians, young and old, who speak
their native tongues alongside English, have thought systems that can only
be called convoluted. But I guess it builds bridges across the two
languages. This is why the old woman in their village is the one doing
them; you’re the one I’m greeting; and oh yes, you are well-swallowing of
something (for *eku igbeun kan mi*). These just make you wonder how elastic
a language can be, right, or whether it is gradually coming apart. Now,
that is a point of interest to many of us. With so many languages to think
in, are you surprised that Nigerians are not able to think straight?

More importantly, don’t you think we have enough trouble already with the
English that was forced on us? To add another language to Nigerians’ plate
of repertoires is to add another thought system to the confusion. People
will now not know whether to take the native thought through English first
into French or vice versa or let them all meet at the crossroads. I think
the latter will make for some very interesting utterances, such as you’re
the one je suis greeting. That is Frenglish in Yoruba, no?

Let’s see what the Nigerian language policy in education says. Part of it
says that the Nigerian child is expected to learn one Nigerian language
other than his/her own in primary school and another one in secondary
school, all alongside English. This means that the average Nigerian child
is expected to function effectively in four languages.

This policy does not take into consideration the varying intelligences of
children. True, there be some among them who can walk through eight
languages without any hassles. On the contrary, many there be among them,
if not most, who can hardly cope with one language; yet, as scholars have
told us, languages are best acquired or learnt in childhood. If young,
sharp children are having problems learning languages with internal
structures that are not too far from their own language families, what
chances will there be for them or their older generations in tertiary
institutions to cope with more foreign languages?

Language learning is sometimes accelerated when materials are accessible
and well trained teachers are available. The reason why the Nigerian
language policy in education has not been too strong on ground is not too
difficult to guess: no funds. Teachers are not being trained – no funds;
text books are not being written – no funds; teaching aids and audio-visual
materials are not being developed – no funds; many Nigerian languages have
no orthography – you guessed it, no funds! So, forgive me for asking, but
where on earth will the funds come from to provide all these with regard to
French?

Come now, let us reason together. Two of the disadvantages of using English
for national affairs have been pointed out. Foreign languages do not give
the African that sense of identity a language normally should give; and the
fact that they do not give that needed national security that a nation
desperately needs. Native languages give both.

True, this country cannot afford to go around translating every cough,
sneeze and laughter of the president or myself (thank you so much for
noticing that I also cough, sneeze and laugh) into 450+ languages; yet,
many of our national affairs actually need to be kept secret, particularly
from foreigners like you. Now, how on earth can we do that with all our
records being legible in English? We plod on nevertheless for economic
reasons, but not by now adding French. Why, that will definitely be making
our records available to the…

Just think too, how jealous other world powers will be if we adopt French
as a third foreign language. I’m talking about countries like Germany,
Japan, China, etc. They are going to want to know why the most populous
black nation on earth is leaving them out of its schools. Have they not
traded with us? They have. Have they not been good to us? They have. Have
they not also colonised us economically if not politically? They have.
After all, nearly everything we use now comes from China. So, we cannot go
around learning a foreign language just because the owner countries are
somewhere around us.

English is very present in China, Japan, Germany, etc., yet the governments
of those countries have not compelled their schools’ curricula to change on
that account. Rather, they have given their citizens the freedom to learn
whatever language they see the need to. Many Japanese and Chinese see the
need to learn English, so they do it. That is not the country’s business.

Rather than compel our young ones to divert their needed mental resources
to learning yet another language, this country should encourage them to pay
more attention to the contents of their syllabi as they stand. The focus
should be to use the syllabi to bring the best out of every child and
student, and help them to be maximally productive. One more language will
not do this; it may even retard all progress.

Most importantly, we are burdened enough. The resources that would
otherwise have been used to enforce this decision can be better employed in
developing writing systems for our many unwritten languages so that they
will no longer die just because the speakers are dying. The speakers will
bless us for this. France itself can assist in this venture.
http://thenationonlineng.net/are-we-not-burdened-enough-that-we-must-yet-add-learning-french-to-nigerias-problems/

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