Seun: This issue came up while we were discussing the Yoruba Version of the Google Search Engine. While some people were applauding it as a step in the right direction, others were convinced that it's not an important. While some people people want us to support our local languages more, others want us to embrace English and use it to accelerate our development.

I belong to the school of thought that language is a elic of history and nothing more. I do not believe that my language or ethnicity defines me, because I believe we are all individuals in this world. Ultimately, I want to learn the language that will enable me to develop faster and I believe that this language is English, not Yoruba, Hausa, Ibo, or even Pidgin.

English, afterall, is the language of the Internet, the language of textbooks, and the official language we all learn in school. It is our lingua franca and fortunately for us, it is the language of many dominant nations in the emerging world economy; countries we will do well to form alliances with and learn from. I do not see why we would want to waste time rewriting the Internet, our textbooks, et cetera in Yoruba, Ibo, Hausa or Pidgin just because we want to "promote our culture".

So my current belief is that efforts to promote our Nigerian languages are a waste of time and nothing more. Do you disagree? Can you shed more light on this issue?

No it isn't a waste of time and should be promoted, if Yoruba's have had that attitude hundreds of years ago, our language would have been gone. Imaginig watching a Yoruba movie without the language or doing a Yoruba traditional wedding without the language, that would be a mess. It is true English is the universal language of the world to communicate with other ethnicities and races, also for business and etc but that is not a excuse to leave your mother tongue. Our language defines who we are as a people, our cultural past and etc. So I disagree with you.

we should promote our native languages because it's a huge part of our identity ,our heritage
I feel sorry for all those kids who were born in lagos or in big cities and can't even speak their dialect

kengis: we should promote our native languages because it's a huge part of our identity ,our heritage
I feel sorry for all those kids who were born in lagos or in big cities and can't even speak their dialect

I am one and please don't feel sorry for us. It is called advancing !

How do we hope to mix up if every single dialect and ethnic group is holding on to there ethnic believe ?

In fact I would make sure I put an end to that !

alj harem:

I am one and please don't feel sorry for us. It is called advancing !

How do we hope to mix up if every single dialect and ethnic group is holding on to there ethnic believe ?

In fact I would make sure I put an end to that !

you call it 'advancing" ? good for you !
As long as my relatives and friends speak their indigenous languages ,it's cool

kengis:
you call it 'advancing" ? good for you !
As long as my relatives and friends speak their indigenous languages ,it's cool

where are your relatives living ? USA ? Abuja ? Lagos ? Uk ?

and you expect them to still be speaking the very dialect from your village ?

You got to be joking

alj harem:

where are your relatives living ? USA ? Abuja ? Lagos ? Uk ?

and you expect them to still be speaking the very dialect from your village ?

You got to be joking

I got relatives everywhere in Europe ,Naija,USA and all of them speak their dialect
Central igbo is the "universal " dialect
but you have to understand that the average igbo person speaks a mix of several igbo dialects not a specific dialect
what 's your tribe ?

kengis:
I got relatives everywhere in Europe ,Naija,USA and all of them speak their dialect
Central igbo is the "universal " dialect
but you have to understand that the average igbo person speaks a mix of several igbo dialects not a specific dialect
what 's your tribe ?

Would it not make more sense for them to drop this their local dialect and pick the universal Igbo dialect as their language. This dalect thing is a cause of division, if not now later.

I am Yoruba.

alj harem:

Would it not make more sense for them to drop this their local dialect and pick the universal Igbo dialect as their language. This dalect thing is a cause of division, if not now later.

I am Yoruba.

You are Yoruba ,it makes sense now
you don't speak yoruba at all ,just english ?

kengis:
You are Yoruba ,it makes sense now
you don't speak yoruba at all ,just english ?

Nope I speak Yoruba quite well, infact I speak 13 or more languages in Nigeria and their individual dialect even to village size.

For now I am Yoruba and I am telling you that all this Ngwa dialect Onicha dialect etc is crap. Why can't everyone speak ONE IGBO LANGUAGE ?

alj harem:

Nope I speak Yoruba quite well, infact I speak 13 or more languages in Nigeria and their individual dialect even to village size.

For now I am Yoruba and I am telling you that all this Ngwa dialect Onicha dialect etc is crap. Why can't everyone speak ONE IGBO LANGUAGE ?

so you speak your own dialect
why are you complaining about ndi igbo speaking their dialect

I can't believe Seun actually suggested that we should abandon our local languages and remain slaves forever. SMH

kengis:
so you speak your own dialect
why are you complaining about ndi igbo speaking their dialect

My dialect was only learnt recently because of Nairaland not that intended to to actively learn it.

I had to learn it because I did not want people to try to twist history

I feel dialects should be a choice but native universal tongue language should never be abolished

WesleyanA:
i don't think we should promote the languages. i heard somewhere that nigeria has like 250 languages . that's wrong there are larger countries in the world w/ only 1 language. nigeria should have only one language too. it will only increase or promote unity and peace. those 250 languages just make nigeria look like some divided country. how do you communicate when you can't speak the language of someone else. i for example don't even understand what my granma says when i visit sometimes. not that i don't understand yoruba but she speaks it different adn she doesn't speak english. it sucks.

True