Why should my children be speaking only English?

That is why I love grandparents in yorubaland, no matter how sophisticated or backward they are, they will always speak yoruba to their grandchildren, God help the wife if the children cannot respond appropriately. She will hear the history of her family, clan and town.

The same way my children will speak French or Spanish, they must also speak their language. That is their heritage, culture and who they are. The children can never be English or Spanish.

Most of my igbo friends speak igbo fluently sha, at least with the way it sounds in my ears.

It is quite pathetic and disheartening honestly.

Have you ever been to any gathering where families are present with their kids? You will discover that 80 percent of those kids would be inclined to speak just English even in the heart of major Igbo cities like Enugu and Awka.

Their spoken English is often poor and their command of the Igbo language is non-existent. So what the aim of forcing kids to learn only English is, I cannot tell.

My sister has lived 27 years in Europe but does not even stutter or mince an English word while speaking Igbo and funny enough, she speaks only in my local dialect which many Igbos wouldn't understand.

Igbo parents have ruined the new generation of Igbos coming up.

You could hardly tell apart an Igbo born in Lagos from Yoruba in Lagos because they often understand zero or poor Igbo while having flawless command of yoruba, and shamelessly so.

It then begs the question, what were their parents doing while they were toddlers.

jnrbayano:

Gini na-eme gi? I choro iwe iwe ka I choro ichi ochi?

@op Thank you for this wonderful research. God bless you! What you just analyze are 100/cent true.
The most annoying part of it. Is that when u come into a government office were igbo man is the manager/ceo. He will be speaking English to u pretending that he is not an igbo man.
This days parents igbo tribes speak english language to there kids at home with the reason that they dont want there kids to look inferior amongst other kids that speak english.

Ndi igbo na atu ilu nwesi... Onye nwere otu okpa anaghi aza akwaa akwuru.
Onye agbala gburu anaghi aju ma isi azakwala ya.

SalC:
Gini na-eme gi? I choro iwe iwe ka I choro ichi ochi?

Ochi eze

MrCork:



...,bro I don't mean to sound rudes but ibo language?... Have u herd those nigerian ibo rappers rappin in ibo?.....it make the music lack swaagg and females can not stand them (no offensce)

I am yoruba but i vehemently disagree with you. i think igbo language is more suited to rap just like Twi which most Ghanaians rap in because consonantal sounds are plenty and they can bounce on beats beautifully. Consonant sounds are like beats on their own complimenting the beat on the track. A language that's dominated by soft consonants or vowels like french does not suit rap as well.

Op has a very good point there,d language is declining even me self dey try t.ush up my igbo. Ndi igbo sumanu asusu igbo biko nu!

WORLDPEACE:

I am yoruba but i vehemently disagree with you. i think igbo language is more suited to rap just like Twi which most Ghanaians rap in because consonantal sounds are plenty and they can bounce on beats beautifully. Consonant sounds are like beats on their own complimenting the beat on the track. A language that's dominated by soft consonants or vowels like french does not suit rap as well.

Omo yoruba ni mi...so proud of who i am..some igbo's in my company find it hard to speak dere language in our office.

MrCork:



...,bro I don't mean to sound rudes but ibo language?... Have u herd those nigerian ibo rappers rappin in ibo?.....it make the music lack swaagg and females can not stand them (no offensce)

Who is talking abt rapping.
So Phyno's music lacks Swag
Mr raw music lacks Swag
Illbliss music lacks swag e.t.c
If u dnt like igbo rap songs no probs....continue listening to ur Yoruba Rap..but dnt say igbo rap song dnt have swag..listen to wateva u like Nd dnt condemn wat other people R listeninng to...
No disrespect to Olamide, Reminisce, seriki.. e.t.c..

MbaanabaraAgu:
The Longman dictionary of contemporary English defined extinction as ‘’when a type of person, custom, language stops existing’’.

Examples of extinct languages in Nigeria includes (a) Ajawa; formerly spoken in Bauchi State, Nigeria. It became extinct between 1920 and 1940 as speakers switched to Hausa.

(b) Kpati; formerly spoken in Taraba state, speakers now speak Hausa.

(c) Basa Gunma; it’s an extinct Kainji language of Nigeria formerly spoken by people around Niger and Nasarawa states, speakers now speak Hausa.

This is to mention but a few. You can check this link for more on extinct Nigerian languages.
https://www.nairaland.com/1915760/10-extinct-nigerian-languages-what

It is no longer news that UNESCO in 2012 predicted that Igbo language might become extinct in the next 50 years. To some it is impossible, but it unsettles me, and I make bold to say that it is a possibility. I will tell you why.

There are about 500 languages spoken in Nigeria today, in them you will find Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba being spoken by a larger population in Nigeria. In other words, these three are the masquerades (Mgbadike) of the Nigeria languages. The fact Igbo language instead of gaining communication height in the hierarchy of languages is currently moving in the downward trend because of the rate at which the Igbos especially the youths are shying away from their language with reckless abandon.

Let us use our parents as a case study to x-ray UNESCO’s prediction. There is no doubt that our parents understands and speak Igbo, but how many of their children can effectively communicate in Igbo language? Even the ones that knows it prefers to communicate with their brethren in English. If in the next 50 years, our parents passes on to the great beyond leaving behind their children who cannot or refuse to communicate in Igbo, don’t you think that UNESCO’s prediction has come to pass then?

From my research and observations, it is only the older generation of Igbos (40 years and above) that speak the language both in the cities and in the rural places. The worst hit are the female folks especially the younger ones (30 years and below) they understand the language but refuse to speak it. Listen to a Hausa person speak to a fellow Hausa, you will never hear English in their communication, in the same way, when I speak Igbo to an Igbo person I make sure I don’t add English and yet over 90% of my female friends will reply me fully in English. This shows that they understand the language but refuse to speak it.

Among the male counterpart, it is only those that didn’t go to school that proudly speaks the language. It gladdens my heart anytime I go to the market to buy things (Lagos and Abuja), there you will see Igbo traders and business men proudly speaking the language, but it is not so when you visit our universities or meet our graduates on the road.

I once asked a female Corp member posted to serve in our office why she prefers to communicate in English instead of Igbo to her fellow Igbos, she told me that if she speak Igbo people will see her as an illiterate and a local girl. Gosh!!! Why do the Yoruba and Hausa people not have this type of stupid mentality that is prevalent among Igbo Youths?

I feel ashamed that my Hausa and Yoruba colleagues will see their people and say stuffs like Inakwana, Inaoni, Ekaro, Ekaso (i.e morning and day greetings in those languages) But the Igbos will see each other and start saying things like: Nna how far, good morning and good afternoon. Hardly will you see an Igbo person that will greet you with: Nna kedu, Ututu Oma, Ibolachi, Kaoo, Jokwaa etc. This is not only prevalent among the Igbos of the South East, the Igbos of Rivers and Delta states where my mom hails from are equally guilty.

English is a means of communication between people of different tribes since Nigeria is a multilingual country. People of the same tribe should not use English to talk to each other. It is a sick thing for an Igbo person to communicate in English to a fellow Igbo, you will never see a Hausa person communicating in English to his tribal person. If you are Igbo and you don’t know how to speak the language, it is actually a shame, it’s your number one identity, and so you should go and learn it. Nobody is asking you to go and serve your ancestor’s deity but to speak your language.

Asking a young Igbo person to say the numbers or naira value in Igbo language is like asking them to trek from Abuja to Aba. I could remember an episode with an Igbo woman that sells roasted yam opposite PHCN office in Maitama Abuja. Below is our conversation.

Woman: Nna, Kedu ihe I choro? (Sir what do you want?)

Me: Biko nye m ji otu akpa ego (Please give me yam of N200)

Woman: I si gini (What did you say)

Me: A si m gi nye m ji otu akpa ego (I said you should give me N200 yam)

Woman: Gini bu otu akpa ego? (What is N200?)

Me: Obu na ibughi onye igbo, I maghi ihe ana akpo ego na asusu igbo (Are you not Igbo, don’t you know the names of money in Igbo)

Woman: A mabu m ya mbu, mana e chefuola m ya (I know it before but I have forgotten it).

Me: (Gets angry) Biko nye m ji N200 naira ka m rie si ebe a puo. (Please give me yam of N200 let me eat and get out of this place.

This woman is not alone on this. These days, it is hard to find Igbos who knows the Igbo meaning for some certain things. Gather people from different tribes in Abuja or Lagos and ask them what some certain things are called in their native language and you will see them boldly telling you but ask an Igbo person the name for Chameleon in his native language and you will see them looking at the skies as if the answer is going to fall from there, the best answer you will get is I used to know it before.

Those that still manages to speak Igbo language mixes it with English. Listen to someone talk in Igbo, you will discover that 40% of their speech contains English. It’s only among the elderly ones in the rural places that you can still find someone that speaks Igbo language flawlessly without adding an English word.

Hardly will you see non Igbos visiting or residing in the Igbo states learn Igbo language anymore because the inhabitants of those lands no longer speak Igbo language. But reverse is the case when Igbos are visiting Yoruba or Hausa states, just give them 6 months there, they will come back and speak those languages more than the original owners.

My elder brother’s wife is from Edo state but schooled in Madonna University Anambra state. The first time I met her I greeted her in Igbo and spoke some simple Igbo to her but to my greatest surprise she told me that she didn’t understand anything in what I just said. I became embarrassed and told her that I spoke Igbo to her because I was told she schooled in Anambra state and should have used the opportunity to learn some basic Igbo language. She told me that during her school days, the Igbos who are majority in her school (over 80%) hardly speak Igbo to each other, they always communicate in English, so how was she supposed to learn the language since the owners of the language seldom speaks it.

I know some people will say that I am exaggerating, but I want you to know that this is a research that has taking me 5 years since I came back to Nigeria after my studies (2010-2015) Don’t just hide behind the screen of your computer and gadgets and criticize me. Take a trip down to Nigeria if you are not here already, then you will understand what I am taking about. Visit all the major cities in Nigeria, south eastern states inclusive, then you will know that this downward trend of our dear language is really scary. If you think I am joking just pick up your phone right now and call any of your Igbo friend or family member and hear them speak then you will understand my lamentation.

Does it not bother you that we started Nollywood and over 80% of Nollywood stars have Igbo roots yet we don’t have a dedicated channel on DSTV whereas there are some channels dedicated to Hausa and Yoruba people.

If you are non-Igbo, I will advise that you steer clear of this thread, this is not the time for tribal war, it’s the time to bring to the consciousness of my Igbo brethren what is happening to us,but if you must contribute, please let it be constructive since nothing warms your blood than a thread that bashes the Igbos. And to my fellow Igbos, it is a wake-up call to all of us, it is time to bring this to bare, there is nothing to hide anymore, there is no better time to discuss this topic, it doesn’t matter if other tribes laugh at us now, the greatest scorn and laughter will be when UNESCO’s prediction will come to pass and we will be speaking English, Hausa and Yoruba in our villages. (A na eji bekee awa oji?) If we fail to do something fast, we will have a rude awakening and will become a laughing stock to other tribes soonest. And if nothing is done to correct this anomaly now, we will wake up one day to find Igbo language extinct like the others that have gone into extinction.

If you will make it a point of duty not to speak English to your fellow Igbos from today and to also spread this to your friends and family outside nairaland, I think our problem is already half solved. Be quick to correct your Igbo friends that speak English to you by reminding them that they are Igbos and should only speak Igbo language to you.

Igbo muru Nze muo Ozo, biko kulie nu na ura. Bido ta subara nwanne gi asusu Igbo.

#Suba asusu Igbo.

Ka Chineke mezie okwu.

Written by Nnamdi Ositadinma a.k.a Mba-ana-abara-Agu

I must admit dat dis is a very nice piece and I am guilty of it too, but I schooled in Unizik (nnewi campus to be precised) and during my days in school more dan 80% of the students actually speak the language to each other, andf even to lecturers. Why dis UNESCO preciction maybe right, I believe its for the big non south eastern cities only, cos everywhere in the southeastern states the lingua franca still remains igbo. It is very very much widely spoken. Infact no one in owerri for example will speak anytin other than igbo to u upon first meeting, unless they've confirmed that you can't understand d language. Some of my non igbo friends back then in skool always complained about how they get embarrased by okada men and petty business men and women who will speak igbo to dem with the assumption that they too understand the language. So with due respect I don't think the language is or will ever go into extinction, at least not in dis our genration or even the next.

jnrbayano:


Ochi eze

Nwanne onye we iwe uwa aka ya njo

this question
is like every year question

WORLDPEACE:

I am yoruba but i vehemently disagree with you. i think igbo language is more suited to rap just like Twi which most Ghanaians rap in because consonantal sounds are plenty and they can bounce on beats beautifully. Consonant sounds are like beats on their own complimenting the beat on the track. A language that's dominated by soft consonants or vowels like french does not suit rap as well.

...bro but if that's the case...why do ibo guys always wear jerry curls tryin to spek in American accent?.... The only great ibo music always comes in pigeon English like spare..I like those boys coz they keep it real singing in pigeon English but when they start rappin in ibo...no body gerrrit ( no ofennsce)

...bro AMA Londoner and when I hear people spekin ibo on the bus, it sounds like Somali language...this is why nobory speks it

kayciano:
Am IGBO...
and the WRITE UP is TRUE...
When I attend to my clients who share same TRIBE with me, I try as much as POSSIBLE to speak IGBO, most especially the LADIES treat me with DISDAIN.

I HAD to confront some, telling them How much I STUDIED my BOOKS as a MEDICAL STUDENT.
That if anyone should feel INFERIOR, probably I should be the one..

I didn't grow up in an IGBO SPEAKING Locality, but my DAD made it a TABOO not to SPEAK IGBO to him.

In other not to PROPEL this TREND, I made a VOW to MARRY an EDUCATED LADY that Speaks IGBO fluently, irrespective of her tribe.

Our LADIES are the edged Culprits, they FEEL INFERIOR...
My MD. An IGBO, embarrassed me ONE DAY ,when he told me NEVER to Reply IGBO PATIENTS in IGBO.
I went into my OFFICE and wept abstractly.

at bold one..
if yu go to east and do the same,they cant ever or never treat yu with disdain...
at bold two...
Yes she s doing that to restrict favouritism and tribalism..
she want professionalism in business service..
i guess all this scenerio happened outside east and not inside eastern state cos the doctors in the east necessarily communicate in igbo language for the sake of the people..
anyway has to do with environs and state yu re,if yu re in lagos or abuja,some igboman or woman wil want yu to communicates with english language cos some people use thier same language thing to gain benefit or personal gains for services meant to be paid...
though am speculating on her reasons so dont wept ok..
IGBO IS SECURED TILL GOD KNOWS WHEN..

chukwu remains chukwu till more than 100years coming..

nwanne m nwoke,udo diri gi maka edemede a idere ebea,obi di m uto n'ihi na oka nwere ndi o na amasi ka asusu Igbo ghara ibu ihe nara n'iyi kama ka ndi Igbo kulite na ura na ebe mgbasa ozi Igbo di.O bu ihe nwute ma burukwa nnukwu ihe ihere na otutu umuaka Igbo enweghi ike isu asusu Igbo ma ghara itinye asusu oyibo na ime ya,nke kasi njo bu na ndi nne na nna anyi oge ugbua anaghi akpo ya mpka ikuziri umuaka ha asusu Igbo,okachasi ndi nke amuru na obodo lagos.Ndumaodu m na enye ndi nne na nna tata bu ka anyi jidesie ike na agba mbo na nkuzi na nkwado asusu Igbo na ebe umuaka anyi no.Ka chineke gozie ndi Igbo nile na ebe obula ha no.

(it will take a real Igbo man/woman to read and understand me because my laptop didn't have the functions to punctuate my write up adequately)

MrCork:



...bro but if that's the case...why do ibo guys always wear jerry curls tryin to spek in American accent?.... The only great ibo music always comes in pigeon English like spare..I like those boys coz they keep it real singing in pigeon English but when they start rappin in ibo...no body gerrrit ( no ofennsce)

I don't understand you. Are you Nigerian?

This is one thing I love about the Hausas and Yorubas. They never shy away from identifying with their native languages. No matter how beautiful/cute they are, they just love speaking their languages.

This is what I hate about the Deltans, on the other hand. No matter how ugly they are, they almost believe they can't survive without pidgin; and just a very small fraction of them, English. They never speak their language. Edo people are almost in this category, but a good number of them try.

Then the Igbos? I hate them (sorry, us) almost with passion, regarding this language of a thing. Igbos?! We can form! Chineke!

Last Christmas, a girl of about 6 told me,"Mummy said we should never speak Igbo otherwise, she will kill us". Imagine! And you know the funniest and at the same time, the most annoying part, these people stay in Onitsha. They were born and bred there.This is very appalling, pathetic, and as a matter of fact, very unfortunate. It is a cankerworm that has eaten deep inside our bone marrow.

I have an uncle (My mum's brother) who stays in the States. He has 3 children, and the last one is 15. If you hear these people speak, you'd never believe that they've been to the airport before, let alone flying. They were born and bred in USA. Not Onitsha. They speak Igbo like real Igbos, and the glorious thing about it is that they not only speak it, they enjoy it. They live it. Kudos to their parents; they deserve awards.

I once had an Igbo friend in Uniben, who never spoke Igbo. When I asked her why, she said she was always ashamed of speaking it. Immediately, I became ashamed of her. You could argue that your reason for not speaking your language is because you don't know how to; but to shun it on the basis of shame? You're a disgrace!

I'm afraid because if care is not taken, if something is not done and fast, our unique and lovely language which was passed to us by our ancestors, would be extinct. It would be a big failure on our generation.

English language, Pidgin, etc are all good, but our own is our own. Nke anyi bu nke anyi.

Daalu nu.
#OtuSubakwaIgbo.

For Nigeria to become a nation we need to embrace a common language, slowly but surely this is happening - the language of trade will dominate which will entail some of the older languages dying out.

This has happened in every society.

Nnamdi nwa nnem.imela ri nne.oteela m chorowara onye onodu asusu igbo no taa n'ewute dika osi ewutem . Biko oke otutu okwu anoghi n' uka mgbede.oga adim mma ka anyi kwuo n' ekwe nti.Aham bu Amachukwu.akara ekwe ntim bu 08035403037.biko ziterem nkegi n' ozi ikuku kam kpoo gi. ...asusu igbo agaghi anwu.

Mbaanabalagu igbaligo na edemede ma nchoputa . Igwa gi eziokwu, enweghi ihe were m iwe kalia na ihe ndia idere. Nne na Nna ugbua che na isuru umu ha asusu bekee bu nkwali ngu(display pride). Mgbe obula siri Obodo anyi bu Naijiria puo hu ka ndi mba ozo na asu asusu ha na etinyeghi ya ofu asusu bekee, o na amasi m ma na ewe m iwe n'ihi na odighi otua na ndu ndi Igbo ufodu. Oge m jere mahadum na Ghana, mfu umu igbo suo asusu igbo ebe ha no, fa eji asusu oyibo zaghachim . Nke na ewe m iwe na mkpulu obi. Na agbanyegi na umuaka m ebighi na Nigeria, ana m agbali ike m asuru ha igbo. Maka ekpebigo m na agaghi m asu oyibo na ezi ma o bu ulo oru m biakwa na ulo suba oyibo. Asi ocha! Biko umunne m ka anyi niile gbaa mbo hu na anyi kwalitere asusu Igbo! Igbo nmanmanu!

mandarin:
I love your courage and can feel your passion.Let me state that this is a general disease in Nigeria but its just the degree of detrimental effects that vary.However,let me briefly list the inimical factors regarding the igbo and may be I can touch the Yoruba a little too:
1. The igbo people are widely travelled people because of trade and so will be in their interests to learn another local or international language for that purpose
2. The overwhelming embrace of pidgin.I think this will not only drive down igbo but also many Niger Delta dialects and even for those that speak English , pidgin is a malaise.which has craftily crept into many expressions that make them speak unimpressive English, see example in the first lady's expression in the Chibok girls issue
3.The linguistically differing regionalized igbo variation and the apt of an ordinary igbo persons sense of superiority over others where financial resources is a means of identifying success. What this does is to create a society of cultural dichotomy.
4. The effect of Nollywood.Dominating the English arm was profitable to Igbo practitioners and exposed the culture globally but it take the toll on the language.This may end up doing more damages than it does now as more Yoruba and Hausa movies now sell more than the English movies.The music sector has been largely dominated by the intro of Yoruba which has had to be adopted by all though reckoning the impact of Lagos.

All in all, I feel is a loss necessitated by economic gains which cannot be substituted soonest. I feel strongly for your concern.

Let me state that although Yoruba speaks their language next to the Hausa, the quality of the language among urban speakers is waning and a new breed of the language has evolved in Lagos in about 80-20 to English.I think in the interior parts there are still over 30million speakers but one thing is clear,the Yoruba don't substitute any other language for theirs.

I am a yoruba boy and i think yoruba is also going the extinction way,it may nt be overly clear now but in some years to come we will know what we are dealing with. We have to salvage our language before we lose it,it's our identity.An adage says a river that forget its source will dry up.High percentage of yoruba youths can't speak 5 sentences without putting in english words(i am guilty of this too)....I have seen many yoruba kids that cannot read and write in yoruba....Things mustn't continue like this

And the comments on here are all written in English?

UNESCO couldn't have been more right

bigfrancis21:
You made a true observation. I have researched and devoted time to this issue in the past and believe me, Igbo language is no way dying. When you go to the east, Igbo language is still very strong and it still baffles me where UNESCO got their 50 year extinction period forecast from. In the next 50 years, the millions of Igbo-speaking children in SE, SS and outside Igboland would be in their 50s and still speaking the language, where then does the 50-year forecast come from? A language is said to be extinct if there are no native speakers of the language even if it has 2nd-language speakers i.e. Latin Language has no native speakers but is spoken liturgically in masses in Catholic churches.

Now, majority of non speakers happen to be those born and raised outside Igboland but I have noticed that most of these people pick up the language as they become adults, and this explains why it is rare to find an Igbo adult who doesn't know how to speak Igbo. I know and have seen many non-speakers as children/teenagers who are fluent speakers today as adults. One notable experience is my UNN experience. Every year, UNN admits a fair share of Lagos-brought up JAMB candidates of Igbo origin who understand but speak a little Igbo. These are people their parents send to the east for university experience to be able to pick up the language. I had many as friends and classmates in my first year and by their 3rd/final years, most of them were speaking Igbo. I would express shock when they spoke fluent Igbo and they would laugh it off. I, myself, am equally an example too. I spoke English as a child but picked up Igbo in my university days and today speak fluent Onitsha, one would even think I grew up in the village. In Igboland, you might be excused for being unable to speak Igbo as a child but Igbo culture and assimilation in Nigeria doesn't permit that for an adult, except you're based overseas.

This is one aspect about the Igbo people that I would like to see us correct - the language part. There are parents who make efforts to ensure that their children speak the language, notably, parents living abroad. Visit youtube and you'll see videos by Igbo parents on their kids living abroad speaking Igbo. The language is still very much alive, especially if you take a tour in Igbo speaking areas of SE and SS. There will always be Igbo language speakers, with the non-speaking children making up the majority of 5% non-speaking population, a figure that reduces as those children grow up to be Igbo-speaking adults.

As for the Edo lady comment, I did my secondary school in the east (Owerri) and I remember at least 10 non-Igbo classmates (4 Edo, 5 Akwa Ibom and 1 Yoruba) from my secondary school who speak Igbo very well, more than me at that time. And they all did Igbo in WAEC in SS3. Some foreigners come to Igboland and learn the language (especially Hausa, Edo and Akwa Ibom with Yoruba showing the least interest) and some don't. In the reverse, Igbos born and raised in the east who go to the north or west to study barely learn the dominant language there.

As for the 'akpa ego' comment you mentioned, one thing you should know is a living language is one that adopts new words and drops obsolete ones. 'Akpa ego' is becoming an obsolete word (only used in villages) for N200 and 'Nari Abuo' being the modern Igbo word for N200. A language which does not adjust its vocabulary with time is a dead language. The same happens in English, French, Spanish e.t.c. There are several old English words such as 'thou', 'art', 'thy', 'wench' etc. which are no longer in use today which when you speak to a modern English speaker they would look at you lost in confusion. Take for example, walk up to any English speaker today and say, 'o ye eorþbuend, where art thou wench?' and they would look at you like you are speaking a foreign language, yet the same sentence was perfectly understood 200 years ago. The only recognizable English word by today's standards in that sentence is 'where'. In the same vein, Igbo language is dropping some old forms and adopting new forms. A few of such old forms no longer in common usage today are 'mgba' (woman as in mgba eke, mgba afor), 'Uru' (as in Uruagu, Urukpaleke), 'ifite'/'ihite' etc.

No pun intended, but I would want to draw out a trend among the Jews today. Jews are known travellers and well-scattered all over the world today, with a population of 14 million however, only about 5 million speak the language as native language with majority of the speakers in Israel and with about an extra 2 million second-language speakers living in Israel. Majority of American Jews, British Jews, e.t.c hardly speak Hebrew but English yet Hebrew language isn't considered to be going extinct.

So next time, before you think of opening another thread like this or letting the issue consume much of your thinking, always remember that the non-speaking trend by foreign-born Igbo children barely continues till adulthood. In that sense, the language is still very much safe.

This your article is well researched and enlightening. Bravo!

[quote author=MbaanabaraAgu post=31209764]The Longman dictionary of contemporary English defined extinction as ‘’when a type of person, custom, language stops existing’’.

Examples of extinct languages in Nigeria includes (a) Ajawa; formerly spoken in Bauchi State, Nigeria. It became extinct between 1920 and 1940 as speakers switched to Hausa.

(b) Kpati; formerly spoken in Taraba state, speakers now speak Hausa.

(c) Basa Gunma; it’s an extinct Kainji language of Nigeria formerly spoken by people around Niger and Nasarawa states, speakers now speak Hausa.

This is to mention but a few. You can check this link for more on extinct Nigerian languages.
https://www.nairaland.com/1915760/10-extinct-nigerian-languages-what





It is no longer news that UNESCO in 2012 predicted that Igbo language might become extinct in the next 50 years. To some it is impossible, but it unsettles me, and I make bold to say that it is a possibility. I will tell you why.

There are about 500 languages spoken in Nigeria today, in them you will find Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba being spoken by a larger population in Nigeria. In other words, these three are the masquerades (Mgbadike) of the Nigeria languages. The fact Igbo language instead of gaining communication height in the hierarchy of languages is currently moving in the downward trend because of the rate at which the Igbos especially the youths are shying away from their language with reckless abandon.

Let us use our parents as a case study to x-ray UNESCO’s prediction. There is no doubt that our parents understands and speak Igbo, but how many of their children can effectively communicate in Igbo language? Even the ones that knows it prefers to communicate with their brethren in English. If in the next 50 years, our parents passes on to the great beyond leaving behind their children who cannot or refuse to communicate in Igbo, don’t you think that UNESCO’s prediction has come to pass then?

From my research and observations, it is only the older generation of Igbos (40 years and above) that speak the language both in the cities and in the rural places. The worst hit are the female folks especially the younger ones (30 years and below) they understand the language but refuse to speak it. Listen to a Hausa person speak to a fellow Hausa, you will never hear English in their communication, in the same way, when I speak Igbo to an Igbo person I make sure I don’t add English and yet over 90% of my female friends will reply me fully in English. This shows that they understand the language but refuse to speak it.

Among the male counterpart, it is only those that didn’t go to school that proudly speaks the language. It gladdens my heart anytime I go to the market to buy things (Lagos and Abuja), there you will see Igbo traders and business men proudly speaking the language, but it is not so when you visit our universities or meet our graduates on the road.

I once asked a female Corp member posted to serve in our office why she prefers to communicate in English instead of Igbo to her fellow Igbos, she told me that if she speak Igbo people will see her as an illiterate and a local girl. Gosh!!! Why do the Yoruba and Hausa people not have this type of stupid mentality that is prevalent among Igbo Youths?

I feel ashamed that my Hausa and Yoruba colleagues will see their people and say stuffs like Inakwana, Inaoni, Ekaro, Ekaso (i.e morning and day greetings in those languages) But the Igbos will see each other and start saying things like: Nna how far, good morning and good afternoon. Hardly will you see an Igbo person that will greet you with: Nna kedu, Ututu Oma, Ibolachi, Kaoo, Jokwaa etc. This is not only prevalent among the Igbos of the South East, the Igbos of Rivers and Delta states where my mom hails from are equally guilty.

English is a means of communication between people of different tribes since Nigeria is a multilingual country. People of the same tribe should not use English to talk to each other. It is a sick thing for an Igbo person to communicate in English to a fellow Igbo, you will never see a Hausa person communicating in English to his tribal person. If you are Igbo and you don’t know how to speak the language, it is actually a shame, it’s your number one identity, and so you should go and learn it. Nobody is asking you to go and serve your ancestor’s deity but to speak your language.

Asking a young Igbo person to say the numbers or naira value in Igbo language is like asking them to trek from Abuja to Aba. I could remember an episode with an Igbo woman that sells roasted yam opposite PHCN office in Maitama Abuja. Below is our conversation.

Woman: Nna, Kedu ihe I choro? (Sir what do you want?)

Me: Biko nye m ji otu akpa ego (Please give me yam of N200)

Woman: I si gini (What did you say)

Me: A si m gi nye m ji otu akpa ego (I said you should give me N200 yam)

Woman: Gini bu otu akpa ego? (What is N200?)

Me: Obu na ibughi onye igbo, I maghi ihe ana akpo ego na asusu igbo (Are you not Igbo, don’t you know the names of money in Igbo)

Woman: A mabu m ya mbu, mana e chefuola m ya (I know it before but I have forgotten it).

Me: (Gets angry) Biko nye m ji N200 naira ka m rie si ebe a puo. (Please give me yam of N200 let me eat and get out of this place.

This woman is not alone on this. These days, it is hard to find Igbos who knows the Igbo meaning for some certain things. Gather people from different tribes in Abuja or Lagos and ask them what some certain things are called in their native language and you will see them boldly telling you but ask an Igbo person the name for Chameleon in his native language and you will see them looking at the skies as if the answer is going to fall from there, the best answer you will get is I used to know it before.

Those that still manages to speak Igbo language mixes it with English. Listen to someone talk in Igbo, you will discover that 40% of their speech contains English. It’s only among the elderly ones in the rural places that you can still find someone that speaks Igbo language flawlessly without adding an English word.

Hardly will you see non Igbos visiting or residing in the Igbo states learn Igbo language anymore because the inhabitants of those lands no longer speak Igbo language. But reverse is the case when Igbos are visiting Yoruba or Hausa states, just give them 6 months there, they will come back and speak those languages more than the original owners.

My elder brother’s wife is from Edo state but schooled in Madonna University Anambra state. The first time I met her I greeted her in Igbo and spoke some simple Igbo to her but to my greatest surprise she told me that she didn’t understand anything in what I just said. I became embarrassed and told her that I spoke Igbo to her because I was told she schooled in Anambra state and should have used the opportunity to learn some basic Igbo language. She told me that during her school days, the Igbos who are majority in her school (over 80%) hardly speak Igbo to each other, they always communicate in English, so how was she supposed to learn the language since the owners of the language seldom speaks it.

I know some people will say that I am exaggerating, but I want you to know that this is a research that has taking me 5 years since I came back to Nigeria after my studies (2010-2015) Don’t just hide behind the screen of your computer and gadgets and criticize me. Take a trip down to Nigeria if you are not here already, then you will understand what I am taking about. Visit all the major cities in Nigeria, south eastern states inclusive, then you will know that this downward trend of our dear language is really scary. If you think I am joking just pick up your phone right now and call any of your Igbo friend or family member and hear them speak then you will understand my lamentation.

Does it not bother you that we started Nollywood and over 80% of Nollywood stars have Igbo roots yet we don’t have a dedicated channel on DSTV whereas there are some channels dedicated to Hausa and Yoruba people.

If you are non-Igbo, I will advise that you steer clear of this thread, this is not the time for tribal war, it’s the time to bring to the consciousness of my Igbo brethren what is happening to us,but if you must contribute, please let it be constructive since nothing warms your blood than a thread that bashes the Igbos. And to my fellow Igbos, it is a wake-up call to all of us, it is time to bring this to bare, there is nothing to hide anymore, there is no better time to discuss this topic, it doesn’t matter if other tribes laugh at us now, the greatest scorn and laughter will be when UNESCO’s prediction will come to pass and we will be speaking English, Hausa and Yoruba in our villages. (A na eji bekee awa oji?) If we fail to do something fast, we will have a rude awakening and will become a laughing stock to other tribes soonest. And if nothing is done to correct this anomaly now, we will wake up one day to find Igbo language extinct like the others that have gone into extinction.

If you will make it a point of duty not to speak English to your fellow Igbos from today and to also spread this to your friends and family outside nairaland, I think our problem is already half solved. Be quick to correct your Igbo friends that speak English to you by reminding them that they are Igbos and should only speak Igbo language to you.

Igbo muru Nze muo Ozo, biko kulie nu na ura. Bido ta subara nwanne gi asusu Igbo.

#Suba asusu Igbo.

Ka Chineke mezie okwu.

Written by Nnamdi Ositadinma a.k.a Mba-ana-abara-Agu
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Nna biko anama chor igbo teacher

I be Hausa, but where can I learn Igbo biko?

I don't think the language is dying but it's really disappointing when you meet other igbos and speak Igbo to them, they will reply that they stay in Lagos and can't speak the language... Absolute rubbish!

There many people who have spent considerable time outside Nigeria and they speak and communicate Igbo fluently but I think it's common with Nigerians in Lagos and outside the SE. I have been to Igbo gatherings here and parents speak Igbo to their kids, but when you meet Nigerians who migrated here, all you hear them speak is Yoruba and English... Like wth.

garriboy:

I must admit dat dis is a very nice piece and I am guilty of it too, but I schooled in Unizik (nnewi campus to be precised) and during my days in school more dan 80% of the students actually speak the language to each other, andf even to lecturers. Why dis UNESCO preciction maybe right, I believe its for the big non south eastern cities only, cos everywhere in the southeastern states the lingua franca still remains igbo. It is very very much widely spoken. Infact no one in owerri for example will speak anytin other than igbo to u upon first meeting, unless they've confirmed that you can't understand d language. Some of my non igbo friends back then in skool always complained about how they get embarrased by okada men and petty business men and women who will speak igbo to dem with the assumption that they too understand the language. So with due respect I don't think the language is or will ever go into extinction, at least not in dis our genration or even the next.

that s what am Saying,igbo languages can only go into extinct in kano,kaduna,lagos and jos but not in southeastern state,the home of ndigbos..

Ndigbo is more than 45million in population and if 35 to 25million still speaks igbo language till date or if 15million igbos speak igbo fluently both in eastern state and non eastern state,then there is every tendency that the language IGBO cannot go into oblivion..

The only thing we need to do is to fixed things that will revitalised the igbo languages..

In as much igbo and linquistics are study in the east and many students coming frm lagos and other part of the state re thrown into such department.
Adapt to the course and move on,
It can never go into extinct,cos igbo nation are not just a small tribes in bauchi or zamfara wich are 2million in populations,

this is one big tribes of bigger population in nigeria and therefore her language cannot go out of extant without depopulations of southeastern states..
QED.

liricyst:
Well...its sad really especially cos i'm a culprit! I was raised speaking English but later when my people started to speak Igbo to me, I wasn't Interested..i would respond in English. Only saviour for me is that i could understand. But when i later saw how important it was...i started to speak but my intonation would cause hysterical laughter from fluent speaking Igbos. So i just kinda gave up on it. But four months ago,i met this babe who would laugh but still correct me...and i've been picking up. From last two months i resorted to speaking only Igbo around the house...i've improved but no where near the level i need to get to. Still takes me so much time to make a point and i also take moments of silence to think up words to use. I have set a two year target for myself to achieve this and by my goal setting,in four months time i want to start learning how to read and write in Igbo. If uan like make una laugh...one day i will surely laugh along with you.

Bros your head dey there. Exactly same situation with me. It's the shame and laughter that hinders learning.

chukux2:

Bros your head dey there. Exactly same situation with me. It's the shame and laughter that hinders learning.

i agree...find someone who won't laugh at you...or at least someone whose laugh won't make you embarassed