In the past children spoke Nigeria’s indigenous languages namely Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa fluently and unashamedly. However, today, the complete opposite is the case. Kids can barely communication in Efik or Idoma without adding a bit of English. The consequences of this are that many of these languages are facing extinction while some of them have gone extinct.

A research that is cited by those concerned to lend credence to the import of indigenous languages is that of former Minister of education, Prof. Babs Fafunwa. The late Prof made a case for the native language as the medium of education for the first 12 years of the child’s life.

Through an organized native language education program, they discovered children taught in the Yoruba language performed better. Regardless, it has not changed the fortunes of these languages because kids have refused to communicate. In line with this, Kikiotolu.com shares reasons children are not speaking their native language.

1. Parents don’t speak the languages to them
Parents don’t speak their mother tongue to their children anymore. In fact, some of these parents when they go for attending events one of the best hotels in Lagos , they order their children not to speak the language. How can such a child learn the language? Parents should speak more to their kids in their mother tongue.

2. It is tagged vernacular
In some schools today, Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo among other languages are banned because they are considered vernacular. A child who speaks his or her mother tongue would be penalized. So from the formative years of these children, they already have the perception that speaking their mother tongue is bad.

3. They are uncivilized
Many people believe that you are uncivilized or local if you speak your mother tongue. So, in other to join the bandwagon and be accepted, they dish Ibibio for English. This is all in the name of being civilized. Children have also been caught in this web

4. It is not compulsory in primary and secondary schools
While English is compulsory in secondary schools today, the indigenous languages are not even though a child must study one of these languages. Children will think the languages are a joke. Hence, they won’t bother to learn or speak it.

5. Technology
The engagement or interaction of children with technology is entirely in English. Their smartphone, video games, laptop and other tech gadgets are in English. So since many of them spend so much time with these gadgets, they don’t have anything to do with the languages. This is a challenge to Nigerian developers to design tech gadgets in the indigenous languages.

http://www.kikiotolu.com/2017/03/5-reasons-nigerian-children-are-not.html

Lalasticlala Mynd44 seun Dominique

21st century na

Civilisation don scatter everything jare

misplaced priority, its unfortunate. I luv our indigenous languages, wish I can learn more..

Can't really blame the decision to embrace English language above others. It's a universal language... and so should be given that primary position. Even you, OP will prefer your child to say "Come here" rather than "Bia-neba" or "Zo mana koi".


In search of the best CV Writers in Nigeria? Our CV Samples speak convincingly. View them at:

www..com

No employer/recruiter will ever treat your CV with disdain again!

.

It depends on your mom
She has control over that than anybody
mother tongue: the language which a person has grown up speaking from early childhood.
She has more power to influence the children to the father

Ok

Way forward?

number one is the major reason.....most parent now condescend on their native dialets.......this is as a result of low self esteem.

Indians,chinese,latinos,south africans,arabs etc will always teach their kids their native dialets,wherever they are.

Its appalling.....even my nephews and nieces abroad could speak and understand my dialet than my nephews and nieces here in nigeria.

Every modern nigerian mothers,especially,think our languages are uncivilised.

Kudos to hausa and fulanis

Blame it on the parents and the government
Germans develop tech with German language and same with China but us in Africa just like wanna be?
Watch our English Nollywood and you will understand what I mean..
At least Yoruba still trying they got lot of Movies in Yoruba and Africa Magic Yoruba which is one of the most watched channel

why Dem go gree speak when papa Don threaten to punish them if they try it??

even some secondary school dey collect fine if you speak your native language in the school premises

Visit www.egcandassociates.org.ng

O













K













T
H
E
N

U dont have to blame buhari on diz, i think am d one at fault.

back in dose dayz when i was a class captain in my pry school, i r'mba mr suraju would give me an order to write d names of vernacular speakers....
power was in my hand, my classmate go begin dey beg me buh at d end, dem go do d needful by dropping 5box, bribing...u may call it, buh i dont blame dem, who get mind to face mr suraju double headed cane bonded with rubber band??...
it's a matter of, u pay me or u see pepper...
after few weeks, story changed, regular customers no dey roja me again, class go dey silent as if recession grip my classmate vocal cord, traces of staggered english began to emanate...

after some month, my mate kum begin dey tear english lyk bro soyinka...
na so diz guyz spoil market 4 me o...
had it been, i ain't collecting bribe and mr suraju's order was ignored, native language would have been dominant.
sorry, y'all can put d blame on me..

Despite repeated warnings from people around me that I am not suited to the task. I have been thinking a lot lately about life and death.
So I thought if truly 90% of human population will end up in hell. Maybe ending up in hell wouldn't be so bad.
Especially if most of our former military heads of state Babaginda, Ojukwu, Obasanjo, Buhari, Abacha, Ironsi and Co will be there.
With those fellas around, we might just plan a coup, overthrow the devil and take over hell.
My only worry is that they will loot it dry.

.

The hausa/Fulani tribe is one is still respect for upholding their language. You seldom find any hause child without the knowledge of their language. Thumbs up to you guys. I dey find who go teach me sef. My love for them dey grow everyday since nysc posted me to one of their states

Would have appreciated this post if it was written in Ibo, Hausa or Yoruba.

I blame the parents 100%. No excuses.

Speak your native lingo at home with the kids, they surely would learn English/French/Espayol in school but we have parents with low esteem forming posh and all.

They will laugh sheepishly and say " my daughter only speaks English o", meanwhile na ajegunle pidgin the pikin dey nack.

Shioor

Everyone want their children to speak English

Gaskiya

Ok

Indigenous language is dead and buried in 9jaria

Not only our kids but we adults too... most of here can't read or write our local languages

So sad!

noted

Im Yoruba.

Yorubas are the most guilty of this. It makes me mad to see Yoruba parents speak English and English only to their kids. Iwa were pata pata ni. I wonder what they plan achieving with that.....like if they speak Yoruba to them...the kids wont be able to speak English.

Hausas...they are the bomb. I give them credit on this. Hardly can you find a Hausa kid who cant speak Hausa regardless of where they are brought up...be it Russia or Brazil

You are doom if you actually allow your children to speak native language between the age of 2-8
Their tongue will never be the same again! reason you normally see CNN translating Buharis english

In MY opinion, I think it's in order. I feel it's hypocrisy to do white wedding, eat white food, act civilised, use the white language to write exams from early kindergarten years till forever, keep our president with whites when ill, applaud Nigerians in diaspora, share testimonies in church on getting visa to climes inhabited by whites and then try to make light of the "White's language." We don't really have an identity....let's be content and grateful that we have a lingua franca that at the least, unites us!

Fernandowski:
why Dem go gree speak when papa Don threaten to punish them if they try it??

even some secondary school dey collect fine if you speak your native language in the school premises

Which papa be that?

.