[size=14pt]Yoruba language under threat of extinction – Abimbola[/size]
By Tunde Odesola, Osogbo
Saturday, 6 Nov 2010



Former Vice-Chancellor, Obafem
A former Vice-Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof. Wande Abimbola, has warned that Yoruba language faces the threat of extinction in the next 50 years if urgent steps are not taken to revive it.


In the third Odua Distinguished Lecture papers made available to our correspondent in Ibadan on Friday, Abimbola lamented that the essence of Yoruba culture, which included songs, dance, dress and language had been neglected by the government and individuals.


He said it was unfortunate that Nigeria had failed in attracting tourism and foreign investment despite the immense potential available in the country. The highlight of the occasion was when five Americans sponsored by the United States Government to learn Yoruba language and culture stepped out and greeted the audience in impeccable Yoruba.


The director of the centre, where the Americans are learning Yoruba culture and language in Ibadan, Prof. Kola Owolabi, said the Americans were part of a project sponsored by the American government, adding that the project would run for a year.


Abimbola, who is the Awise Agbaye, a high chieftaincy title bequeathed to him for his prowess in Ifa knowledge, explained that the Yoruba were highly endowed in terms of culture.


Delivering his speech in Yoruba, Abimbola charged the government, parents and guardians to endeavour to allow the young to communicate in Yoruba, saying that this would aid learning of science and technology.


Abimbola, who sounded a gong as he delivered obsequies to Yoruba gods, said, “The Yoruba in the Diaspora are over 100 million. Yoruba language will go into extinction in the next 50 years if we don’t arrest the trend of neglect afflicting the language.


“Yoruba will be slaves to other cultures if we don’t take the bull by the horns and start teaching our children Yoruba language from nursery to primary and secondary schools. Brazil, where 50 million Yoruba people reside, makes so much money propagating Yoruba cultures and language.”


A professor of history and Provost, College of Humanities, Osun State University, Osogbo, Siyan Oyeweso, told our correspondent on the telephone that Yoruba people no longer spoke their language.


Oyeweso said, “In one of our universities in Nigeria, there was a time when its Yoruba Department had only one student a particular admission year. In order to overcome this trend, Nigerian universities now combine Yoruba with Portuguese or French or other foreign languages.”


But a lecturer in the Department of English, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Mr. Chijioke Nwasomba, differed from Abimbola and Oyeweso, saying Nigerian languages would not die.


Nwasomba said, “People speak these languages in villages and towns. Language is dynamic and as a result of this, it could take other forms. The government should, however, support those who write in indigenous languages. Nigerian languages cannot die.”


The chairman of the occasion, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, condemned hero-worshipping of Nigerian leaders by their aides and hangers-on, saying this trend portended grave consequences for governance.


He commended past Yoruba leaders for charting a course of development for the region, even as he urged the Yoruba to be united.


According to Adelusi-Adeluyi, the Yoruba race has contributed significantly to the development of blacks worldwide. He said that among the major tribes in the country, the Yoruba remained number one.


The Group Managing Director, Odua Investment Company Ltd., Mr. Adebayo Jimoh, said the dreams and toils of the past and present leaders of the race would not be in vain.


He said OICL remained committed to improving the socio-economic and cultural realities of Yoruba people.


Foremost scholar, Prof Bolanle Awe, who reviewed the book, Odua Investment Company at a Glance, lauded the management of the company for sustaining the dreams of past Yoruba leaders, who founded the company.


In the Yoruba essay competition organised by OICL, Oluwakemi Fagbenro came first, Bayonle Sulaimon came second, while Funmilayo Owoeye came third.


Dignitaries present at the colouful occasion included Prof. Akinwunmi Ishola, the Araba of Osogbo, Chief Yemi Elebuibon; Secretary to Oyo State Government, Chief Olayiwola Olakojo and past group managing directors of OICL.

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011064273784

We all want our 15 mins of fame.

So how many omugos will believe this?

I keep saying it that many of these people who claim a language of an ethnic group that is more than 20million speakers going into extinction are misguided loonies because its not gonna happen. Go to Abeokuta, Ilesha, Ogbomosho, Ijebu, etc and tell me how many people there that can speak English.

Aloy+Emeka:

I keep saying it that many of these people who claim a language of an ethnic group that is more than 20million speakers going into extinction are misguided loonies because its not gonna happen. Go to Abeokuta, Ilesha, Ogbomosho, Ijebu, etc and tell me how many people there that can speak English.

Lol why dnt you go and find out?

Silly assumption.

Some people just like to talk,Yoruba language will never go into extinction as long as the world exist Yoruba language will continue to exist.

I still don't understand why some parents will not speak yoruba to their kids. Even if I live in antartica I will only speak yoruba to my kids. They'll learn to speak English in their school. I have a cousin who married a scottish lady, they already have three kids. He only speak yoruba to them while the wife speaks English to them. The funny thing is that, when the kids are together, they always speak yoruba to one another.

shanda:

I still don't understand why some parents will not speak yoruba to their kids. Even if I live in antartica I will only speak yoruba to my kids. They'll learn to speak English in their school. I have a cousin who married a scottish lady, they already have three kids. He only speak yoruba to them while the wife speaks English to them. The funny thing is that, when the kids are together, they always speak yoruba to one another.

Now this is what I like to hear.
By God's grace, my children and their children's children will speak Yoruba. No other option.

Extinction kẹ? Come to my village here in Kogi and see how Yoruba is flowing! Never even in 1000years

shanda:

I still don't understand why some parents will not speak yoruba to their kids. Even if I live in antartica I will only speak yoruba to my kids. They'll learn to speak English in their school. I have a cousin who married a scottish lady, they already have three kids. He only speak yoruba to them while the wife speaks English to them. The funny thing is that, when the kids are together, they always speak yoruba to one another.

But the catch is that it will mess with their English accent and that can affect their professional career abroad. That is why it is good to put your homeland in order so that Africans will not be struggling to adapt to secondary cultures in order to be successful in life.

Aloy+Emeka:

But the catch is that it will mess with their English accent and that can affect their professional career abroad. That is why it is good to put your homeland in order so that Africans will not be struggling to adapt to secondary cultures in order to be successful in life.

food for thought

Aloy+Emeka:

But the catch is that it will mess with their English accent and that can affect their professional career abroad. That is why it is good to put your homeland in order so that Africans will not be struggling to adapt to secondary cultures in order to be successful in life.

gbam

African languages spoil English or French accents. It is sad but true. It was very hard for me to get an American English accent and a French accent, but I find it easier that I can switch from my native tongue and speak these languages like their citizens. It goes a long way, because people feel comfortable with someone who can speak just like them. In this more globalized world, what African language is spoken on the international scene? I do not know of any. It is a horrible situation. If I could speak Igbo everyday with people, that would be a dream come true. But even in Alaigbo, a person will speak English when it comes to business transactions.

Yoruba language will never go to extinction. I know a lot people who are not even Yoruba, who speak the language more than their own self, especially the Edos, deltans! Here in the states I hear the Yoruba language more than any other naija language! Many of the nigerian speak Yoruba kids speak their language to their kids hear, but for some reason many of us are used to speaking English. In which, that is the only thing parents need to in force their Americana or Londoner kids to speak their language!

Majority of Africans assumed language extinction stories is a fiction because we utilize internet only for social blogging and not to seek knowledge for our mental well being. There are bulk of amazing live stories of languages that flourish the earth one time ago and today we are counting the number of speakers, while some are in a story books.
Make sure you read this article below...

Bernard (1996) reports that, "about 97% of the world’s people speak about 4% of the world’s languages; and conversely, about 96% of the world’s languages are spoken by about 3% of the world’s people. In other words, most of the world’s language heterogeneity, then, is under the stewardship of a very small number of people. A situation such as this, could be described as “language imperialism”.

A language is in danger when its speakers give no relevance to development and using of the language for writing as part of their life, majority of African people most especially those living outside their home failed increasingly to do one of the home work assigned to us by the mother nature, that is not teaching our sibling the speaking of mother tongue. this amount to the reduction in number of communicative domains of local Languages, The effect of which is the ceasure to pass the language on from one generation to the next. That is, there are no new speakers, adults or children".

Unesco (2003) has rightly noted and I quote, "each and every language embodies the unique cultural wisdom of a people. The loss of any language is thus a loss for all humanity. The death of any language results in the irrecoverable loss of unique cultural, historical and ecological knowledge. In other words, the knowledge of any single language may be the key to answering fundamental questions of the future.

Unesco’s (2003) Ad Hoc Expert Group on Endangered Languages says:
"Even languages with many thousands of speakers are no longer being acquired by children; at least 50% of the world’s more than six thousand languages are losing speakers. We estimate that, in most world regions, about 90% of the languages may be replaced by dominant languages by the end of the 21st century". Igala, youruba, Iboe, Housa, Itsekiri, Ikwere, Ijaw, Urobo to mention but few will be among them if nothing is done to secure the Africa Language for the future, we all will be drown in this river of language endangerment.


I am a Civil Engineer /Language enthusiast but not a trained Linguist. If you find error in my write-up, forgive me.
for further reading, visit
http://igalapedia.com/home/the-need-to-develop-igala-language/
http://www.nuc.edu.ng/nucsite/File/ILS%202004/ILS-127.pdf
To know how I become language enthusiast, Visit http://igalapedia.com/home/igalapedia-corperate-profile/ & http://igalapedia.com (still under construction)