eaglechild:
Try and speak Yoruba to them irrespective, they will understand.
I have a friend, the father is Igbo the mother is Hungarian.
He and all his siblings can speak Igbo and Hungarian fluently,as well as English.
Their parents spoke their respective languages to them.
This helped the mum to learn Igbo and the dad to learn Hungarian.

@Bold...I have a friend from the University whose Father is Igbo and Mom from Switzerland. He and his siblings are all half-caste and all speak Igbo fluently and Swiss too.

The singer from the famous 'Resonance' group of Enugu, Esther Ebigbo is mixed race who speaks both Igbo and Dutch fluently.

chinaman666: I'm Chinese, lived in the US, proud to speak Chinese everywhere... Anyway, I just want to know if this is mainly a problem that affect Igbos (since most of the stories here concern this group) or do other ethnic groups (especially Yorubas) feel the same shame towards their mother tongue? I would ask my Nigerian colleagues if this question weren't so sensitive and potentially offensive. Thanks.

Mr. Chinaman, it seems to be more prominent among Igbos because we are very open to change. While this open-to-change characteristic of the Igbo people has a lot of its good sides, it also has its downsides to it, of which one is the slight abandonment of our culture and language. While the Yoruba or Hausa man who finds himself in a foreign land isn't quick to forget his language or culture, the Igbo man will quickly try to forget all sense of his native land and try to adapt into the greater culture he finds himself in.

Some Igbo parents raise their children with English(this is mostly among the elite, educated or rich Igbo people who feel that its a 'classy' thing and characteristic of the rich for their children to speak English) but as these kids grow up into adulthood, over 90% of them later learn and speak Igbo fluently. I'm an example myself. My story is a on the previous page. I know countless of others like myself who didn't speak Igbo as kids but speak them fluently now as adults. In Igboland and Nigeria today, it is very rare to find an Igbo adult who can't speak Igbo. This is because the Igbo culture requires that every Igbo adult must speak Igbo and a child who didn't speak Igbo as a child while growing up will naturally adopt the Igbo language given the cultural requirements. A minute few non-Igbo-speaking adults sure does exists but the number in Nigeria is very negligible.

souldust: @okija juju I was born and brought up in Lagos. Never traveled home until i was a bit older. And anytime i travelled home, i dont spend so much time there.

All through my childhood days, we were the only people from my state living in the whole area. This means i am like that child that you said grew up in the UK where his language isnt too prevalent. I grew up up to know how to speak English, Yoruba and my local language just as i grew up to know my name and there is no interference what so ever.
This was made possible by my parent.
They spoke the language to me in the house, i learnt yoruba from my neighbours and English at school.

As for the constant practice, yes you are right. But if a parent always speaks the indeginous language to his child anytime he wants to talk to him and no matter how much time he spends with the child in a day even if it is one min, that child would definitely grow up to be able to speak his fathers language.

@Bold...You are very right. In as much as the native language environment really matters, its not really a must-be requirement to be able to speak one's native language. Its all about the main language being spoken at home. Growing up in a foreign country and having your native language being spoken at home and to you all the time will DEFINITELY make you speak your native language. This is the part where I beg to differ in Okija_Juju's write up.

Speaking of Nigerian languages, who has seen the movie-trailer of this latest Igbo-language movie, Onye Ozi, shot on location in UK starring Okey Bakassi, Ngozi Igwebike and British stars in which British people were speaking Igbo?











The movie, Onye Ozi, tells the story of Metumaribe (Okey Bakassi) fresh into London with high expectations and a two-year plan to return to Nigeria a rich man. However, life in London with his new ‘wife’ Mkpurunma (Ngozi Igwebike) is not going to plan. On one fateful night, TJ an old English man (Stephen Moriaty) is chased by masked men and shot in front of his eyes. As Metu attempts to help the dying man, he hands Metu an envelope and whispers a message as he takes his last breath. From that point on, Metu becomes involved in a psychological but hilarious adventure that will change his life and the lives of those around him forever.

The movie will be one of the biggest movies of 2013 and will be premiering on Friday October 18, 2013 in UK. You can watch the movie trailer here:

http://www.bellanaija.com/2013/10/11/life-is-not-greener-on-the-other-side-all-you-need-to-know-about-obi-emelonyes-igbo-speaking-film-onye-ozi-starring-okey-bakassi-rising-british-stars/

Don't mind them. I speak Igbo very well and my accent hasn't changed. Nonsense, let some parents keep fooling themselves. How many of these Europeans and Americans they want their children to be like learn and speak our indigenous languages?

It is a sheer wickedness not to allow ur kids enjoy what u are enjoying that is ur mother tongue.
Is there anything u are loosing speaking ur local language?
You are indirectly depraving them their basic right.

souldust:

exactly what we are talking about.

John BUSH should see this post and stop being "BUSHY"

Hi Souldust

Do you mean John BULL the euphemism for the British. As a vaguely related incidental, we call the British Flag, the Union Hack, the 'BUTCHER'S APRON!

Thanks for the previous like.

We are just fooling ourselves here in Nigeria. Nobody born and bred in Nigeria can speak 95% proper English, even if you attend university in UK or America. Except you grow up over there, or have lived for long.

fine