@MUZBO, well to know what they know towards development of our own system in which teaching will be done in our educational system with our language. We should be more concerned about our own languages which are going into extinction at least if we can't understand the foreign one we should not loose the ones that belong to us.

NINETOFIVE will like this thread.

@MUZBO
so what makes you think Nigeria cannot do what INdia and China have done too.
Just listen to your line of reasoning:The English incoporated Greek/Latin into their language in the sciences,the Chinese worked/incoporated theirs too,same with Indians and then Nigeria should be an exception.You believe Yoruba,hausas are too lame to do the same things the chinese,English etc did.
Think again my friend
I understand you,we believe in ready-made goods,ready-made life,ready-made everything,ready-made foreign language.
TRy and manufacture your own and the world will respect you for once

Funny,

I don't know if anyone else in here heard this, but about one or two years ago, the lecturers and professors in UK were so tired of their students' written English and the way they abbreviate words unnecessarily that they were debating if they should start accepting or overlooking these mistakes. This must be telling us something though.

We have to consider the fact that in the Western world, the availability of technology to everyone (in form of computers/laptops) has made a huge difference to their CVs and that is something most people in Nigeria stuggle to posess.

chuckvyl,
I have heard and even watched the scam that go on in india.
To be truthful , Nigeria is not as bad as the world think. But according to statistic after bangadas and one other country we are the 3rd most corrupt country.
So our leader must try and improve our public image  so that the country can find its feet.
Its not the citizen faulty that investor dont come in,its the Government.

tpiah:

good point @ bolded.

I dont know why people keep discouraging others from speaking English to their kids as if children cant learn more than one language.

In Nigeria, speaking English at home wont prevent you from learning your local language. I have relatives who are polyglots- they speak at least two or three languages- their own and other Nigerian ones. Some of them havent been to their hometown more than five times but there's little you say to them in their own language that they dont hear.

even the Indians peope are talking about- the ones doing outsourcing jobs for US companies are supposedly being trained to speak American lingo.

Try living is kaduna and speak english to your kids at home and see whether they will know what the hell you are saying in yoruba.Those ones that have not been to their homeland but understand what you say their parents speak their local lingo at home.

@Mr_me_too
Stop bringing in the Mexicans . . . they live in the US of flippin A
English is what they speak in informal circles . . . the vernacular is not that too different from the official language
Nigeria's different, once you step out of the classroom . . . a whole lot of other languages come in
And still you live in a system where your status in official circles is more or less based on your ability to communicate effectively in English
Learning English first is an added advantage . . . take it or leave it

@Chuckvyl
You ever heard the adage bout using life's lemons to make lemonade??
It's typical for armchair analysts like you to blame me for the system. . . yeah, it's my fault that the official circles run business in English

Let me explain this to you in Anglais . . . Nigeria is an English speaking country, so English takes a priority, deal with it
If you manage to turn it into a Yoruba speaking country with your wishful thinking, then voila, I'll take Yoruba classes till my fluency in Yoruba dominates my English . . .
Sit there in front of a computer (product of Capitalism) and cry about your Marxist fallacies . . . that's your cup of English tea.

@wiki, well said! But we can't effectively teach someone elses concept/discoveries without knowing at least some of that their language! Impossible!
@phillip0906, thats some hilarious stuff right there.lol

asha 80:

Try living is kaduna and speak english to your kids at home and see whether they will know what the hell you are saying in yoruba.Those ones that have not been to their homeland but understand what you say their parents speak their local lingo at home.

I dont get your point but most Yorubas I know who were born and raised in Kaduna speak at least three languages- English, Yoruba and Hausa. And they speak excellently well.

I knew people like that back in Nigeria.

nigerians - blaming everybody but themselves. how hard is it to get a good mastery of english?

90% of the media we are exposed to Tv, movies music, literature , radio is in english .

let people keep deceiving themselves

How come chinese grads cant even speak an iota of english ?

good comment,
What is interest about speaking english, i beleive it should not be a basis for selection or nomination, the bristish can speak fast and fluently, why? na there mother language. Plz house X this issue

Piss off

tpiah:

I dont get your point but most Yorubas I know who were born and raised in Kaduna speak at least three languages- English, Yoruba and Hausa. And they speak excellently well.

I knew people like that back in Nigeria.

Those yorubas were spoken to in yoruba in their various homes by their parents and not english.Remember you said that if you speak english to them at home it will not affect them understanding yoruba when it is spoken to them which is a lie.

@chuckvyl, why is it difficult for you to comprehend? You are almost saying the same thing I am saying only you wish to be different! I said extensive work is NECESSARY. If we do extensive work in say 'gravity' and discover another 'g'(hope you are a science student) and call it the 'ORANMIYAN FACTOR' they will be skeptical at first but once we make another discovery say a 13th planet in the solar system and we call it EBEANO you think the europeans will not then try to learn our own language? Now come up to me. This is the extensive work in science I am talking about. What we know in science they taught us. These Chinese you are refering to is getting boring. Didn't they launch our satellite for us?- They've done their work so they can incorporate anything! You want respect- EARN IT! Do your extensive work.

asha 80:

Those yorubas were spoken to in yoruba in their various homes by their parents and not english.Remember you said that if you speak english to them at home it will not affect them understanding yoruba when it is spoken to them which is a lie.

I'm telling you basic facts here. Speaking English at home wont prevent a child from learning other languages including your local ones.


I spoke of people I know personally and you're still arguing?

People speak english or another language to their kids at home. The kids interact with other people outside the home and pick up the local language where they are. If there's a grandparent living with them, they learn their grandparents language if its different from what they speak.

The people living in kaduna who are experts in three languages- what's your explanation for that?

abeg waka pass if you have nothing solid to say.

Fhemmmy:

How come chinese grads cant even speak an iota of english ?

A Chinese graduate who cant speak English will have problems getting a good job in a western English speaking country. Of course they can work as laborers, cooks in Chinese restaurants or gas station attendants. But if you want to get a good job and you dont speak English, then you're supposed to go to language school and learn it.

In the universities too, foreign students from non-English speaking countries are required to take an Englsih course (same as everybody else). But how can you give a presentation in Chinese, for example, if nobody else speaks the language? Does that make sense if you're not in China?

Same applies to anyone travelling to an ex-colonial country.

asha 80:

Those yorubas were spoken to in yoruba in their various homes by their parents and not english.Remember you said that if you speak english to them at home it will not affect them understanding yoruba when it is spoken to them which is a lie.

It will affect your Yoruba definitely
But you don't exactly get labelled an illeterate during the process of picking up Yoruba as a second language, do you??

tpiah:

I'm telling you basic facts here. Speaking English at home wont prevent a child from learning other languages including your local ones.


I spoke of people I know personally and you're still arguing?

People speak english or another language to their kids at home. The kids interact with other people outside the home and pick up the local language where they are. If there's a grandparent living with them, they learn their grandparents language if its different from what they speak.

The people living in kaduna who are experts in three languages- what's your explanation for that?

abeg waka pass if you have nothing solid to say.

Typical market woman remark.Kids interact with people outside their home in kaduna or non yoruba land and they will learn yoruba by speaking to hausa lads or non yoruba kids?If it is true why did kunle and remi i grew up with in owerri not know how to spaek yoruba?simple ,their parents who were only speaking english to them at home.Look at your thinking.I repeat those people were spoken to in yoruba in their homes.

eldee:

It will affect your Yoruba definitely
But you don't exactly get labelled an illeterate during the process of picking up Yoruba as a second language, do you??

not always.

Go to Lagos- you'll find many people who have English or something else as a first language yet who speak Yoruba very well. It depends on how much exposure you had with people around you as you were growing up.

If someone spoke English at home and cant speak proper Yoruba even though they grew up in a Yoruba town, then all that shows is they didnt have much social interaction with other Yorubas outside the home.

same applies to other languages.

eldee:

It will affect your Yoruba definitely
But you don't exactly get labelled an illeterate during the process of picking up Yoruba as a second language, do you??

I am on another level of argument here with tpia.Let me ask you this.If a yoruba person only hears english at home but grew up in calabar how will he learn yoruba if he remains in calabar.Nobody is talking about literacy here.

1honeybee:

I don't know if anyone else in here heard this, but about one or two years ago, the lecturers and professors in UK were so tired of their students' written English and the way they abbreviate words unnecessarily that they were debating if they should start accepting or overlooking these mistakes. This must be telling us something though.

We have to consider the fact that in the Western world, the availability of technology to everyone (in form of computers/laptops) has made a huge difference to their CVs and that is something most people in Nigeria stuggle to posess.

Nah. . . . . . . .That's no excuse.
An average Nigerian gets introduced to English Language all through his/her life.
The official language in Nigeria is English Language so why shouldn't people learn it by heart and apply it when hunting for jobs.
Students in the UK can't be bovvered to learn written English, as long as they can speak it. . . . .they think they are fyne.
Just like some Lagosians are fluent in Yoruba but cannot write in the language . . . .

asha 80:

Typical market woman remark.Kids interact with people outside their home in kaduna or non yoruba land and they will learn yoruba by speaking to hausa lads or non yoruba kids?If it is true why did kunle and remi i grew up with in owerri not know how to spaek yoruba?simple ,their parents who were only speaking english to them at home.Look at your thinking.I repeat those people were spoken to in yoruba in their homes.

I understand its your time of month therefore you must fight everywhere because of Love Machine shortage.

You're mentioning Kunle and remi. Two names.

I on the other hand, am not speaking of only two people. I draw my statistics from a wider range.

if kunle and remi's Yoruba speaking grandparents had lived with them in owerri, or if they mixed with a wider Yoruba community in Owerri on a regular basis, they would speak Yoruba.

Even my grandpa once visited a Nigerian town where the people didnt know he understood what they were saying. How did he pick up that language? From interacting with people from there in another area.

asha 80:

I am on another level of argument here with tpia.Let me ask you this.If a yoruba person only hears english at home but grew up in calabar how will he learn yoruba if he remains in calabar.Nobody is talking about literacy here.

did his parents drop from Pluto or dont they have Yoruba speaking relations?

Which Yoruba extended family has only English speaking people and no other? 0 percent. Living in Calabar and having English as your first language is no barrier to learning Yoruba if your parents are so inclined.

I didnt say I'm not getting your point about the child speaking whatever language they're taught at home, but that's not the only way to learn a language.

tpiah:

I understand its your time of month therefore you must fight everywhere because of Love Machine shortage.

You're mentioning Kunle and remi. Two names.

I on the other hand, am not speaking of only two people. I draw my statistics from a wider range.

if kunle and remi's Yoruba speaking grandparents had lived with them in owerri, or if they mixed with a wider Yoruba community in Owerri on a regular basis, they would speak Yoruba.

Even my grandpa once visited a Nigerian town where the people didnt know he understood what they were saying. How did he pick up that language? From interacting with people from there in another area.

It is now you are talking.Ask yourself these days how many grandparents live with their grandkids?Remember you said the kids will always learn their native tongue even if they are brought up in english.You forgot different scenarios like no grandparent,no community that spoke your mother tongue in that area.

And owerri is not a place where you find yorubas everywhere unlike the way you see igbos everywhere anywhere in the country.You have to go to a particular place in owerri to locate a yoruba person.It is only hausa people that are everywhere in owerri.

tpiah:

did his parents drop from Pluto or dont they have Yoruba speaking relations?

Which Yoruba extended family has only English speaking people and no other? 0 percent. Living in Calabar and having English as your first language is no barrier to learning Yoruba if your parents are so inclined.

I didnt say I'm not getting your point about the child speaking whatever language they're taught at home, but that's not the only way to learn a language.

What do you mean inclined?If they are so inclined why weren't they speaking it to the kids when they are growing up.You better start facing reality.How long will the relations live with them?one,two months and that is it.

What if the man did not have relations staying long living with them.You have to start facing reality of what is happening in nigeria at the moment.

@ asha and tpiah

I think the ability of a child whose parents are Yoruba, living in Owerri and been communicated to at home in English depend on the child. I know two families A and B, both are Igbo. Family A lives in Warri and speak English to their children, children went FGC around the same area they live but the children only understand a little bit of their Igbo language and can't speak it.
Family B on the other hand live in Abia, communicate with their children in English, children went to FGC in Akwa-ibom and they can speak their Igbo language fluently.
I asked a child from family B how she learnt her language, she said she learnt from friends and they go to their village as well so she was able to learn from the grandmother.
Child from family A on the other hand said she believed English was all she had to understand and therefore didn't have interest in other languages until now.

Cos they're not graduates.

1honeybee:

@ asha and tpiah

I think the ability of a child whose parents are Yoruba, living in Owerri and been communicated to at home in English depend on the child. I know two families A and B, both are Igbo. Family A lives in Warri and speak English to their children, children went FGC around the same area they live but the children only understand a little bit of their Igbo language and can't speak it.
Family B on the other hand live in Abia, communicate with their children in English, children went to FGC in Akwa-ibom and they can speak their Igbo language fluently.
I asked a child from family B how she learnt her language, she said she learnt from friends and they go to their village as well so she was able to learn from the grandmother.
Child from family A on the other hand said she believed English was all she had to understand and therefore didn't have interest in other languages until now.

Mind you warri is not an igbo town or city.The child B was born and brought up in Abia an igbo state.

its a shame when a graduate who should have passed through both primary and secondary school and can not speak and write good english,
its hogwash to say that becos English is not our mother tongue and a such graduates are excused,
i doubt if anyone on this forum as met a smart kid brought up with any of our native tongue be it yoruba, hausa or igbo etc, so all the argument of teaching kids in native language is crap and we know it,
we all make mistakes while speaking or writing, but when ur english fundamentals are right then correcting is no problem

what scares me most is the popularity of home videos with the upcoming ones, most actors and actresses in naija speak bad english on set and the editting is quite poor, thats one angle we need to check before the young ones get worse than what we have now,

everyone is to blame for this problem, but the onus lies on the students and their  to develop themselves especially during the formative years of primary and secondary school ages,

reading books like and watching right kind of programmes will go a long way, also qualified teachers in our schools will make it alot better,

i really wish programmes eductaive programmes  like sesame street, 321 contact, pigeon street, famous five, etc etc can be brought back on our tv instead of the mexican craps the kids watch this days

- blaming everybody but themselves. how hard is it to get a good mastery of english?  

90% of the media we are exposed to Tv, movies music, literature , radio is in english .

let people keep deceiving themselves

Are you surprised by the responses?  

I mean just look at them mentioning China, Germany, etc. , i dont know what concerns these countries with Nigeria whose lingua franca IS ENGLISH

Who cares about what other countries are doing, this is about NIGERIAN GRADUATES.

True but is not as if she can speak Warri language either.
Child B actually went to an international primary school and English was the only language they spoke there. Her only source of Igbo language was the short visits to the village and her years in secondary school.

FerrariGP:

its a shame when a graduate who should have passed through both primary and secondary school and can not speak and write good english,
its hogwash to say that becos English is not our mother tongue and a such graduates are excused,
i doubt if anyone on this forum as met a smart kid brought up with any of our native tongue be it yoruba, hausa or igbo etc, so all the argument of teaching kids in native language is crap and we know it,
we all make mistakes while speaking or writing, but when ur english fundamentals are right then correcting is no problem

what scares me most is the popularity of home videos with the upcoming ones, most actors and actresses in naija speak bad english on set and the editting is quite poor, thats one angle we need to check before the young ones get worse than what we have now,

everyone is to blame for this problem, but the onus lies on the students and their  to develop themselves especially during the formative years of primary and secondary school ages,

reading books like and watching right kind of programmes will go a long way, also qualified teachers in our schools will make it alot better,

i really wish programmes eductaive programmes  like sesame street, 321 contact, pigeon street, famous five, etc etc can be brought back on our tv instead of the mexican craps the kids watch this days

Load of rubbish.Speak for yourself.If for anything the group of guys i grew up with it was the ones that were brought up speaking english at homes that were the dullards or as we used to say 'nwa mummy'.

Where is NINETOFIVE when you need him.

1honeybee:

True but is not as if she can speak Warri language either.
Child B actually went to an international primary school and English was the only language they spoke there. Her only source of Igbo language was the short visits to the village and her years in secondary school.

As far as child B was born and went to primary school in an igbo speaking area the likelyhood of her speaking or knowing how to speak igbo is high unlike child A.