Good day nairalanders,
Please i want your views on this issue. My husband and i are from different tribes so we speak different language. Our communication language at home is English. We had our first child, so we all speak English to her, aside English she doesn't understand any language, she is 3+. So i decided that i will speak my language to our second child from infancy. In that way the elder one can pick up. The problem now is that, my husband is trying to go against it saying, the child will not be able to speak English fluently in future which i disagreed. All efforts to make him understand proved abortive. I even gave example of my niece in the village whose parent don't speak English also in the environment they only speak native language. This my niece can speak and read English fluently. She loves reading story books. I even told my husband to speak his dialect to the younger so the elder one and i can learn. He only does that once in a blue moon.

Note, the children in my compound communicate in English when they come out to play.


I will appreciate your input because i will share the link with him so he can see. He isn't a nairalander. Thanks

Ok

Are you from Akwa Ibom or Calabar?

Children are capable of learning different Languages at the same time, explain this to your husband and tell him to do some research on this.
It's very important that they learn to atleast speak and understand one of ur dialects. God forbid if anything happens in the future they will easily identify with a either of ur tribes.

This are things you discuss when u re in an intertribal rltship. Nevertheless if ur husband still restricts you then start inviting any of the grandmas especially "his" ,then do a follow-up.

Your husband is so wrong, I grew up comfortably speaking 3 languages: Igbo (Mbano, my mum's dialect and also my dad's ) Yoruba and English simultaneously. Despite being born and raised in Lagos, my parents insisted on Igbo (my native language) being the language of communication at home, that didn't affect us being comfortable with communicating in Yoruba and English.

It is evidence- based that children can learn multiple languages at once thus your kids' capacity should not be limited to being monolingual.

mardis:
Good day nairalanders,
Please i want your views on this issue. My husband and i are from different tribes so we speak different language. Our communication language at home is English. We had our first child, so we all speak English to her, aside English she doesn't understand any language, she is 3+. So i decided that i will speak my language to our second child from infancy. In that way the elder one can pick up. The problem now is that, my husband is trying to go against it saying, the child will not be able to speak English fluently in future which i disagreed. All efforts to make him understand proved abortive. I even gave example of my niece in the village whose parent don't speak English also in the environment they only speak native language. This my niece can speak and read English fluently. She loves reading story books. I even told my husband to speak his dialect to the younger so the elder one and i can learn. He only does that once in a blue moon.

Note, the children in my compound communicate in English when they come out to play.


I will appreciate your input because i will share the link with him so he can see. He isn't a nairalander. Thanks

My son is four year plus and he speak and understand my tribe to some extend so also my second son who also understand simple command ..thats because I communicate with k our tribe to them most of the time, they also speaks Good English..is a good thing for your kids to understand and speak ur tribe it doesn't prevent them from speaking good English

You are both correct. in all, having a Good command of English is very good and more important on the big scheme of things. The world is going global. If your children attend Good schools and read books, their English should be okay. the problem is that many people think that they speak Good English whereas, their English is terrible. Dialects spoken poorly are not that bad, one can catch up at one's own pace android there is no major disadvantage.

When the child goes to school s/he will learn the English Language so it isn't a problem speaking tour language to the child.

Mindlog:
Your husband is so wrong, I grew up comfortably speaking 3 languages: Igbo (Mbano, my mum's dialect and also my dad's ) Yoruba and English simultaneously. Despite being born and raised in Lagos, my parents insisted on Igbo (my native language) being the language of communication at home, that didn't affect us being comfortable with communicating in Yoruba and English.

It is evidence- based that children can learn multiple languages at once thus your kids' capacity should not be limited to being monolingual.

This!

Evacroft:
Children are capable of learning different Languages at the same time, explain this to your husband and tell him to do some research on this.
It's very important that they learn to atleast speak and understand one of ur dialects. God forbid if anything happens in the future they will easily identify with a either of ur tribes.

This are things you discuss when u re in an intertribal rltship. Nevertheless if ur husband still restricts you then start inviting any of the grandmas especially "his" ,then do a follow-up.

And this!

nonen:
Are you from Akwa Ibom or Calabar?

No from middle belt

Mindlog:
Your husband is so wrong, I grew up comfortably speaking 3 languages: Igbo (Mbano, my mum's dialect and also my dad's ) Yoruba and English simultaneously. Despite being born and raised in Lagos, my parents insisted on Igbo (my native language) being the language of communication at home, that didn't affect us being comfortable with communicating in Yoruba and English.

It is evidence- based that children can learn multiple languages at once thus your kids' capacity should not be limited to being monolingual.

Thank you for this, him self can speak another language fluently apart from his dialect. It didn't stop him from speaking English fluently oo. I dont know why speaking my native to the children is affecting him. One cannot speak confidentially with your children in the presence of people again?

Hathor5:


This!And this!

Maybe his proficiency in his local language is affecting his English or someone close. People don’t just come up with these conclusions, something causes it. That should be addressed first...

The worst I have noticed from many people who are proficient in local languages is an accent. Like you can tell their tribe even when they speak English. However, their English was flawless.

graciamore:
My son is four year plus and he speak and understand my tribe to some extend so also my second son who also understand simple command ..thats because I communicate with k our tribe to them most of the time, they also speaks Good English..is a good thing for your kids to understand and speak ur tribe it doesn't prevent them from speaking good English

Thank you, its unheard of, where speaking native language will affect good English communication.

Blissquare:
You are both correct. in all, having a Good command of English is very good and more important on the big scheme of things. The world is going global. If your children attend Good schools and read books, their English should be okay. the problem is that many people think that they speak Good English whereas, their English is terrible. Dialects spoken poorly are not that bad, one can catch up at one's own pace android there is no major disadvantage.

Thanks! I appreciate your input.

GboyegaD:
When the child goes to school s/he will learn the English Language so it isn't a problem speaking tour language to the child.

Loud it to his hearing

pocohantas:


Maybe his proficiency in his local language is affecting his English or someone close. People don’t just come up with these conclusions, something causes it. That should be addressed first...

The worst I have noticed from many people who are proficient in local languages is an accent. Like you can tell their tribe even when they speak English. However, their English was flawless.

If you lean English in your childhood from someone who speaks it with an accent, you are likely to pick up the accent. It's the same for native speakers. British kids sound distinctly different from American kids. If you speak several languages, they will at times interfere with one another. There is no way around it but it's still better to speak several languages fluently than only one language. My opinion. How many Nigerians do you know, who didn't grow up in the US or UK, who speak English without an accent? And what is wrong with accents anyway? I love accents.

pocohantas:


Maybe his proficiency in his local language is affecting his English or someone close. People don’t just come up with these conclusions, something causes it. That should be addressed first...

The worst I have noticed from many people who are proficient in local languages is an accent. Like you can tell their tribe even when they speak English. However, their English was flawless.

But this majorly happens when, you are born, bread and butterd in the local community where the major language of communication is that particular native language. In my own case, we reside in another state where English is spoken very well. Infact am the only one speaking the native language to them. Every other person speaks English to them.

mardis:
Good day nairalanders,
Please i want your views on this issue. My husband and i are from different tribes so we speak different language. Our communication language at home is English. We had our first child, so we all speak English to her, aside English she doesn't understand any language, she is 3+. So i decided that i will speak my language to our second child from infancy. In that way the elder one can pick up. The problem now is that, my husband is trying to go against it saying, the child will not be able to speak English fluently in future which i disagreed. All efforts to make him understand proved abortive. I even gave example of my niece in the village whose parent don't speak English also in the environment they only speak native language. This my niece can speak and read English fluently. She loves reading story books. I even told my husband to speak his dialect to the younger so the elder one and i can learn. He only does that once in a blue moon.

Note, the children in my compound communicate in English when they come out to play.


I will appreciate your input because i will share the link with him so he can see. He isn't a nairalander. Thanks

Couple who married from different tribes, are at advantage for the children to speak both tribes because the child surname has already identified the child, the child's ability to speak the mothers tribe is an added advantage

A child will always speak English, unless those born in remote villages, but for a city, no matter the native tongue, that child must speak in English without even being thought

It's even easier for the child to speak English to the native language

There is nothing wrong with teaching her your language and you have to learn his language too so that you can as well teach the children his own dialect

But the issue now is that he doesn't speak his language often so how then will you learn his language

Let him allow you teach the child your language

In some marriages I saw, children speak more of mother language than dad because she imbibe it into them and as they grow the brings in dad language too

Please ma , try as much as you can to explain to your husband the importance of being able to speak at least one native dialect. So that the children will not blame him when they grow. I grew up in the village but now when I communicate in English , you will not be able to trace my mother tongue. It will be some how for them to grow without being able to speak any of your language .

Blissquare:
You are both correct. in all, having a Good command of English is very good and more important on the big scheme of things. The world is going global. If your children attend Good schools and read books, their English should be okay. the problem is that many people think that they speak Good English whereas, their English is terrible. Dialects spoken poorly are not that bad, one can catch up at one's own pace android there is no major disadvantage.

It is obvious you read a different thread; the reason for your out-of-context reply. First, it is possible for a child to be versed in his parents' language and also have a good command of the English language. They are mutually compatible. Second, "the big scheme of things" talk is insignificant because the knowledge of English language alone does not translate to wealth; you still have to speaclise it. Third, your English is awfully bad; I wonder why you deride people for writing/speaking bad English. Finally, we don't use dialect when we mean language. That word is a disesteem term. Thank you.

Just came to wait for those foolish africanists that love shouting slave mentality and racism. Not knowing that they themselves exhibit slave mentality and slave morality.

frozen70:


Couple who married from different tribes, are at advantage for the children to speak both tribes because the child surname has already identified the child, the child's ability to speak the mothers tribe is an added advantage

A child will always speak English, unless those born in remote villages, but for a city, no matter the native tongue, that child must speak in English without even being thought

It's even easier for the child to speak English to the native language

There is nothing wrong with teaching her your language and you have to learn his language too so that you can as well teach the children his own dialect

But the issue now is that he doesn't speak his language often so how then will you learn his language

Let him allow you teach the child your language

In some marriages I saw, children speak more of mother language than dad because she imbibe it into them and as they grow the brings in dad language too

Thanks alot

mardis:


Thanks alot

Thanks for the acknowledgement

GODSMILEFOREVER:
Please ma , try as much as you can to explain to your husband the importance of being able to speak at least one native dialect. So that the children will not blame him when they grow. I grew up in the village but now when I communicate in English , you will not be able to trace my mother tongue. It will be some how for them to grow without being able to speak any of your language .

I appreciate your input

mardis:

No from middle belt

nd ur husband is

merieam16:
nd ur husband is

We are from the same state but different tribe and language

mardis:


I appreciate your input

You are welcome.

mardis:
Good day nairalanders,
Please i want your views on this issue. My husband and i are from different tribes so we speak different language. Our communication language at home is English. We had our first child, so we all speak English to her, aside English she doesn't understand any language, she is 3+. So i decided that i will speak my language to our second child from infancy. In that way the elder one can pick up. The problem now is that, my husband is trying to go against it saying, the child will not be able to speak English fluently in future which i disagreed. All efforts to make him understand proved abortive. I even gave example of my niece in the village whose parent don't speak English also in the environment they only speak native language. This my niece can speak and read English fluently. She loves reading story books. I even told my husband to speak his dialect to the younger so the elder one and i can learn. He only does that once in a blue moon.

Note, the children in my compound communicate in English when they come out to play.


I will appreciate your input because i will share the link with him so he can see. He isn't a nairalander. Thanks

It's not too late to start with your first child.
A child can pick up any language before the age of five.

Listen to your husband.
Life isn't that hard, we are the ones complicating it.

Th best time to learn any language is when you're very young... think babies and little kids.

Your child knowing one or even two of the languages asides English will not affect your child's fluency but even benefit in the long run being multi-lingual.

mardis:
Good day nairalanders,
Please i want your views on this issue. My husband and i are from different tribes so we speak different language. Our communication language at home is English. We had our first child, so we all speak English to her, aside English she doesn't understand any language, she is 3+. So i decided that i will speak my language to our second child from infancy. In that way the elder one can pick up. The problem now is that, my husband is trying to go against it saying, the child will not be able to speak English fluently in future which i disagreed. All efforts to make him understand proved abortive. I even gave example of my niece in the village whose parent don't speak English also in the environment they only speak native language. This my niece can speak and read English fluently. She loves reading story books. I even told my husband to speak his dialect to the younger so the elder one and i can learn. He only does that once in a blue moon.

Note, the children in my compound communicate in English when they come out to play.


I will appreciate your input because i will share the link with him so he can see. He isn't a nairalander. Thanks

pls speak your language o. There's no way the child won't understand English when she starts going to school. In fact she can have even better English than the both of u. That's the mistake my parents made too. Now they're complaining we don't speak yoruba fluently as adults. I have classmates that never speak English at home right from when they were young. Now they're speaking perfect English. How did they learn it? Even if u like never speak English to your child, the child will a find a way to learn it especially in school