₦airaland Forum

uchefefe:
Hello!

For background, I was born to a Igbo father and a black American mother. I grew up in the U.S., and because my father didn't teach me anything about Nigeria, for the first part of my life I didn't even know I belonged to another culture. As I got a bit older I would question him about things pertaining to Nigeria; his response was "that's not important" or "don't ask such questions, focus on your book instead". At some point I asked him if he spoke another language. He confirmed that he did, but when I asked him to teach me he told me "no one speaks it, instead we just use English" and I accepted that answer.

I had a revelation one day in middle school when eating lunch with one of my friends. Like me she was born in the U.S., but had Chinese parents. We had gone to school together for nearly 10 years, so I was shocked when one day she picked up a phone call from her grandmother and spoke to her in fluent Chinese. When I questioned her on how she learned, she told me that her parents had been teaching her. That way, if she ever goes to China she won't struggle to communicate with her people, and if she chooses not to go she'll at least be able to talk with her grandparents that don't know English.

This impassioned me and that evening when my father came home from work I begged him to teach me Igbo, even though "no one speaks it". He agreed and taught me simple phrases like "kedu", "afa m bu", and "o di mma". The thing is, which it was nice to know these things I could not actually use them to communicate. I didn't understand Igbo grammar and my vocabulary was limited to basic greetings. When I began asking him the name of household items and chores he became angry with me. He told me I was focusing on Igbo and not my books (even though my grades were great), and that he'll punish me if I keep asking so I stopped.

Getting more so to the point, I'm now a graduate student in my early 20's. While I have tried my best to study Igbo, I have met many frustrations that have led me to investigate Hausa and Yoruba. At this point, it simply pains me that when I meet people from my country, I have no means of communicating with people from my country besides English. I plan on moving to Nigeria in the not-so-distant future, and when I go I want to be fluent is something.

Between the three major languages, the arguments I have for each are:

Igbo
As an Igbo person, it makes sense for me to prioritize my language. I don't want to just sit there confused and lost during family gatherings, I also want to be able to speak to my grandparents who don't understand English well. That's really the only positives of Igbo though, even excluding the past experiences mention above, I've over all become disheartened by the idea of learning the language for a variety of reasons.

Yoruba
One thing I like about Yoruba language is that Yoruba people seem to have put a lot of effort into developing it and teaching it. Most Nigerians I've met in the U.S. that speak a Nigerian language speak Yoruba, despite the fact that I've met mostly Igbo people. In addition, of Nigerians I've met also born in the U.S., only the Yoruba's are able to speak their language. Despite that, my family roots are in the South East. I may be able to speak with more Nigerians by learning Yoruba, but I'll still be disconnected from my family. Yoruba people might seem to have less of a "complex" when it comes to their language than Igbo people, but I have observed it's still there.

Hausa
I've only ever met one Hausa family in the U.S., but from what I've observed in Nigeria they seem to practice their language the most. In addition, it seems like Hausa is a lingua franca for most of the country, and many non-Hausas are fluent in the language. Hausa is one of the few sources I can find unadulterated practice of the language. It's also West Africa's most spoken indigenous languages. It still has the same problems a Yoruba though when it comes to connecting with my family. I also don't know how realistic it is to expect to live in the Northern Part of Nigeria as I have limited experience there.

Like I said, I want to move to Nigeria at some point and that's where I want to raise a family and start a career. When I have children I don't want them to grow up like me. I want them to be connected to their people and be able to communicate with them on a level no other group in the world can. I can tell my children to love and embrace African culture and languages when I know none myself.

I decided to come here for insight from other Nigerians as I have no one to talk to about this in real life. Given everything I've said what do you think I should do? At the end of the day I just want a sense connectivity and belonging among my people. I want to put my efforts into learning a language its speakers wholly embrace so I can pass it on to my children.

Also, I don't intend for this to be tribalistic at all. I would also appreciate if responses avoided tribalistic sentiments.

I can teach u Igbo. Onitsha dialect precisely. Tell me if you are interested . I like your courage jare

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Summary please?? Op respect yourself this Monday morning

Kjking:
please where is the joint biko... i want to see for myself!! what is charm that God can not deliver me from

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[quote author=shegxi post=71220465]I am serious joor. u got the no?

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