₦airaland Forum

This October marks 85 years since Nigeria's independence from Britain, but English maintains a significant position in Nigerian culture, education, and politics. Why is that? Do you think English should still be the official language of a postcolonial Nigeria? Why or why not?

We're thinking of making it Itsekiri next year.

For peace to reign let's maintain it like this.


Even if at all they wanna change it from English language the best decision is to make pidgin our official language.

Have any other former colonies changed theirs?

We have 11 official languages in SA... I did my native language Sepedi as a subject throughout my primary and high School... It's also one of the official languages of communication at the university of Limpopo, Pretoria, Johannesburg, Tshwane University of Technology, and Vaal University of Technology.

We mostly only use English during school hours since majority of our subjects are taught in English and during working hours since we tend to be diversed in our workplaces, immediately we get home, our English bundles get depleted... ... Only few have adopted English as their primary language due to living in racially diversed communities... And if you're not comfortable in speaking English during court proceedings, the court will get a translator for you.

We're trying our best to preserve our native languages... Some Indians and Coloureds from KwaZulu Natal province have also adopted Zulu as their secondary language.

eepeepook:
Have any other former colonies changed theirs?

Do you think English is the best representative option for Nigeria? Furthermore, wouldn't making Pidgin the official language require some kind of standard form to be used in government or education?

Bahamas95:
For peace to reign let's maintain it like this.


Even if at all they wanna change it from English language the best decision is to make pidgin our official language.

Indeed. Why shouldn't Nigeria join them?

eepeepook:
Have any other former colonies changed theirs?

Do you think this approach is effective in preserving and promoting languages other than English in South Africa?

Samantha125:
We have 11 official languages in SA... I did my native language Sepedi as a subject throughout my primary and high School... It's also one of the official languages of communication at the university of Limpopo, Pretoria, Johannesburg, Tshwane University of Technology, and Vaal University of Technology.

We mostly only use English during school hours since majority of our subjects are taught in English and during working hours since we tend to be diversed in our workplaces, immediately we get home, our English bundles get depleted... ... Only few have adopted English as their primary language due to living in racially diversed communities... And if you're not comfortable in speaking English during court proceedings, the court will get a translator for you.

We're trying our best to preserve our native languages... Some Indians and Coloureds from KwaZulu Natal province have also adopted Zulu as their secondary language.

Examples?

matamaryam:
Indeed. Why shouldn't Nigeria join them?

matamaryam:
Do you think English is the best representative option for Nigeria? Furthermore, wouldn't making Pidgin the official language require some kind of standard form to be used in government or education?

If English is not the best which language do you think is the best? Choosing one of the major languages for instance would cause conflict because it would be favouritism.


Everybody must not speak a particular language same way, I learnt English people speak with different accents......I was in Port Harcourt sometime ago and their version of pidgin sounded funny to me. But the most important thing was that I understood what they were saying.

Yes, it it, it makes learning other languages except your own mother tongue easier and that's why a typical black South African is fluent in a minimum of at least three different local languages other than English.

Already we are well aware that the language of communication in Limpopo province is Sepedi as the dominant language, Mpumalanga province is Swati, Free State province is Sesotho, North West province is Tswana, Kwazulu Natal province is Zulu, Eastern Cape province is Xhosa, Western Cape province is Afrikaans and Xhosa, Northern Cape province is Tswana and Afrikaans, and Gauteng province is divided into two, Johannesburg is Zulu and Sesotho while Pretoria is Sepedi and Tswana... We also have TV programs in all the eleven official languages, Tsonga, Venda, and Ndebele might be the minority tribes, but they're still well represented.

matamaryam:
Do you think this approach is effective in preserving and promoting languages other than English in South Africa?

Well South Africa was already mentioned but, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Lesotho, Vietnam, Malaysia, etc.

eepeepook:
Examples?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viBM71Eg2DY?si=02W7B1CJ_NB2q4pg

This is really interesting, thanks for sharing. Do you think there's bots in replies to these posts? I honestly couldn't tell.

Therising:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viBM71Eg2DY?si=02W7B1CJ_NB2q4pg