Scholars raise alarm over decline of indigenous languages

A group of researchers and university lecturers have decried the manner at which many parents abandon their indigenous languages and do not bother to speak the language to their children let alone teach them.

The researchers include Professor Joy Odewunmi of the Lagos State University of Education (LASUED) Ijanikin; Professor Oladayo Akomu and Dr Ngozi Dom-Anyanwu, both also of LASUED.

Others are Dr Ruth Epochi-Olise of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ebonyi State; Dr Nuhu Lawal of College of Education, Akwanga, Nassarawa State; Mrs. Anita Abathu Asachanya of the University of Maiduguri, Borno State; Ms Rachael Musa Dada of Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida University, Niger State; as well as Mr. Adedeji Mujeeb Olabode of the University of Lagos, Akoka.

The dons expressed the worry during presentation of their research findings on indigenous languages at LASUED last week.

The research, sponsored by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) was titled: “Teaching Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba Proverbs Using Colouring Books and Interactive Animations for Nigerian Junior Primary Schools.”

Speaking at the event, Prof. Joy Odewunmi, who is the principal investigator, highlighted the importance of parents speaking and teaching children their native languages including preservation of such languages across generations.

Odewunmi, who also urged government across tiers to invest more in teachers of indigenous languages, explained the rationale for the research.

According to her, “The idea behind the research is that we wanted to make our language attractive for everyone, especially for the younger generations, because we believe in catching them young and we believe that since proverbs are witty sayings, there are pretty something they can grab from it.

“When a child learns to talk in proverbs for example, that child will love the language.

“Sometimes, something happens, and you said, “A toad does not run in daytime for nothing, something is pursuing it or it is pursuing something.’

“I will tell you proverbs are amusing, sayings that if we speak it to our children at home, they will love the language and speaking it now and then will help preserve it across generations.

“It is also important to point out that when you say a proverb in Pidgin English for example, you can also say it in mother’s tongue, and when your children watch your mouth on how you say it, they become interested in it.”

The don noted that research had even shown that human brain has the capacity to learn up to 10,000 languages.

“So, parents should speak and teach their children their mother tongues and make the language attractive to them,” she added.

The scholar observed a wide gap in learning and proficiency in speaking Nigerian languages, especially among youths and children.

She noted that the 2022 National Policy on Education prescribed that mother tongues should be used as a medium of instruction for primary school pupils while the three major languages-Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba-are prescribed for the junior secondary school students.

“But there is a continuous decline in the use of our indigenous languages in the country, she lamented, underscoring the importance of renewed national pronouncement about the use of mother tongues to teach primary school pupils.

In his contribution, Prof. Oladayo Akomu shed more light on the research project, saying it aims at preserving indigenous languages, cultures and benefiting the society.

He explained that the research was competed for by the team with TETFUND provided the grant in 2023.

“So, we are only presenting our experiences on the field and findings at today’s event.

While commending the Lagos State government for example, for its efforts in promoting indigenous languages over the years, he mentioned that all tertiary institutions owned by the state government are offering Yoruba language at the level of general studies.

He urged other state government to do likewise and also work on the outcomes of the research due to its huge benefits if recommendations are implemented.

The don, however, lamented that most research works, especially by Nigerian scholars are often ended in bookshelves without turning them to impact the society.

He said stakeholders, especially government and corporate bodies, should help out in this regard, noting that doing so is for the benefit of the country and mankind in general.

Also speaking, Dr Ngozi Dom-Anyanwu also appealed to the federal and state governments to produce more teachers on indigenous languages as some who are teaching those languages are not really qualified or ill-trained

They are ill-trained because you see somebody teaching Igbo Language in secondary school without them studying the course in any higher institution.

“They just believe that because they are of Igbo origin, they can teach the language in the manner students should be taught, whereas that is not so.

“So, it is important we have qualified teachers and also engage in their retraining to enable them do well in class while the governments should on its part, provide necessary instructional materials to enhance learning outcomes in those courses,” she concluded.

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