What should be the primary language of communication in the home?

Because Nigeria has many languages, there is a rising trend in what has been termed ‘language death’ by linguists, as many tongues are on the verge of extinction. This is especially so for children who are born and bred outside their states of origin. It is ‘normal’ to see children who cannot have a simple […]

Because Nigeria has many languages, there is a rising trend in what has been termed ‘language death’ by linguists, as many tongues are on the verge of extinction. This is especially so for children who are born and bred outside their states of origin. It is ‘normal’ to see children who cannot have a simple conversation in their mother tongue, which more often than not, makes English the only language they understand, especially when the parents are from different tribes.
The Home Front went to town on the disturbing trend to find out how it can be tackled to check the ‘death’ of more languages, and got very pleasant and interesting responses.
Crystabel Dibal, self-employed and engaged, said, “I grew up in a home where the only language allowed for communication was my native dialect. My parents were very strict on that and would not take it easy with you when they heard any of us trying to communicate in English or any other language. This made my siblings and me very fluent in the language, and though we were fluent in Hausa too, my language, ‘Babur’, stuck to my memory.
“I also intend to train my children that way because now I see the essence of what my parents were doing. I know that there is always a conflict of interest when both parents speak different languages, but that can be handled. Personally I believe both languages can be learnt by the children.”
Another respondent, Jefkins Nwadinobi, an electrical engineer, said, “I must agree that our local dialects are gradually fading away. I am a proof of that because I can’t speak or understand my language, which I am not proud of. I pray that when I get married, my wife will be able to speak her language very well, so that our children will speak a Nigerian language and not English which is not our mother tongue.”
Mercy Onah’s parents are from different tribes but she was born in Jos and has lived all her life in the North. She told the Home Front, “My younger brothers and I were born in Jos and we have lived there all our lives. Because our parents are from different tribes, the only language of communication in our home was English and any time we had a visitor whom we knew only understood English, we switched to Hausa, though my brothers couldn’t and still can’t communicate in Hausa. However I can speak and understand a little bit of my mum’s language (Igede) but not a word of my dad’s language.”
Onah added “I don’t want that trend to continue when I start having children. So now that I’m married, I’ll speak the little of my husband’s language that I know and then add a little bit of my mum’s language and Hausa too because I want my children to be very fluent in at least three languages.”
Nowadays, the average Nigerian parent is worried about their child’s ability to speak their native language as seen in the response given by Chidinma Okoro, business woman and married.
She said, “These days it is so hard for children to speak their native languages. My children are a clear example. Last Christmas my husband and I decided to take them to the village to stay with his mother who can’t speak English and we decided we wouldn’t speak English there either.
“To a large extent it worked and we have decided we would continue speaking our language to them instead of English. The primary means of communication in a home should be the native language.
“Children can easily pick up English language from school and from their peers. My husband and I are not relenting in any way, because we want to ensure that our children understand and speak our native language fluently. Our language must not die but should be upheld, and this can only be achieved by parents.”
Yahaya Nurudeen, self-employed and married said, “My children learnt how to speak Hausa from a very tender age, even before they spoke English. This was actualized by the combined effort of myself and my wife and other relatives who come around. They understand and speak Hausa very well, and I am very proud of that because it means I played a major part in ensuring that their upbringing would include learning other languages and teaching them my native language.”
Mr. Edor John, married and a father of two, highlighted the dangers of any child’s inability to speak his/her native dialect. He said, “This is not good because with time, it could put so many other languages as well as Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage and culture into extinction if our children can’t converse in their mother tongue.”
Citing a personal experience, he said,“My wife is from Nasarawa State and I am from Benue but my wife is very fluent in my own language (Igede) because she stayed with my mother for some years in the village and that is where she had our children.
“While in the village, my wife learnt how to speak my language and she also made sure that she spoke the language to my children and sometimes she also speaks Hausa and her own language to them and they still speak English. Though they are no longer in the village, they can still speak my language, their mother’s language and English.
“It is the parents’ duty to ensure that they teach the children their native language because we all know that they will learn English at school but who will teach them their mother tongue at school. We should be proud of our cultural heritage and transfer such to our children.”