I thought it was compulsory in 9ja to sit for one language course in WAEC?The student gets to choose whichever lang he/she wants but it depends largely on the available teachers?My cousins in lagos then were forced to do Yourba in Waec cos they did not have Igbo teachers.
The bill is Ok but the fine seems ridiculous.doubt if anyone wud pay anything.
Aside the bill,If the senators want to achieve the said purpose,they shld pls go out to OUR schools and ban this very popular and dangerous grammer "Vernacular/igbo speaking is highly prohibited except during break time or igbo classes.
Those days in sch.,speaking igbo was a crime,the school prefects deal with u when they hear u speak igbo. . . .infact the class prefects where made to complile a list of offenders who get really dealt with for speaking igbo in school in an igbo speaking town . . .what a shame.

Okay i agree but which type of central igbo will be enforced?

Abagworo:

Okay i agree but which type of central igbo will be enforced?

Are there 2 types of central igbo?the one and only One igbo Izugbe ofcos.

I think Anambra State House of Assembly might like this.

ifyalways:

I thought it was compulsory in 9ja to sit for one language course in WAEC?The student gets to choose whichever lang he/she wants but it depends largely on the available teachers?My cousins in lagos then were forced to do Yourba in Waec cos they did not have Igbo teachers.
The bill is Ok but the fine seems ridiculous.doubt if anyone wud pay anything.
Aside the bill,If the senators want to achieve the said purpose,they shld pls go out to OUR schools and ban this very popular and dangerous grammer "Vernacular/igbo speaking is highly prohibited except during break time or igbo classes.
Those days in sch.,speaking igbo was a crime,the school prefects deal with u when they hear u speak igbo. . . .infact the class prefects where made to complile a list of offenders who get really dealt with for speaking igbo in school in an igbo speaking town . . .what a shame.

That's what Ngugi wa Thiong'o talked about. People were humiliated for speaking their native tongue in their own country. How shameful! And now there are idiots on here that have the mentality so engrained that anything unEnglish is illiterate, unnecessary. Wake up people!

@savannah

I did not say Anambra state will be illetrates. I said the state is breeding a new generation of English language illetrates there is a difference. I am an illetrate spanish speaker becos I can neither  read nor understand spanish.

illetrate english speakers - That is the bone of contention. I said that Anambra state will breed a new generation of illetrate english speakers. I am not disputing that Anambra state might however produce distinguish scholars who are erudite and versed in Igbo language, but such feat as admirable as it might be pales into insignificance as the brilliance gets whittled down as any attempt to translate such literal work and knowledge into English  might be lost in translation. However if the same scholar communicates in a language which  3/4 of the world speaks and understand with the same literal knowledge and mastery of the language not only does the profile of such  individual  enhances in a world stage they might also be a potential candidate for a Nobel price in literature(Wole Soyinka ) and the envy of the original owners of the language alas England and America.

KnowAll:

@savannah

I did not say Anambra state will be illetrates. I said the state is breeding a new generation of English language illetrates there is a difference. I am an illetrate spanish speaker becos I can neither read nor understand spanish.

illetrate english speakers - That is the bone of contention. I said that Anambra state will breed a new generation of illetrate english speakers. I am not disputing that Anambra state might however produce distinguish scholars who are erudite and versed in Igbo language, but such feat as admirable as it might be pales into insignificance as the brilliance gets whittled down as any attempt to translate such literal work and knowledge into English might be lost in translation. However if the same scholar communicates in a language which 3/4 of the world speaks and understand with the same literal knowledge and mastery of the language not only does the profile of such individual enhances in a world stage they might also be a potential candidate for a Nobel price in literature(Wole Soyinka ) and the envy of the original owners of the language alas England and America.

@ knowAll
please look at the OED meaning of illiterate and explain to me how someone can be an illiterate English speaker or what that has to do with people learning their own language. One does not have to only know English to become a nobel nobel laureate. There are many books and pieces of literature that have been translated but have not lost much. Ngugi wa Thiong'o is aclaimed and many of his writings are in his native Kenyan tongue and he has not lost importance. Its just sad that you are trying to explain away how inferior you deem yourself and Non European language Speakers. Alexis de Tocqueville did not lose importance when his writings were translated to English, neither have many other books.

There are many books and pieces of literature that have been translated but have not lost much. Ngugi wa Thiong'o is aclaimed and many of his writings are in his native Kenyan tongue and he has not lost importance. Its just sad that you are trying to explain away how inferior you deem yourself and Non European language Speakers. Alexis de


You cannot compare a language spoken by about 35%(Swahili ) of the african continuent with a Igbo a language spoken by less than 2% of the African continuent. Ugandas and Tanzanians that speak the language will recognised the great skill and mastery Ngugi wa Thiong has in presenting his prose in swahili so they can judge and recommend him for a Nobel price. Do you seriouly expect a yoruba man to recognised your eloquence and erudite igbo skill, neither can I nor 98% other Africans judge you. You will have to communicate in a more universal language for u to get that recognition.

cultural awareness begins at home.

This initiative won't work.

KnowAll:


You cannot compare a language spoken by about 35%(Swahili ) of the african continuent with a Igbo a language spoken by less than 2% of the African continuent. Ugandas and Tanzanians that speak the language will recognised the great skill and mastery Ngugi wa Thiong has in presenting his prose in swahili so they can judge and recommend him for a Nobel price. Do you seriouly expect a yoruba man to recognised your eloquence and erudite igbo skill, neither can I nor 98% other Africans judge you. You will have to communicate in a more universal language for u to get that recognition.

Interestingly the people that appreciate Ngugi wa Thiong are not only Tanzanians and Ugandas. Also as odd as it might seem, Igbo is not only spoken by Nigerians there are several other African countries where Igbo is spoken and understood if we were to use your logic. So you as a Yoruba man can you speak Swahili? I know Spanish writers and I am not that fluent in Spanish. The fact of the matter is there is no shame in promoting your culture. Most Nigerians are ashamed of their culture because it seems backwards. People mastering a language they have heard from birth will not make them "illiterate" English speakers (whatever that means) and if English is not important enough to someone they can still accomplish many things because translators will always be around.

The fact of the matter is there is no shame in promoting your culture. Most Nigerians are ashamed of their culture because it seems backwards.

a language class won't change such perception.

History and/or sociology classes would do better.

In as much as I agree that one needs to be versatile when it comes to one's language, it should also be a matter of choice. people should be able to learn their languages at home, I didn't learn igbo from school.

Trust me, if one sees a particular language as 'foreign' although it's one's native tongue, 4 years of teaching one that language won't make one learn it. For instance, some people at my school have been taking french since middle school and some of them are even haitian (french and creole are somewhat similar), some of these folks still know nothing in french.

chiogo:

In as much as I agree that one needs to be versatile when it comes to one's language, it should also be a matter of choice. people should be able to learn their languages at home, I didn't learn igbo from school.

Trust me, if one sees a particular language as 'foreign' although it's one's native tongue, 4 years of teaching one that language won't make one learn it. For instance, some people at my school have been taking french since middle school and some of them are even haitian (french and creole are somewhat similar), some of these folks still know nothing in french.

Did it occur to anyone here that even though English is spoken in America there is English 9-12? Meaning that it is compulsory for graduation. Why then is it compulsory for people that speak it everyday? Why is it not a matter of choice for people to learn it at home?

@chiogo

Are the students at your school who are Haitain but can't speak French in a french speaking country? People in Igboland that would be considered Igbo but can't speak the language are in a different situation and predicament than those in a different country where their native tongue is spoken only during a class setting.

bawomolo:

a language class won't change such perception.

History and/or sociology classes would do better.

A language class is definitely a start. Language classes are not places where you just repeat como se llama? etc. There is usually some history and sociology involved to help with understanding why certain words and sentences are pronounced.

savanaha:

@chiogo

Are the students at your school who are Haitain but can't speak French in a french speaking country? People in Igboland that would be considered Igbo but can't speak the language are in a different situation and predicament than those in a different country where their native tongue is spoken only during a class setting.

No, but I'm sure their parents speak their native tongue at home. It's not only spoken to them during a class setting. I don't live in an igbo setting either, neither was igbo taught to me at school. I learned it at HOME. It's still a matter of personal choice. If one is determined to learn or not learn a particular language, then that's what it will be.

@savannah

I did not say Anambra state will be illetrates. I said the state is breeding a new generation of English language illetrates there is a difference. I am an illetrate spanish speaker becos I can neither  read nor understand spanish.

illetrate english speakers - That is the bone of contention. I said that Anambra state will breed a new generation of illetrate english speakers. I am not disputing that Anambra state might however produce distinguish scholars who are erudite and versed in Igbo language, but such feat as admirable as it might be pales into insignificance as the brilliance gets whittled down as any attempt to translate such literal work and knowledge into English  might be lost in translation. However if the same scholar communicates in a language which  3/4 of the world speaks and understand with the same literal knowledge and mastery of the language not only does the profile of such  individual  enhances in a world stage they might also be a potential candidate for a Nobel price in literature(Wole Soyinka ) and the envy of the original owners of the language alas England and America.

Makes me want to puke each time I come across people that wallow in this level of sempiternal timidity, I guess you are so convinced you have a valid argument, a rudimentary level of reasoning could not  be disassociated to why superficial things are so important to you. Your warped thought process about the English language is an imprecation that blinds you from looking at the bigger picture, while you are slaving away trying to impress the original owners of English language, countries that pursue technological advancement in their native languages are achieving an insurmountable level of technological advancement. Russians pioneered space travel in their mothers tongue, to be able to understand what am saying, you are required to think, but literally you are NOT.

NINETOFIVE:



Makes me want to puke each time I come across people that wallow in this level of sempiternal timidity, I guess you are so convinced you have a valid argument, a rudimentary level of reasoning could not  be disassociated to why superficial things are so important to you. Your warped thought process about the English language is an imprecation that blinds you from looking at the bigger picture, while you are slaving away trying to impress the original owners of English language, countries that pursue technological advancement in their native languages are achieving an insurmountable level of technological advancement. Russians pioneered space travel in their mothers tongue, to be able to understand what am saying, you are required to think, but literally you are NOT.

Exactly

KnowAll:

Makes me want to puke each time I come across people that wallow in this level of sempiternal timidity, I guess you are so convinced you have a valid argument, a rudimentary level of reasoning could not  be disassociated to why superficial things are so important to you. Your warped thought process about the English language is an imprecation that blinds you from looking at the bigger picture, while you are slaving away trying to impress the original owners of English language, countries that pursue technological advancement in their native languages are achieving an insurmountable level of technological advancement. Russians pioneered space travel in their mothers tongue, to be able to understand what am saying, you are required to think, but literally you are NOT.

You will have to go read what I wrote carefully, what is your grief at least the new law put in place in your state will produce emeritus professors in Igbo language and your type that can write so eloquently in the  English language would be a dying breed which generation to come will only read in history books. The Irony is what will actually emerge from this kind of social linguistic experiment is half baked Igbo speakers and half baked English speakers creating a generation of buffoons who will not know there left from there right.


Russians pioneered space travel in their mothers tongue, to be able to understand what am saying, you are required to think, but literally you are NOT.


Don’t forget the Russia language is spoken in vast swath of land from central Europe to shores bordering Japan and Alaska. To reduce this international language to the level of Igbo which is a language spoken in a few states 200 miles radius of Enugu is an understatement which defiles logic. The Job opportunity open to Russian speakers all over the is unimaginable even an emeritus professor in Igbo language from Anambra state will be lucky to land a Job in neighbouring Imo state for not been a native how much more Nigeria as a whole and the world at large. The world is your oyster as an English speaker.

If you make Igbo language an important language by way of the millions of Igbo people speaking it, English speakers will instead learn that language. For example, can you explain to me why English-speaking job applicants have an edge pver their competitors when they can speak Finnish (spoken by around 6 million), Greek (spoken by around 15 million), Czech (around 12 million), Swedish (9 million) and Swahilli (5 million native) talk less of Igbo which is spoken by over 25 million people.

What is this nonsense about imposing penalties of between 5,000 to 100,000 on students who don't pass?

What about non-igbo speaking minorities?

While learning Igbo might be beneficial to some extent, I don't support it being forced on everyone. The native tongue should be passed on by parents and the community, not enforced in school especially since it wouldn't help them get a place in university or any useful qualification.

You will have to go read what I wrote carefully, what is your grief at least the new law put in place in your state will produce emeritus professors in Igbo language and your type that can write so eloquently in the  English language would be a dying breed which generation to come will only read in history books. The Irony is what will actually emerge from this kind of social linguistic experiment is half baked Igbo speakers and half baked English speakers creating a generation of buffoons who will not know there left from there right.

If we should ever go by the premise of your write up, it would be very pellucid and easy for one to notice and accept that the knowledge of the English language does not mean that one becomes automatically intelligent. If one would just agree that there is a lot of issues that's got to do with inferiority complex here, then  it would easier to decipher why you came to a conclusion that the knowledge one's language would impede ones mental development.  Mind you, the deeper knowledge of ones mother tongue is a catalyst to ones metal development, because it is the default language in ones brain and at such the language of thought. I would dare not deprecate the importance you attach to the English language, or mitigate the effect it has on today's modern world, no one is advocating for entire removal of English language, but left to me it should be a second language, all science and mathematical subjects should all be in Igbo.  

Don’t forget the Russia language is spoken in vast swath of land from central Europe to shores bordering Japan and Alaska. To reduce this international language to the level of Igbo which is a language spoken in a few states 200 miles radius of Enugu is an understatement which defiles logic. The Job opportunity open to Russian speakers all over the is unimaginable even an emeritus professor in Igbo language from Anambra state will be lucky to land a Job in neighbouring Imo state for not been a native how much more Nigeria as a whole and the world at large. The world is your oyster as an English speaker.

I hate when people pride themselves in total display of nescience, sometimes is easier to present an argument that does not lack probity, an argument that is  difficult to defenestrate or don't bother trying. Russian language as of today is a national language of only Russian federation, Russian language is not an international language today, get the record straight, all the former soviet blocks without no exception opted for their mothers tongue. Is very clear you are thinking of a situation where we should train people in soft sell careers to service other countries economy, while I on the contrary think of breeding people whom their language of thought would not contradict the language of education therefore breeding people with superior knowledge to what we have today. Ogbunigwe was not pioneered by people with low self esteem but rather people with deeper connection with the default language in their brain which is the language of thought, the name Ogbunigwe says it all.

Africans in general and nigerians in particular have a long way to go.

why is Swahili so widespread:

Swahili is a Bantu language that serves as an alternative first language to various groups traditionally inhabiting about 1,500 miles of the Southeast African coast. [size=14pt]About 35% of the Swahili vocabulary derives from the Arabic language, gained through more than twelve centuries of contact with Arabic-speaking traders. [/size] It also has incorporated German, Portuguese, Indian, English and French words into its vocabulary through contact during the last five centuries.


The name 'Kiswahili' comes from the plural of the Arabic word sāhil ساحل: sawāhil سواحل meaning "boundary" or "coast" (used as an adjective to mean "coastal dwellers" or, by adding 'ki-' ["language"] to mean "coastal language". (The word "sahel" is also used for the border zone of the Sahara ("desert"). The incorporation of the final "i" is likely to be the nisba (adjectival form) in Arabic (of the coast "sawāhalii" سواحلي), although some state it is for phonetic reasons.

The earliest known documents written in Swahili are letters written in Kilwa in 1711, in Arabic-script, they were sent to the Portuguese of Mozambique and their local allies. The original letters are now preserved in the Historical Archives of Goa, India[8]. Another ancient written document is an epic poem in the Arabic script titled Utendi wa Tambuka ("The History of Tambuka"; it is dated 1728. The Latin alphabet has become standard under the influence of European colonial powers.

Swahili is unusual among sub-Saharan languages in having lost the feature of lexical tone (with the exception of the numerically important Mvita dialect, the dialect of Kenya's second city, the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swahili_language

Russian language as of today is a national language of only Russian federation, Russian

Russia is the mother tongue in

1. Ukrain
2. Belarus
3.Latvia - 50% of the population are ethnic russians
4.Georgia
5.The Causes
6. Moldovia even thus they have there own languages the long colonial rule in places like moldovia has made russia the language of choice.
7. Kazasthan- see moldovia
8.Azibajan - see moldovia
9. Poland - Polish is a derivate of the Russian language, I actually spoke to a polish and I asked him what is the difference he told me it is a derivative.
10. Bulgaria - Same as Poland a derivative.
11. Serbia - Same as Poland
12. Estonia - Same as latvia
13. - Northern Iran - I was really suprise about thisonly knew recently
14. Some part of Afghanistan
15. Mongolia - see moldovia
Russia is the 5th largest language groupings in the world after English, Spanish, Mandari,French, Russia, Portuguse.

KnowAll:

Russian language as of today is a national language of only Russian federation, Russian

Russia is the mother tongue in

1. Ukrain
2. Belarus
3.Latvia - 50% of the population are ethnic russians
4.Georgia
5.The Causes
6. Moldovia even thus they have there own languages the long colonial rule in places like moldovia has made russia the language of choice.
7. Kazasthan- see moldovia
8.Azibajan - see moldovia
9. Poland - Polish is a derivate of the Russian language, I actually spoke to a polish and I asked him what is the difference he told me it is a derivative.
10. Bulgaria - Same as Poland a derivative.
11. Serbia - Same as Poland
12. Estonia - Same as latvia
13. - Northern Iran - I was really suprise about thisonly knew recently
14. Some part of Afghanistan
15. Mongolia - see moldovia
Russia is the 5th largest language groupings in the world after English, Spanish, Mandari,French, Russia, Portuguse.

Am sorry these were all during the soviet union, I studied at Kiev state university, Ukraine, so I know.

1,The national language of Ukraine is Ukrainsky, as of the year 2000 you can only study Russia in Ukraine as a foreign language.

2,The national language of Belarus is belarusky

3,The national language of Poland is Polish or Polsky, they don't understand any atom of Russia and they hate Russians.

4,The national language of Latvia is Litovsky.

5,The national language of Georgia is Gruzinsky

6,The national language of Bulgaria is bulgarsky

7,The national language of Azerbaijan is Azerbaijansky,

8,Iranians are Persians for God sake, don't make me laugh.

9,The national language of Estonia is Estonsky.

10, Serbian has their own variation of Slavic language.

11, some very minute numbers of people from Afghanistan might understand Russia because they were offered scholarships in Russia after the Soviet Afghanistan war.

12, the mention of Mongolia here is laughable.

13,The national language of Kazakhstan is kazakhstansky.

14,The national language of Moldova is Moldovsky, so spear me all the blah blah blah.

Knowall,

U have slave mentality. Ode who is not proud of himself. Its not our fault that u are not Igbo so stop hating. If all the states want to make Igbo language as / more important as a foreign language like English language then its their business. No amount of Igbo bashing or ridiculing will stop it from happening so u might as well fall back. Mechie onu nshi gi. Igbo language is already being used in Hollywood movies such as Ace Ventura, X-men, Tears of the Sun so no amount of ridiculing from u will stop us. Your arguments are highly moronic. English, French, Spanish, are important languages that are not about to die because the natives are proud of it and showcase. What Anambra state is doing is what they should have been doing a long long time ago. I believe in Uganda its already happening there. I'll ask my cousins from there.

You AFRICANS are pathetic.

NINETOFIVE:


Am sorry these were all during the soviet union, I studied at Kiev state university, Ukraine, so I know.

1,The national language of Ukraine is Ukrainsky, as of the year 2000 you can only study Russia in Ukraine as a foreign language.

2,The national language of Belarus is belarusky

3,The national language of Poland is Polish or Polsky, they don't understand any atom of Russia and they hate Russians.

4,The national language of Latvia is Litovsky.

5,The national language of Georgia is Gruzinsky

6,The national language of Bulgaria is bulgarsky

7,The national language of Azerbaijan is Azerbaijansky,

8,Iranians are Persians for God sake, don't make me laugh.

9,The national language of Estonia is Estonsky.

10, Serbian has their own variation of Slavic language.

11, some very minute numbers of people from Afghanistan might understand Russia because they were offered scholarships in Russia after the Soviet Afghanistan war.

12, the mention of Mongolia here is laughable.

13,The national language of Kazakhstan is kazakhstansky.

14,The national language of Moldova is Moldovsky, so spear me all the blah blah blah.

I think KnowAll is so caught up in trying to prove that making the knowledge of your mother tongue in your region mandatory in silly that his attempts to validif why such an idea is silly has proved to be an epic fail. Thank you for explaining to him that science and advancement is much better than knowing another man's language. He probably happily changed his Nigerian name if he ever had one to suit the English tongues of those he wishes to please.

A language class is definitely a start. Language classes are not places where you just repeat como se llama? etc. There is usually some history and sociology involved to help with understanding why certain words and sentences are pronounced.

not really, i took french and igbo classes and i have little if any clue about either culture.

If you want to improve cultural awareness, invest in your museums, parks and the creative arts. If the kids are surrounded by igbo culture, then they would gravitate to it in school and anywhere they go.

The bill is a good one as I said earlier.
Some people here just ought to shatap!
American kids must take foreign language classes in school,why can't Nigerians learn their individual languages in Nigerian schools?
shouldn't this be a no brainer or are there people that see an argument in every topic?
Bawomolo ,you are Ijaw abi?
Most Ijaw kids can barely speak let alone read and write their native language yet they can blow pidgin like no man's business
Is that a good thing?
Isn't that a thing of shame?

am yoruba and not ijaw. na wa for you o.

bawomolo:

am yoruba and not ijaw. na wa for you o.

I always see you playing tag team with Ibime
Ibime ,bawomolo