In a recent interview with Tunde Kelani.tv, Sophie Oluwole, a professor of African Philosophy, said we are committing suicide, by not speaking and learning our languages.
The professor said the prevailing attitude in Nigeria is that our own languages are primitive and inferior to English. ‘‘For a long time now’’, Prof. Sophie Oluwole said, ‘‘the credibility of your being a civilised person is that you must speak English.’’
This is why in schools today, student are discouraged from speaking their language by both parents and teachers, by calling it vernacular.
Prof. Sophie Oluwole said as a student she paid fine for speaking Yoruba. And she worries that our not speaking and improving upon our own languages would continue to hinder our development. She said she does not know of any developed nation in the world where their children are educated in a foreign language.
She said even African scholars like to argue that our languages are not developed enough. One of such scholars, according to Prof. Sophie Oluwole, said the Yoruba’s do not have a word for Mathematics. And another said there is no Yoruba equivalent for Television.
The Professor showed that there is indeed a Yoruba word for Mathematics and that the Yoruba translation for Television, Amobaworun, is scientific and comprehensive as it embodies the idea of Television being a combination of audio and visual.
English, however, is important because it is Nigeria’s a lingua franca. But, it is important we do not teach our children that our languages are vernacular and primitive.
See Video Below Courtesy Tunde Kelani.tv
Thank you madam Professor! Your sentiments resonates with a number of us who are academics! Thank for raising this important issue to our consciousness once again!
Thanks to Prof and our amiable brother Tunde Kelani
My first question is for Alagba Tunde Kelani.
Cant you complete your name “TUNDE” a uyoruba name could spelt BABATUNDE =AKIN,OMO,OLATUNDE,Etc.
I almost committed SUICIDE while I was on an international conversation from DALLAS to Osogbo.
When my own DAUGHTER used an expressive Yoruba word like “DADDY E FI IYEN SILE”
This came as a surprised Yoruba expression from my my own DAUGHTER
While I was advocating and ADVISING her INSTEAD of the MONETARY TRANSFER CONTROL NUMBERS SHE WANTED TO HEAR AND WRITE DOWN.
THE FACT IS THAT I NEVER SPOKE TO RLDERS LIKE THAT.
I NEVER HEARD THE WORD’S ” E FI IYEN SILE” in YORUBA LANGUAGE’S.
Im very proud of my YORUBA LANGUAGE’S anywhere in the world.
Let’s teach our young ones.
The moral from inside to OUTSIDE.and not from outside to the inside.
Thanks to both of you.
Prof has beautifully made justice to this. Morals are well embedded in our culture and this could only be learnt in our own language and no other languages.
Let’s teach our children to speak and appreciate our indigenous language as this would go a long way to bring them up morally.