Babatope Babalobi

WENTY nine Nigerian minor languages had become extinct, while another 29  minor languages  are in danger of extinction.  Three Nigeria’s major languages -Yoruba, Igbo, and Ishekiriare also endangered, according to studies by United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), and views expressed by language teachers,  and linguists.

In 2006, UNESCO reportedly predicted the Igbo language spoken in the south-eastern Nigeria by over 20 million people may become extinct in the next 50 years. In 2017, Dahunsi Akinyemi, a language teacher and author of Ede Yoruba ko Gbodo Ku (Yoruba Language Must Not Die),  posited that the Yoruba language could die out in 20 years or less, lamenting that many Yoruba children cannot pronouce ‘Mo je jeun’ (I want to eat) in their mother tongue. A study by Oti (2014) points to the extinction of Ishekiri language in the next 50 years, while the Linguistic Association of Nigeria (LAN) reporteddly said unless proactive steps were taken, more than 50 minority languages in the country might become extinct in a few years.

The nine local languages that had become extinct as  listed by National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) are Ajawa spoken in present day Bauchi, Basa-Gumna of Niger state, Auyokawa used to be spoken in Jigawa State, Gamo-Ningi- aKainji dialect in Bauchi state,Homa of Adamawa State, Kubi of Bauchi State, Kpati formerly spoken in Taraba State, Odut used to be spoken inOdukpani area of Cross River State, and  Teshenawa formerly spoken in Jigawa State.

Roger Blench in ‘Atlas of Nigerian Languages’, 2012 listed 12 languages (including two in the NCAC’s list) as extinct. These are Ashaganna; Fali of Baissaspoken by a few individuals on the Falinga Plateau in southern Taraba State; Shirawa;Auyokawa; Kpati; Taura; Bassa-Kontagora (only  10 speakers of Bassa-Kontagora  were alive in 1987;Lufu; Ajanci, a north Bauchi language; Akpondu,  had no competent speakers in 1987; Buta-Ningi, an East Kainji language, had no remaining speakers in 1990; and Holma, had only 4 aged speakers in 1987.

About 29 local languages  in Nigeria are endangered, according to UNESCO Interactive Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, that tracks all world languages based on five criteria: safe, vulnerable, definetely endangered, severely endagered, critically endagered, and extinct.

Nigeria’s ‘Vulnerable’ langaugespoken by most children, but restricted to certain domains are Bade, Reshe, Gera, and Reshe language.‘Definitely endangered’’-children no longer learn the language as mother tongue in the home are Polci cluster, and Duguza language.“Critically” endangeredlanguages in Nigeria that the youngest speakers are grandparents and older, and they speak the language partially and infrequently are Akum, Bakpinka, Defaka, Dulbu, Gyem,Ilue,Jilbe, Kiong, Kudu-Camo, Luri, Mvanip, Sambe, Somyev, and Yangkam language.

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“Severely” endangeredlanguage that are spoken by grandparents and older generations, while the parent generation may understand it, they do not speak it to children or among themselves include Gurdu-Mbaaru, Fyem, Geji cluster, Gura, Gurdu-Mbaaru, Hya, Kona, Ndunda and Ngwaba language.

Nigeria is multilingual, thought he exact number of local or indigenous languages spread over its about 250 ethnic groups is not known, butvariously estimated at between 350-550.Nigeria has major and minor languages, intertwined by dialects. According to Ethnologue, an annual publication on the world’s languages, 517 different languages are spoken in Nigeria.Nigeria multilingual diversity reflects in the heterogeneity of the languages spoken in most of the states, as only few states such as Kano, Anambra, Imo, Oyo, Osun and Ekiti are predominantly monolingual.

Hausa, lgbo, Yoruba are the three major languages spoken predominantly in the North, South East, and South West respectively. Other major languages are Fulani/Fulfulde, Kanuri, Efik/lbibio; Tiv, ljaw, Edo, Ishekiri, Urhobo, Idoma, Igala, Isoko, Fulani, andEkweres.Each of the major languages have distinctive dialects- Yoruba dialects include Ijesa, Ijebu, Egba, Awori, Ekiti, Ondo, Akoko, Ikale, Owo, and Oyo. The Igbos have an extreme dialect diversity ranging from the central/standard Igbo (Igbo Izugbe), to other forms-Owerri (Isuama), Umuahia (Ohuhu) dialects, Awka, Anambra, Onicha, Udi, Nsukka, Orlu, and phereipheral Igboland dialects such as IkwerreIzzi-Ezaa-Ikwo and Ika and Ukuanni.

Apart from these major local languages there are three other languages widely spoken in Nigeria. These are English, Arabic, and Pidgin. Christians may also wish to add a spiritual language-Speaking in tongues, a fad in Pentecostal churches. English was a left-over of British colonialism, Arabic was spread, particularly in the North through the Usman Dan Fodio Jihad of the 19th century.  Pidgin is neither a local nor foreign language but emerged as an adulteration of English language by native speakers, while speaking in tongues is imported from the spirit realm!

English language majorly spoken throughout the South has achieved predominance as Nigeria’s official national language.The relatively higher rate of illiteracy in the North has however hindered the onslaught of the English language as Hausa is still widely spoken in rural and urban communities, expect the multilingualSabogari areas. Many homes in Nigeria, particularly in the South are English speaking. In almost allurban homes in the south, children and adults don’t greet themselves in the native tongue. Good morninghas replaced E kaaro in Yoruba, Ina Kwana in Hausa, and Ututuoma in Igbo. It is ridiculous that most new generation yoruba children, particualy those in urban areas cannotphonetically pronounce their Yoruba names or states of origin correctly. Asking new generation children to speak the local dialect, is stretching  a joke too far.

English language has its own advantages. Apart from being a global language, it is also unifying in a multilingual culture. However, no serious people or nation relegates its mother tongue in preference for a foreign language. Oti (2014) listed causes of local language regression in Nigeria to include mixed linguistic ecology of urban towns forcing residents of different linguistic background to speak a common language such as Pidgin or English,  and  inter lingual marriages forcing parents to speak a common language rather than indigenous languages to their children. The future of Nigeria local languages lies with the speakers. There is an option of selling our language birth right for a mess of English pottage in the manner of biblical Esau, there is the second option of reviving it and preserving its heritage. If parents refuse to speak their native languages to their children, of course the next generation will not speak it to their offspring, leading to extinction of these local languages within the next two to three generations As Uzochukwu (2001) submitted, we cannot achieve economic prosperity and technological breakthrough in foreign language. What is the way forward towards reclaining local languages in the lingusitic space?

Babalobi  is a Doctorate researcher, Department of Health, University of Bath, UK