Multilingualism in Nigeria. a Blessing or a Curse

Bilingual, or multilingual education as it is also known, has always been a controversial subject regarding education. Many individuals overlook the benefits encompassed, and blindly chose to ignore the legitimacy of such educational methods. Nevertheless, it is a known fact that now more than ever, it is of extreme importance that people speak more than one language, especially when regarding jobs. To further emphasize, jobs actively seek out individuals with knowledge of more than one language. Why is it then, that some states have even gone as far as outlawing bilingual education? As people of different cultural backgrounds have made new countries their homes, it became apparent that more focus should be placed on providing them equal education

The fifteenth chapter of Susan Tamasi and Lamont Antieau’s Language and Linguistic Diversity in the US is titled “Official English.” This particular chapter briefly looks into the history of linguistic laws in the United States followed by an examination of whether or not the United States should have English as its official language. Tamasi and Antieau provide multiple convincing arguments for each side of this issue, which consists of those for English as the sole language of government and those against such a measure. Overall, however, there are many underlying beliefs and nonlinguistic concepts—like national identity and history, politics, and economics—related to language and its usage in America. First of all, Tamasi and Antieau debunk

We are all members of a social group and members of `society´ as a whole. People interact in many ways and communication is just about the most common and among the most important. Whatever is meaningful to a group, from their everyday life to their traditions constitutes their very own culture and is generally respected by all group members. Language is only one of such items. For ethnic minority groups that may have a language of their own, their language is a cornerstone in their culture.

By welcoming the diverse languages and religions of the world, America is considered a melting pot of both cultural and ethnic identities. In the essay about bilingualism “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by Gloria Anzaldúa she writes, “So, if you want to really hurt me, talk badly about my language. Ethnic identity is twin skin to linguistic identity - I am my language. Until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself” (172). Anzaldúa believes that her ethnicity and language are what make her who she is. Therefore, by insulting her language, she is insulted as well. Her identity is “twin skin” with how she speaks. Linguistic identity is the ability for a person to speak freely in any language and ultimately their identity is shown through shared language. The things that define a person are their actions, their behavior, the way they walk, and the way they talk. A person’s culture has a heavy influence on their identity throughout their lives. To disrespect an important part of their culture, their language, is to disrespect the person on an extremely interpersonal level. The person would be, therefore, discouraged from speaking their native language. Anzaldúa shows that her language constitutes who she is; it binds her to the existence of her identity therefore a person’s language defines his/her identity.

How does our native language affect we think about the world and our place in it? How is speaking more than one language difficult? Tom Munnecke’s purpose was talking about how learning many languages frustrated him, and how each language frustrated him. Each of these languages he saw as “shells,” and he goes on to talk about each language and its limitations and/or opportunities. The audience for Nothing is Missing are people who are interested in learning one, or more than one, different language. This article could also apply to people who are already bilingual, or already know multiple languages. Munecke would like people who are interested in learning more than one language to know how the first language we speak affects the way we

Before we begin, it is very important to understand the difference between an official language and a standard language. An official languages is one that is adopted by the government for document and business purposes, this would be most native people’s second language; one that the government sees as advantageous and necessary. Most of the time a standard language could also be referred to as the native language; a common language that the high majority of citizens use to converse outside of the government. Currently there is a major push to be bilingual, to the point where countries are adding or changing the official language(s). Countries that were presented and are using English because of government ordained laws are Kenya, Zambia, The Bahamas, Jamaica, New Zealand, Ireland; an extremely minimalistic representation the total amount of countries with English as an official language. Almost every other country, especially China and India, have their students studying English. It is advantageous for further education, business, and

Examples of failed multi-lingual socities are witnessed around the world. India, a country of more than ten official languages, is the worst example of chaotic society and bureaucracy nightmare, regardless English is still used extensively as an official language in India. Without a single recognized common language, the government

3). In each of these orientations, bilingual education is considered as the outline or the umbrella that the three orientations come under. Richard Ruiz (1988), elaborate these orientations and explains the limitations and strengths of the views “language as a problem” and “language as a right”. Although he mentions that the orientation of “language as a resources” has its limitations too, Ruiz argues that developing such orientation and supporting it will result in more realistic attitudes towards languages and language minorities (Ruiz, 1988, p.

Learning a foreign language has always held a higher prestige than speaking one language in one’s community, where it is important to maintain one’s native language, Einar Haugen stated that, “Bilingualism has been treated as a necessary evil, a rash on the body politic, which might be expected to cure without the need of calling in the doctors…,” (Haugen, 1952, pg. 2). In the English-only outlook, English acts as a social glue that holds the nation together, in which state sponsored bilingual services removes incentives to learn English and keep immigrants out of the mainstream. It is not enough for immigrants to learn English, they must also renounce their native tongue, where in their eyes bilingualism is regarded to as divided loyalties. In reality however, bilingual education holds much academic value, where acquiring another language is regarded to as a necessity for future work, travel and personal relations. Students who are fluent in different languages work together and aid one another

As time progresses, foreign languages are being abandoned in English-speaking countries. This is because English is becoming a dominant language in international affairs. A common question has arisen because of this situation as Americans are left wondering what will become of foreign languages in the future. At this present time, monolingual English speakers are at a disadvantage. Being multilingual offers better opportunities in the working field and improves brain flexibility. On the other hand, it is understandable that it can be useless as English is becoming an international language and it is expected that people who live in America should know English already.

In life, there are many languages that everyone speaks. In fact, after interpreting the passage, “ Mother Tongue,” by Amy Tan, I’ve discovered many different ways language is interpreted as such as localized lingo , my own language Punjbialish, how others interpret their own languages, and how others speak bilingual , trilingual, and multilingual languages in everyday life. After reading the writer's article on her own experiences with languages it has opened my mind to the many different forms of languages everyone uses in this multicultural technological world we live in. First, i have noticed that most people have grown up learning bilingual, trilingual, and multilingual languages in their household.

Why should people nowadays see languages as a big prize? A person speaks more languages have more opportunities are skewed to him because he benefits the profit comparing to a person who speaks only one standard language. It is time for globalization and its effects on children for speaking other languages as a must. In two articles “Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood” by Richard Rodriguez and “Whose Voice Is It Anyway?” by Victor Villanueva, the two authors both expressed their opinions on native language and how the assimilation impacts a child. However, Rodriguez believed that the assimilation was beneficial for him as he had grown up in the English-speaking world and he disliked bilingual education which created many controversy.

Indeed, linguistic diversity is frequently perceived as a threat to national unity (Windisch, 2004). Languages may be invoked and used to signal group membership especially if groups feel that their identities are threatened; in these situations, use of a given language may constitute an act of defiance. This is observable in the histories of Catalonia and Quebec, for instance. Thus, it is unsurprising that specific programmers of language planning may be aimed at homogenizing the national group. During this process, minority languages may bestigmatised or even banned, as was the case in Franco’s Spain, where the Catalan language was formally prohibited for almost four decades (Pujol, 1996).” Also language being a marker of a nationhood, it helps marking people who claims the language. It helps with groups being threatened. “his method of attempting to establish a cohesive national identity may be detrimental for minority group identity, since an important self-aspect, namely language, is often at stake. A language may be important to a group at a symbolic level. For instance, individuals may collectively lay claim to a language, which they themselves do not speak natively, in order to assert a symbolic identity which will differentiate them from others. Welsh nationalism exemplifies this notion of symbolic identity. Although just a fifth of the population actually speaks Welsh,

The contact between languages is one of the various fields investigated by socio-linguistics. Commonly it is thought that monolingualism is the most usual linguistic behaviour but language studies disprove this belief showing that all speech communities and individuals hold a rich linguistic repertoire which may include two or more distinct languages, different varieties of the same language and a wide range of registers, styles, social codes etc.

“Unlike a drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives. Man's life is independent. He is born not for the development of the society alone, but for the development of his self”. B.R. Ambedkar, in Develop with Fact: Neutralizing the Catalysts of Downturn, p. 57. There are many different languages spoken around the world. Sometimes it can create a barrier when trying to communicate. Other times it may cause you to be judged because you have a different accent, or you use different terminology. Language can play a small role in how people’s identities are formed., The language variety that you speak as a native language is closely tied to your geographical identity.