“If you talk to a man in a language he understands,that goes to his head, if you talk to him in his language, it goes to his heart.” (Nelson Mandela).
Language, according to Oxford Advance Learner Dictionary, can be defined as a system of communication used by the people of a particular country or region in transmitting their beliefs, traditions and customs from one generation to another.
It is the way by which people communicate, build relationships and creates a sense of belonging with one another; in other words, language has often been described as a means in the reinforcement of the cultural identity of a person in representing the principles of their society.
Findings showed that the concept of Culture and language are intertwined as Culture, is often described as the way of life of a group of people in relation to their language, dressing, beliefs amongst others; the relationship between language and culture is deeply rooted.
Language is used to maintain and convey culture, cultural ties, with different ideas emanating from the different languages used within ones society starting from birth, hence giving rise to the term, ‘mothers’ language’.
The term “Mother language or tongue” refers to a person’s native language, that is, a language learnt from birth, especially what is spoken by the parents as a child’s first language which is critical to his or her identity and helps the child to value his or her cultural heritage. The term, native language or mother tongue refers to the language of one’s ethnic group rather than one’s first language.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has set aside the 21st of every February for the world to celebrate the mother language, with the aim of sustaining our native language, which is germane in the preservation of culture, as the world has turned to a global village, where many children are now being born far from their parents homeland, with only their names and that of family indicating their cultural identity.
It is pertinent for parents to understand that if children are properly nurtured to speak another language, it would be of great benefit to them throughout their lives. It will also aid them to navigate successfully, through the path of globalization, urbanization and particularly in the advent of new technologies, where traditional ways of life are becoming obsolete.
However, it is sad to note that, the mother’s language is gradually going into extinction with most of our cultural heritage and values due to various influx of modernization propelled by the advent of the social media among others that are alien to our culture.
Presently, the scenario is worsened by the erroneous position of some clime for consenting to the tagging of their native language as vernacular, a development that could be described as a recipe for cultural loss. Irrespective of our tribe or ethnic background, our native language must be preserved by speaking it for identity and development.
The importance of mother language cannot be overemphasized, as it is key to cultural development, national integration and it also prevents the extinction of indigenous language, as a matter of fact, mother tongue develops a Childs personal and social behaviour as well as interpretative skills for effective communication globally.
Furthermore, it enhances mutual understanding and a sense of respect and it has been discovered to be a powerful tool for nation building and national development.
There should therefore be an improvement in the teaching of mother language, as it will help promote native technology and invention in many areas of life, just as it brought great industrial development to the Asian Tigers.
When the native language is not maintained, important ties between family and other community members may be lost, but when we encourage the speaking of these languages, parents and the society at large are preparing the younger generations for cultural revival with the larger local society both at home and in diaspora.
Research has shown that parents who communicates in their home language can better convey cultural words of guidance, that would serve as iconic influence for their children.
This will invariably build intimacy through shared beliefs and understandings that could not be communicated effectively in a borrowed language.
Parents should make it a point of duty to use their mother’s tongue in communicating with their children at home, so as to ingrain in them the notion of taking pride in parental linage and to preserve the linguistic connections with the home country.
Experts submitted that language has been known to be mostly transmitted culturally, that is, it is learned; for example, parents to children while culture as a whole is transmitted very largely through Indigenous Language.
In sustaining our cherished indigenous mothers tongue, all stakeholders, Government and parents in the educational sector should jointly put in place measures that will encourage students to build and develop academic skills in learning their home language during school hours, just as we have the Yoruba language not only inculcated into schools curriculum in the state but also made compulsory from the primary level to secondary.
School owners should be sensitized on the importance of the mother language and should not indulge in discouraging or erasing the speaking of mother tongue from the younger generations by calling it a foul or vernacular language.
To this end, language policy makers should ensure that policies must be formed not only to promote national ideology, but also to celebrate local languages.
Although, policies of this kind should not degrade other languages by placing them on lower level of importance, But the Policies should incorporate the learner’s first language, into communal acceptance so as to create better cultural understanding and societal development.
UNESCO themed this years celebration Fostering Multiligualism for Inclusion in Education and Society, in order to promote the preservation and protection of all indigenous languages used by people all over the world and to promote the awareness of language and cultural diversity in the society through education, as language till date still remains the most powerful way to preserve and develop culture and to promote it globally .
If language is extincted, culture would phase out and nothing to show or bequeath to the younger generations.
In cognisance of the inexhaustible values inherent in mother tongue for cultural development, the present administration in Ogun State under Governor Dapo Abiodun has put in place measures to revitalize the rich cultural heritage of the State by promoting various programmes which include the inclusion of cultural day, into the States schools curriculum from the nursery to secondary stage.
This day, tagged “Yoruba day” is set aside for the celebration of our rich cultural values, in which all students and teacher alike dress in full Yoruba regalia, learning are done in the native language for that day, while students will also showcase various Yoruba poetry, drama and traditional cuisines all in a bid to impart them with the knowledge of generations of who and what they are, particularly their history, culture and heritage that must be preserved.
Also, the Ogun State House of Assembly as part of its efforts in promoting the native language, has set aside a day of the week to speak and carry out all preceedings and plenary sessions in Yoruba language.
Conclusively, as the government is playing its part to preserve the mother tongue, all stakeholders should endeavour to promote it and erase the notion of refering to it as a second language.
Akinpelu Olufunmilola, writes from Abeokuta, Ogun State.
