The ROLE of language in national unity
Language plays a very important role in any human community: school, company, organization, group, home, etc. the language of any human society says a lot about that society, therefore it can be further emphasized that language and any human society are inseparable. In any human society, language occupies a very important place, more than it seems to everyone. Language functions in any human community include the following; expression of thoughts, political, administrative, educational, social, religious, legislative, etc.
However, we will use Nigeria as a case study. The goal of any human community is to have peace and unity, many nations in the world today are facing varying degrees of conflict, and Nigeria is sadly one of those countries. This document is intended to examine the role that language should play in achieving national unity in Nigeria. People have in the past expressed their various views on the meaning of language.
A lecturer of mine, Professor Fakuade.G. He said and I quote, “language is the faithful mirror of society” in other words a language is what shows the true nature of any society. This implies that what a language should do in any society is reflect to the world what that society is about. The language of any society, therefore, must give us a perfect knowledge of what that society is and what it includes; culture, beliefs, dress, marriage and any other sociolinguistic information about society. The language is also supposed to be seen as the symbol of a nation, just like the flag, anthem, currency, etc. in other words, language should be the window through which people can view society.
As seen by Bamgbose, English is the language of integration in Nigeria, amidst the compound complexities of Nigeria, especially regarding the language issue, the only language that indicates the spirit of union is English. This clearly shows that so far in Nigeria, the English language has played a very important role in keeping Nigeria together as a unified nation. Amidst our cultural diversities and differences in beliefs, the English language has still played an important role in holding Nigeria together and since it is the connection between the various ethnic groups that exist in Nigeria, one cannot fail to give it that edge. into English to keep us together. far. Of the more than 500 languages that we have in Nigeria, we still have a link and that link is nothing more than English, it has served as a means of communication between the different tribes in Nigeria.
Of all the heritage that the British left in Nigeria at the end of the colonial administration, probably none is more important than the English language. It is now the language of government, business and commerce, education, the media, literature, and many internal and external communications. Bamboo (1971)
As the Language of Wider Communication (LWC), English is used for phatic communion, ceremonial purpose, and the instrument for record keeping, information dissemination, self-experience, and thought embodiment among the various language groups in Nigeria. The common linguistic basis that is a prerequisite for the existence of any nation is provided by English. Thus, with English as the common language of all ethnic groups, the collective feeling of belonging is forged despite individual or ethnic differences.
It is obvious that the language that has held Nigeria together to date has largely been the English language, handed down to us by our colonial masters and it has played that role well so far. In our day-to-day official communication, it has greatly improved the relationship that existed between the various ethnic groups that we have here in Nigeria. An Igbo man who has never been to the western part of the country nor understands Yoruba will definitely see English as the best medium to express his emotion, thought or whatever he has to say in such a situation.
Another area where the language has been helpful in keeping us together in Nigeria is in the academic area, this is because, to a large extent, it helped to bridge the gap between rich and poor, privileged and less privileged. Thus, we have English as the link between the upper class and the lower class in Nigeria.
In religion, the important role that language plays in various religious gatherings can never be overstated; English has served as a means of communication, therefore bringing people together under the same umbrella. Many religious gatherings in Nigeria use English to carry out proceedings and of course it has contributed significantly to peaceful coexistence in our beloved country. Although, we have had several religious disputes and have had a conflict at one point or another.
However, as we have previously noted the various roles of English in achieving and maintaining national unity, I think it would have been better if the role that English has played up to now had been done by an indigenous language, this is not intended. or trying to disrespect the English language, has contributed greatly to the national unity of Nigeria. But inside I am convinced that the situation would have been better if that position had been occupied by a language that was truly ours; if the language had been made at home.
The misrepresentation of ideas and expressions is one of the main reasons for conflict that we have around the world today, caused by the use of words / expressions, where intentional ideas have been presented incorrectly. You can never reach the level of proficiency that a native speaker would reach in your language and this has caused many people what they never expected, it has sent many to their eternal grave. A man’s language is seen as the tool that helps him express his thoughts, unfortunately for a man, by using another man’s language, which is said to be his L2; manages to misrepresent his ideas. In such a situation, he uses a word out of context and some people might be so sensitive to the use of the word. Many of the conflicts and ethnic disputes that we have had in the past could have been noticed if our official language had been an indigenous language. The reason is that many people have orally misrepresented their ideas, views and intentions due to their low level of competence, they have chosen the wrong word at the wrong time, and this has led to unhappy testimonials. We have chosen English as our ‘official day-to-day language’ for operation and activities and this has led to a situation where our indigenous languages take a back seat. The English language is the key to any important door, no one who cannot communicate in the English language is expected to hold an important position in any organization.
The New International Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary of The English Language (encyclopedic edition), defines language as the expression and communication of emotions or ideas between human beings by means of speech and hearing, the spoken or heard sounds being systematized and confirmed by use. between a given people during a given period of time.” From the above point of view, it suggests that a language is supposed to communicate the inner (original) idea and express what a particular speaker has inside. But this is not always the case. in the case where a particular speaker is not proficient in the language he is using as a medium of communication at a given time, for example, a Hausa man who wants to communicate with a Yoruba or an Igbo man will have to use English where his level competence is low compared to your L1, there is a likely possibility that this person misrepresents some of your intentions during the communication and that the other part do not take it as probable. and could lead to a conflict between them. In such a case, would it be said that language has been able to play its role well? This has definitely not justified the meaning of language and the essence of communication.
The way in which a particular thought is conveyed is very important during communication; therefore, the essence of any communication is to accurately present the inner idea of a speaker. Many Nigerians think of their TM and try to communicate their intentions in English and in some cases the ideas have been misrepresented, they do not have the correct word to represent their thoughts. The situation is not the same when the interlocutors are of the same ethnic origin and both have adequate knowledge of the language.
Where there is a similar linguistic background and better understanding (and the decoding of ideas is accurate), there will be a reduction in the level of conflict that we have in Nigeria. We could get our version of the English language, Pidgin English. I believe this will go a long way in reducing the level of recurring conflict in our beloved country, Nigeria. Since the source of most of these conflicts has been the way our various ideas have been incorrectly expressed or interpreted, we must seek a better form of communication and this is why I believe everyone has a role to play. We should start looking for a better way to express ourselves and avoid unnecessary conflict when using a language that we are not reaching an encouraging level of proficiency, and work on our communication skills.
To this end, please allow the federal government to seek the advice of a language expert on how to achieve this goal, and give this course your full attention. May all well meaning Nigerians come together and see how we can explore and exploit the richness of our language as we move towards national unity. And make all Nigerians realize that language can play more than the role of communication. Let’s review our language policy in another way to avoid the death of our language, which is our symbol.
It is urgent that we start seeing language as a vital agent of unity in our beloved country Nigeria and start seeing how we can use this tool as an agent of unity to make Nigeria a more unified country and set aside all ethnicities and tribal differences. Language is a tool that can be used in our search for national unity and must be handled with total commitment and seriousness. Every Nigerian should start thinking and see how the language can contribute to the growth of the giant of Africa.
Our culture is embedded in our language. Let’s embrace our language with enthusiasm and pride and promote what we have together and then our differences will be a thing of the past. This is a call for national unity, but this time it comes through an unpopular medium, let’s use this valuable tool of ours for a Nigeria. Language has a very important role to play in our search for national unity. Let’s embrace it as we have done with football. Language has a vital role to play in our search for national unity.