Empowering African Languages: Rethinking the Strategies

Abstract

In the wake of the hegemonic influence of foreign languages like English and French, African languages in these modern times are being marginalized in terms of acquisition, learning and use. Drawing on the linguistic situation in southwestern Nigeria, this article sheds light on three major domains: education, religion and the media, where there is gross disuse of the indigenous language, Yoruba, in favour of English. This development creates the impression that although researchers in African linguistics have taken great strides in the description of the indigenous languages at all levels, the contributions and findings from their intellectual efforts have not imparted considerably on the larger society. As such, there seem to be missing links between linguistic theorizing/modeling in academic papers/blueprints and the trajectory of African linguistics-cum-development. To ensure the survival of African languages, this study challenges researchers in African linguistics to adopt a holistic approach which, according to Jibril (2007), should be a combination of action research, advocacy and activism.