INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE REVITALIZATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: IGBO LANGUAGE IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Abstract

Language is endangered when it is on the path towards extinction. This occurs when its speakers cease to use, reduce its communication use or fail to pass it on from one generation to another. Language revitalization efforts are rooted in the community initiatives, investment and commitment. Igbo language can be said to be in danger since majority of the young generation cannot speak or write Igbo. Revitalization of the indigenous languages will help to reduce underdevelopment in most spheres of life. Most countries like China that use their mother tongue for all communicative purposes are progressing more than their counterparts because it fosters intellectual development. The question now is how can the Igbos effectively initiate processes that will consequently revitalize the language for sustainable development? Data for the research was collected from children living in the urban and rural areas of Igbo community. Data analysis was done using descriptive method and the researcher’s intuitive knowledge of Igbo language.Findings reveal that causes of language endangerment are mostly political and educational subjugation, government control, people’s negative attitude toward their language and so on. Moreover, children in the rural area speak and write Igbo language more effectively than those in the urban areas. This suggests that Igbo language is more endangered in the urban areas than in the rural areas. It was recommended that parents should speak Igbo to their children. School administrators and teachers should also stop the syndrome of no speaking of vernacular and obey the Nigerian policy on education which stipulates that the medium of instruction for the first three years in primary schools should be principally the mother tongue or the language of the immediate community. Government should restructure school language curriculum to favour the learning of the indigenous languages in all levels of education.