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Language In Africa

How would you answer a first language speaker of an African Language who says that African languages are inferior to international languages like English, French, Portugese or Arabic?

This is a legitimate and significant question faced by students, scholars, government officials and individuals working for the protection, development and recognition of African languages and cultures. First-language speakers of African languages have faced unrivalled oppression of their cultures and languages and an unyielding and merciless assault on their traditional ways of life for a period lasting at least between 500-6000 years. Professor Marimba Ani calls this conservative estimation of the genocide of 500-600 million Africans (in Kiswahili) the Maafa or loosely translated as ‘the terrible thing’! It is this very factor (loose translation) that makes it very clear that despite it’s strengths, there are many weaknesses and areas for development not only within English and the other so called ‘international’ languages but, as is so readily highlighted about Africa’s diverse array of verbal expression, within all human language. To a speaker of Kiswahili or to the African mind that is aware of and/or fighting its oppression the significance of this term will be greatly enhanced.

To many Africans both on the continent and in the Diaspora, regardless of whether they speak Kiswahili or not, who are unaware of their condition and/or the need for Africans to speak of our-story from our own perspective and in our own tongues, this term will not hold the same level of esteem as for example the holocaust. Those who consider themselves to be Jewish, like the majority of the Western world, consider the actions of Adolf Hitler and the horrors of the concentration camps such a significant incident that they should be remembered and acknowledged by not only Jewish peoples. The Zionists used their monopoly of the world’s media and their economic, political and military might to forcibly create the state of Israel (which many observers consider to be illegal) and make sure that every year this matter is remembered with the reverence they feel it deserves. Why is this important to African language speakers? What does Hebrew have to do with Kiswahili or Wolof? Throughout their history Jews have considered themselves an oppressed people and in the event of the genocide of an estimated 2-6 million Jews and the subsequent world war, through the use of the Hebrew language and ancient writings in it, a movement based upon these ideals and ideologies (what they consider to be their writings(language)) was created that mobilised Jewish people all over the world to take part in the mass migration to the “promised land”. Would this revolution and unification have been possible without a Jewish identity? Would it have been possible without a language and teaching that all Jewish people are proud of and is, most importantly, more relevant to those who consider themselves Jewish than any other peoples on this planet? I say not.

The implications of this discourse are so significant and the scope so extensive that a comprehensive articulation, appraisal and/or rebuttal of all relevant issues that may be raised at this time will not be possible due to the limited word count available in this essay. What I have shown is not merely a form of verbal communication but it is a tool for both mobilisation and/or enslavement, it is within the framework of human society as a whole, a tool for both inspiration and degradation. I will show that language is culture and vice versa; that a nations language is like a nations cultural mirror in that its likes, dislikes, taboos, norms (to name a few) and, most importantly, it’s worldview are reflected in the lexicon, semantics, morphology, syntax, etc of their language.

It is important that all Africans, first-language speakers or not, remember that all notions of inferiority and superiority are in fact subjective. To accept that your language is inferior to another’s (especially those of your enemies, exploiters and oppressors) is to accept that your culture and ultimately that you are inferior to the other. Unless a people’s language, cultures, customs and traditions are valued, developed and protected by its self-designated guardians and keepers, its users, it is open to what we see happening within and to Africa and Africans world-wide. That is, the systematic and wholesale destruction, plagiarism and, more often than not, blatant theft of the African people (mind, body and soul), their teachings, resources and most destructively, their way of life or worldviews. Because the transmission of language is principally via a cultural medium its uses are multi-faceted. This is common throughout human language as a whole and is not something unique to neither African nor Imperial languages. The same conclusion would be the upshot of an analysis, observation and linguistic diagnosis of the other aspects that make up human language. I will however cover some of the main points that could be argued for and against my assertion for example, the fact that African languages are backwards, simplistic and primitive when held in comparison to what I will refer to henceforth as the Imperialists’ languages as opposed to the misleading notion that the ex-colonial languages are the only or most important International languages. I will look in brief at the impact of the colonial and neo-colonial language policies of the Western powers on the psyche and self-esteem of the typical African, and show “how Europe underdeveloped Africa” as Walter Rodney would put it.

We must look at the language policies of the proxy governments and illegal states that epitomize both colonial and “post-independence” Africa and how they assist the Western world in the wholesale theft of Africa’s resources by reducing to servitude and disengaging, the masses (who (in theory) the governments are there to protect) from their own (despite the fact that this western version of democracy was imposed upon them) political/governance process. It is essential to emphasise the unparalleled gravity and scope of this situation to the cognitively conditioned African mind, as the consequences for the Africans who, for the sake of favour within the oppressors eyes, either willingly or forcibly discard their cultures and heritage that are embodied within/as their languages.

When looking at human language from a descriptive linguistic perspective it is often argued and taught by Western educated academics both on the continent and in the western societies that African languages are primitive and backward or too simplistic to be applied to administration or to be used to teach or engage in intellectual debates in complex oratory and literary disciplines for example philosophy and engineering. This argument however falls flat in the face of the still unexplained feats of ancient African civilizations like those of Kemet, Ethiopia, Mali and even more recently studied groups like the Dogon. The objective study of language and life shows one inescapable factor, this is change. According Jon fry of the San Jose State university that, whether we like it or not, language, like all things in existence is “slowly but constantly changing.” The morphology and lexicon will vary from language to language and over a period of time yetIt has been attempted to be shown that African languages, like her cultures are, by their nature, inherently inferior to those of the colonisers. It has been argued and negated that these “primitive cultures spoke primitive languages with no grammar, few sounds and a small vocabulary,” and would therefore be inferior in the areas that linguists have observed human language to be used for. In fact the foundations for the primitive vs. noble classical idioms can be illustrated to a greater extent; “But what does their language on close inspection prove? In every case what they are themselves, the remnant and ruin of a better and nobler past. Fearful indeed is the impress of degradation which is stamped on the language of the savage.” – R. Trench, Archbishop of Dublin, 1851

The racism of this ordained clergyman and that which he describes is certainly not unique, yet speaks volumes of the social conditioning and attitudes to all things African especially when compared to particular socially accepted languages (usually classical Arabic, Greek, Latin, or Sanskrit) which are popularly held up as models of beauty, grace, clarity, or logic. These are areas far beyond the realms of simplistic communication or the giving, receiving and seeking information; they are in areas like asserting identity, expressing emotions, exercising social authority, phatic communication and creativity.

African languages vary tremendously but like all human languages that exist, there are common threads that bond and associate them together in terms that are easily identifiable to the linguist who takes an objective or descriptive approach to their work. Some of these common factors include the fact that every known language has a complex grammar system, although it’s complexities in one area may allow for simplicity in another for example affixes and word order. The American Imperialist Ronald Reagan in speaking of the Russian language once said “I’ve been told that in the Russian language there isn’t even a word for freedom.” This idea that because a language lacks an equivalent word it’s speakers cannot grasp a concept has been put forward on many occasions however it is clearly false as is shown through the notion of the ‘the infinite use of finite means.’ P Shlenker goes on to explain that “any speaker in principle can construct an infinite number of sentences.” This miracle of language is the same for the speakers of African languages and those of the imperialists. He explains “The key is that speakers know (a finite number of) rules, which can be applied repeatedly to form an infinite number of sentences. To this day, no primitive languages have been found whether in comparison to the Imperialistic languages of today, the ancient tongues or the current languages of Africa. Furthermore, there is not in existence any objective method or measure for the calculation or assessment of any particular language in aesthetic, literary, philosophical, religious or cultural terms.

Although as you may witness even in comparison between one Imperialist language and another; each one may, and more likely will be stronger in certain areas than others. However these differences don't make English inferior to French, German or Mandarin; in fact it is a reflection of the social diversity that exists within humanity and characterizes the outlook, likes, dislikes, history, movement, social boundaries and lifestyle of a particular group of people. The American linguist Edward Sapir and his pupil Benjamin Lee Whorf attempted to articulate this subjectivity of language and to encapsulate this link to our thought process in what has become known as the Benjamin-Whorf hypothesis. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis combines two principles; 1) Language determines how we think (linguistic determinism), 2) That distinctions encoded within one language are not found in another (linguistic relativity). Like all things, ultimately, language and thought are interdependent. The same reasoning must therefore apply to the analysis and assessment of African languages. When examined closely and truthfully, the idea that African languages are inferior to those of the Imperialists in these areas fall flat in the face of Hausa & Somali poetry. They do not stand up to scrutiny in the face of the Mdw Ntr (hieroglyphics) or the Meroitic texts still yet to be fully deciphered.

The real issue is not whether African language and culture is inferior to those of the Imperialists! It is whether we as Africans still value our ancestors and traditions they have passed on to us. The French value their language and culture to the extent that they, (although to this day they are still colonial and imperialist perpetrators) feel that it is necessary to setup prestigious Academies in order to protect their language and prescriptive standards from the inevitable change they see as “decay.” This is not exclusive to the French Academie Francaise, the Italians set up the Accademia della Crusca in 1582 to do the same job and the list goes on. This justified or unjustified perceived need for language protection is further illustrated in that for instance, in 2000, China officially banned the use of foreign words, as well as the “misuse ofChinese (p. 2)”. In the United States, voters passed Proposition 227 in California and Proposition 203 in Arizona, eliminating bilingual education programs ! Even amongst Western language the threat of language decay is there as exemplified by the fact that in August 2000 the Polish Language Council outlawed commercial use of the words supermarket, club, and plaza !

There is no doubt that African languages do need development. The necessary growth and expansion however will only return through a complete restoration of their use and prestige within African politics, education and wider society. Kembo-sure and Webb spoke of “the grip ex-colonial languages have on African people” and this astute observation exceeds the form of simply social commentary but it is in fact a reflection of the Imperial language policies adopted within the areas earlier highlighted like administration, politics, higher-education and other things that will have you earning a relatively good wage. These policies have been a major factor that has caused, benefited from and assisted with the development of, the irrational concept of inferiority and superiority within languages. It, alongside the colonial theft and brutality, disastrous land management and policies, and more recent economic factors like the Structural Adjustment Programs, fictional debts, “free-trade” and countless other reprehensible actions and policies of the World Bank, IMF, WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO and the UN has caused many of the disenchanted and disillusioned African masses to prescribe to the absurd notion that in order to be “successful” or in order to have a good job and do well in life their should be taught and be affluent in one of the Imperialists languages. Success, however, is subjective.

The British Sociological Association , BSA, admits that “the BSA is a predominantly white organisation existing within a national culture which has evolved out of and still embodies many racist ideologies” and agree that “a great deal of further work needs to be done.” Nevertheless, they have acknowledged that there is a “racist” problem within Western or at least British society and it’s entire construction. To overlook these intricate and inevitably problematic facts would be to shore up the ideologies from whence they came. Although more must be done, the BSA and other organisations that take a stance of opposition to “any form of racial prejudice or discrimination and any racist practice or racist use of language taking place within its jurisdiction” can be used as an example of what needs to be done within the attitudes of wider Western society, governments and International organisations. A wholistic approach must be taken to the analyses and subsequent policies that must be formed by the African people. This must include the racist nature of the very existence of the vast majority of the states and borders that exist within Africa today. Joshua Fishman’s pioneering views of language policy attempt to address this and Chhuon and Kwon in their review of his book Language Policy state that Bernard Polsky adopts this approach on p.133 of his book which is that;

“former colonies that lack a “consensual single great tradition” at the time of independence will continue to use the colonial language as the national language while a former colony with more defined traditions will seek to utilize the associated indigenous language.”

Although I do not agree entirely with this over-simplistic explanation for that which is very complex I cannot expound on these issues in this essay. Although I do not agree entirely with this over-simplistic explanation for that which is very complex I cannot expound on these issues in this essay. Ultimately it is the responsibility of Africans and Africans alone to ensure the survival, use and prestige of African languages amongst her peoples throughout this planet. Until this recognised and executed the evident and accelerating decay of African cultures, her people and languages will continue until their predictably tragic, inevitable yet unnecessary and untimely demise.





Bibliography

Webb, Vic and Kembo-Sure, 2000, African Voices: an introduction to the languages and linguistics of Africa, Oxford : Oxford University Press.

Heine, Bernd and Derek Nurse, eds., 2000, African Languages: an introduction, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Holmes, Janet, 2001, An Introduction to Sociolinguistics, 2nd ed., London: Longman.

Aitchison, Jean, 2003, Teach Yourself Linguistics, 6th ed., London: Hodder Headline.

Rules of Language: Description vs. Prescription, www.linguistics.ucla.edu/people/schlenker/LING1-06-LN-1A.pdf http://www.socresonline.org.uk/info/antirac.html Vichet Chhuon and Melissa Kwon. (2007). Review: Language Policy by Bernard Spolsky. InterActions: UCLA Journal of Education and Information Studies. Vol. 3, Issue 1, Article 14. http://repositories.cdlib.org/gseis/interactions/vol3/iss1/art14

www.sjsu.edu/faculty/fry/101/popular.pdf John Fry, San Jose State University, Popular ideas about language.

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