RE: STEEMIT GRAMMAR CLASS #1: SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

I understand your points and I can see how your thoughts are aligned in this matter but there is something that you have not considered.

The British in the colonisation of Nigeria used the policy of assimilation which meant the taking up of the British way of life. To achieve this, the study of the English language was encouraged. Why was this done? Because language is the vehicle with which the culture of a people is spread.

Language might not be the sum total of your cultural identity but it is the tool of your culture's preservation. It is the voice with which culture speaks.

You say you do not believe in the cultural preservation thing, I am glad for you. You are a man who looks to the future with bright eyes but I am not.

In a country with over 365 languages minus dialects, whole ethnic groups are disappearing. The thing that made them unique, their history, their philosophy, their knowledge of the earth, their stories, are going. That bothers me.

I don't want a Nigeria that speaks only English, whether it be a new type of English or not. What makes English better than my mother tongue? What attribute besides colonialism gives English the right of overlord over my language?

Thank you for clarifying the issue of Hinduism, Hindi and Hindus. Learnt something new there.

If we will not preserve aspects of our culture that is beautiful; if we will forget our people's stories, their philosophy, their art, their music, their dance, what do we have to links us to our roots.

This is not just about preservation of culture but about who we are. Why did the author of Roots seek his ancestry after so many years had passed? Why do children seek their parents?

Language keeps culture breathing and if we but could speak certain languages from the ancient world, what we would learn will be astounding and that is a damn shame.

Thank you @manouche for coming around and interacting like this. I am enjoying this interaction. This is how it is supposed to be. Peace.