I admire the Yorubas.  They love their language and they are not ashamed to show it.  It is not uncommon to hear Yoruba in the stores, in church, in the streets or in offices.  All it takes is two Yoruba people in the same place.  I must confess it used to be a bit irritating to me back in Nigeria when you hear Yoruba in corporate offices instead of English.  However, here now, I’m more appreciative of the fact that they don’t care what other people think about them using their language to communicate (even though I still there should be a limit to it). 

The average Igbo man is different.  He wants to show he can speak English.  I’ve experienced several cases where I met another Igbo person and maybe said something in Igbo, only to be replied to in English.  We feel like speaking our language makes us ‘Igbotic’.  I have to admit that I’ve been guilty of this.  The primary language in my house growing up was Igbo, even though we started mixing it up with English as we grew older. I remember I used to feel a bit ashamed in primary school when some friends would visit and go like ‘You speak Igbo in your house?’  I don’t know why right now, but I know there was this twinge of shame.  Now, I feel totally foolish for ever feeling that way.  I am so glad I was raised in my native tongue.  It is an asset to me and part of my heritage and culture which can never be replaced.  There’s nothing like knowing how to speak another language apart from English, and which other is best to start with if not yours.  I wish I had taken my French classes in Secondary School more serious.  I always liked it in Primary School, but I had the most boring of teachers when I got into Sec. School that I totally lost interest.  I just worked hard enough to pass.  Seriously, teachers have a lot of influence on your take on a subject.  But I digress.

Back to the Yorubas.  I am yet to meet a Yoruba person who cannot speak Yoruba.  Seriously.  All the Yoruba people I know can speak, old and young, living in Nigeria or abroad.  I really don’t know how they do it.  Even those living abroad can speak almost as if they are in Nigeria.  Fine, it might not sound as ‘conk’ as the Nigerian one, it might have a bit of an accent to it (like GNG who has been murdering the language since 1979), but the bottom line is that they can communicate well in their native tongue.  Yes, I know many Igbo kids who can understand Igbo, but most of the time, they can’t speak.  My sister’s kids here in the States can understand every word you say in Igbo, but they can’t speak a word of it. I am so impressed that they understand, that’s a lot more than you can say for some kids in Nigeria who can’t even understand talk less of speak.

However, me, I want more than understanding.  I want the full communication.  Toddler munchkin is growing, and right from infancy, we’ve been speaking to her in Igbo.  All her first words were in Igbo. Sometimes, we had to repeat things we had said in English to her in Igbo for her to understand.  It was really funny.  Now that she’s growing and with programs like Dora, Sesame Street and Barney them, she’s picking up English.  She hasn’t started daycare yet, but now she’s started making full sentences, she makes them in English.  She still says some things in Igbo, but more of the time, she speaks in English.

I could just be content that she understands the language and that no one can ’sell’ her in Igbo, however I want for her to be able to express herself in Igbo too.  I always imagine scenarios where we don’t want people to know what we’re talking about.  It won’t be fully complete if she responds in English, cos people can still make out a bit of the conversation if a part of it is in English.  When the Yorubas talk, you don’t hear any single word is English.  There’s a Yoruba word for every single thing. Meen!

Anyway, what I really want to know is how the Yorubas get their little ones to speak the language.  I think the key is to insist that they reply or speak to me in my native tongue and not in English.  Is there another trick to it? Yorubas in the house, please let me know.

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