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Post by Ogbeni Ogunnaike on Jan 19, 2016 21:41:23 GMT
Egun also known as Gu or Ogu is one of the Gbe languages, and it is spoken in the Badagry - Seme area of Lagos state and the Ipokia, Yewa, Tube, Ijofin area of Ogun state, from struggling to survive, the angage is moving closer to a gradual death. Initially most of the Population became bilingual in both Ogu and Yoruba. These days however, a lot of the younger generation are no longer able to speak the language, and it seems the line of language transmission from Adults to new members of their society has been broken.
Sentiments towards the use of the language are changing, as the language is now seen as backward and uncivilized compared to Yoruba, and with its use comes an accompanying baggage of some sort of "savagery" or "bushness". Even among those who still speak the language, an increasing part of their vocabulary is being replaced by Yoruba words. Gungbe has an estimated total number of 700,000 speakers, about half (350,000) of which are on the Nigerian side of the border, the other half live in Benin, around Porto Novo and its environs. (Lewis et al 2013).
As a minority language that is spoken by less than 5% of Lagos State’s population, Gungbe has the unique status of being the only Kwa language in Nigeria. Yorùbá, which is one of the official recognised national languages is the dominant host language spoken in Badagry.
From a survey taken on the Individual linguistic repertoire of languages in the town of badagry, the following were observed:
At a recent book launch for the Gungbe language (the second only such book in the history of the language), if attendance of the event was anything to go by, it shows that attitudes of the people towards the language still haven;t changed. As an attendee put it:
"Ogu is dying because the children now speak Yoruba; Yoruba is corrupting the language.” |
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Post by Ogbeni Ogunnaike on Jan 19, 2016 21:43:55 GMT
Shymmex, Interloper, iyalode, Moffy, OmoOba, Iya Niyen!, Omoluabi, dansoye1, Belmot, osoronga, Omo Oba of the Source, Her Highness, IrekeOnibudo, ioannes, laudate, oduabachanal, stblack, zaynie, Honorebu, ilaje2015, omohayek, AgbongboAkala, Ogbeni Ogunnaike, aparo, black, colonial pikin, skylar, cocoafarmer, missy89, ibk, Merchantt, lontoro, isalegangan, yorumigrant, ajanaku, sholeybanty, ayodejilara, oloyesaso, sakur, ritchiee, mignone, honeychild, Short_Biscuit, amorere, donphilosophy, governor, irewande, isholapecham, ola, olugbenga86, taiwo, loadofs, ijeshaboy, tomtoxic, imodoye, camronaija, ayekooto, dehinde, fado, scully95, tunde, ayo, omoba, tallwolleh, mankind, anago, egbaknight, oduastates, atandaniyi, ayxmania, What do you all feel about this? Would you advocate programmes aimed towards the revival of Egun in Ogun and Lagos states?
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Post by Honorebu on Jan 19, 2016 21:57:38 GMT
They should integrate the language into the curriculum of the schools around that area
Also, I remember them complaining that they're being marginalized.They even came out
to say they're not Yorubas that they want to join their kith and kin in Benin republic
If they feel that's the only way for them to reclaim their identity, why not let them go
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Post by IrekeOnibudo on Jan 19, 2016 21:58:35 GMT
Shymmex , Interloper , iyalode , Moffy , OmoOba , Iya Niyen! , Omoluabi , dansoye1 , Belmot , osoronga , Omo Oba of the Source , Her Highness , IrekeOnibudo , ioannes , laudate , oduabachanal , stblack , zaynie , Honorebu , ilaje2015 , omohayek , AgbongboAkala , Ogbeni Ogunnaike , aparo , black , colonial pikin , skylar , cocoafarmer , missy89 , ibk , Merchantt , lontoro , isalegangan , yorumigrant , ajanaku , sholeybanty , ayodejilara , oloyesaso , sakur , ritchiee , mignone , honeychild , Short_Biscuit , amorere , donphilosophy , governor , irewande , isholapecham , ola , olugbenga86 , taiwo , loadofs , ijeshaboy , tomtoxic , imodoye , camronaija , ayekooto , dehinde , fado , scully95 , tunde , ayo , omoba , tallwolleh , mankind , anago , egbaknight , oduastates , atandaniyi , ayxmania , What do you all feel about this? Would you advocate programmes aimed towards the revival of Egun in Ogun and Lagos states? While advocacy of any sort would have to be led by native-Egun speakers, any such endeavour can count on my full support. |
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Post by Ogbeni Ogunnaike on Jan 19, 2016 22:08:15 GMT
They should integrate the language into the curriculum of the schools around that area
Also, I remember them complaining that they're being marginalized.They even came out
to say they're not Yorubas that they want to join their kith and kin in Benin republic
If they feel that's the only way for them to reclaim their identity, why not let them go I don't want to sound sour, but their kith and Kin in Benin (Dahomey) did the exact same thing to our very own brethren in Benin (Yorubas). I mean marginalization. Just that their own situation is more dire with regards to language and they are more of a minority in Nigeria, whereas, the Yorubas in Benin at least carry some political and cultural weight. Having the original Yorubas of towns like Savalou (originally Shebelu) have lost their culture, having their Oba being replaced by an Aholu during the Fon slave raids of the 18th and 19th centuries. Is Karma being a bitch? |
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Post by omohayek on Jan 19, 2016 22:14:36 GMT
What do you all feel about this? Would you advocate programmes aimed towards the revival of Egun in Ogun and Lagos states? Only if it doesn't require any government funding. If Egun speakers care enough about the language to preserve it, they can pay for after-school teachers or such-like out of their own pockets. Even Yoruba is having a difficult time as it is, let alone a language whose total population is less than half a single Lagos suburb. When I see Yoruba being taught properly in primary and secondary schools, and Yoruba-language literature flourishing in both physical form and online, then I might consider the possibility of lending support to Egun, but not before. Let me add that I have nothing against Egun or other minority languages: I just don't think it's worth imposing the extra burden of teaching them on taxpayers, when even the majority language is not being supported properly. |
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Post by ajanaku on Jan 20, 2016 4:31:51 GMT
They should integrate the language into the curriculum of the schools around that area
Also, I remember them complaining that they're being marginalized.They even came out
to say they're not Yorubas that they want to join their kith and kin in Benin republic
If they feel that's the only way for them to reclaim their identity, why not let them go Did they actually come out to say they are not Yorubas? ...just wondering how a non-Yoruba tribe could find itself in Lagos and Ogun states.
Ibo ni wọn ti wa gan?Who knows their history? Where did they migrate from? |
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Post by Honorebu on Jan 20, 2016 5:15:57 GMT
They should integrate the language into the curriculum of the schools around that area
Also, I remember them complaining that they're being marginalized.They even came out
to say they're not Yorubas that they want to join their kith and kin in Benin republic
If they feel that's the only way for them to reclaim their identity, why not let them go Did they actually come out to say they are not Yorubas? ...just wondering how a non-Yoruba tribe could find itself in Lagos and Ogun states.
Ibo ni wọn ti wa gan?Who knows their history? Where did they migrate from?
general consensus tho because that statement was made by the leader of one of their groups and we can't take the opinion of a group of people as the general
consensus
As for their history, I think there are different schools of thought on this issue but the most generally accepted one is this |
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Post by Honorebu on Jan 20, 2016 5:22:45 GMT
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Post by Shymmex on Jan 20, 2016 17:31:12 GMT
They need to drop their language and learn Yoruba.  |
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Post by dansoye1 on Jan 20, 2016 18:00:58 GMT
Is anyone stopping them from teaching and speaking their language?
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Post by omohayek on Jan 20, 2016 18:29:26 GMT
Is anyone stopping them from teaching and speaking their language? I strongly doubt it. What they're really complaining about is that the state governments aren't giving them handouts to pay for teachers on their behalf. |
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Post by Merchantt on Jan 20, 2016 18:43:05 GMT
They should be allowed to go and join their people in Benin Republic.
We don't do attache by force. Marriage no be by force.
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Post by ajanaku on Jan 20, 2016 19:31:28 GMT
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Post by dansoye1 on Jan 21, 2016 18:41:23 GMT
Is anyone stopping them from teaching and speaking their language? I strongly doubt it. What they're really complaining about is that the state governments aren't giving them handouts to pay for teachers on their behalf. I do not support state government committing fund to such gesture when such can be driven by communal effort in collaboration with some private entities.Such fund could as well be channeled into something profitable. |
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