Prof Lami K drops a bombshell
May 8, 2016 23:50:04 GMT
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Honorebu and Ogbeni Ogunnaike like this
Post by olukumi on May 8, 2016 23:50:04 GMT
A great one from the one and only Prof. Adebayo Lamikanra:
"I used to feel depressed whenever I encountered the young children of Yoruba parents who could neither speak nor understand the Yoruba language. Now they just annoy me intensely and I feel like throttling their irresponsible parents who in a fit of misplaced elitism insist on speaking to their Yoruba children only in English.
I feel like pointing out to these deluded dinosaurs that Nigeria's greatest writers; Soyinka, Achebe, Clark, Osundare and co are accomplished and highly imaginative users of the English language because of their deep grounding in their respective mother tongues. My own father spoke excellent English, spoke excellent Yoruba and was extremely fluent in the Ijesa dialect.
I am proud of my ability to speak good Yoruba and no less proud of the fact that I speak, write and understand the English language better than more than 95% of native English speakers. I know that because I was given that assessment as a student in England.
I despise those fools who speak only English to their children who are being deprived of a very important aspect of their heritage as human beings. Only those who have a slavish mentality will abandon their own children to such a sad fate. I am sure some of children who are so deprived will despise their parents in greater measure than I despise them now! The greatest tragedy is that some of those parents are not really good users of the English language and are simply depriving their children of their unique identities."
"I used to feel depressed whenever I encountered the young children of Yoruba parents who could neither speak nor understand the Yoruba language. Now they just annoy me intensely and I feel like throttling their irresponsible parents who in a fit of misplaced elitism insist on speaking to their Yoruba children only in English.
I feel like pointing out to these deluded dinosaurs that Nigeria's greatest writers; Soyinka, Achebe, Clark, Osundare and co are accomplished and highly imaginative users of the English language because of their deep grounding in their respective mother tongues. My own father spoke excellent English, spoke excellent Yoruba and was extremely fluent in the Ijesa dialect.
I am proud of my ability to speak good Yoruba and no less proud of the fact that I speak, write and understand the English language better than more than 95% of native English speakers. I know that because I was given that assessment as a student in England.
I despise those fools who speak only English to their children who are being deprived of a very important aspect of their heritage as human beings. Only those who have a slavish mentality will abandon their own children to such a sad fate. I am sure some of children who are so deprived will despise their parents in greater measure than I despise them now! The greatest tragedy is that some of those parents are not really good users of the English language and are simply depriving their children of their unique identities."
