A sọ wipe ọmọ kò gbọ́ èdè, tani kó kọ̃? Àwa òbí nii ṣe púpọ ni bi àwọn ọmọ wa ṣe mú èdè
abi-nibi wọn. Àwa òbí lati yi ìhà ti a kọ si èdè Yorùbá padá, ti a kò bá fẹ́ ki o pòórá.
Òwe Yorùbá kan tilẹ sọ wípé, “Onígbá Io npe igbá rẹ ni pankara, ti a fi nbaa fi kolẹ’.
Gẹ́gẹ́ bi òbí, ohun ti a bá fi lélẹ̀ fún àwọn ọmọ wa lati ìgbà èwe ni wọn yio gbọ́njú mọ,
ti wọn yio si dìmú.

Ṣugbọn kini a nfi lélẹ̀? ‘Ẹ̀kọ́ Àjòjì’! Eyi yi ni Èdè Gẹẹsi. Àwa òbí papa, ti a rò
pé a ti lajú ju pé kaa mã fi èdè abínibí wa maa ba àwọn ọmọ sọ̀rọ̀ nílé lọ. Àti kàwé, a si
ti bọ́ si ipele tó ga ju èyi ti a bi wa si lọ, nitori na, èdè wa di ohun ìtìjú àti àbùkù, ti kò yẹ
ipò ti a wà.

Ẹ jẹ́ ki a kọ́ ọgbọ́n lára àwọn Ìgbò, Hausa, Oyinbo, China àti India,ki a si fi won ṣe àwòkọ́ṣe. Kò si ibi ti àwọn wọnyi wà, yálà nílé tabi lóko, èdè wọn, ni wọn maa ba awọn ọmọ sọ. Àwọn Oyinbo gbé èdè wọn ni arugẹ, ni ó mú ki idaji gbogbo enia ni àgbáyé ki ó maa lo èdè wọn. Àwọn ará ìlú China, ẹ̀wẹ̀, kò fi èdè wọn ṣeré rárá, tó bẹ̃ ti odindi ìlú America,  àti àwọn kan ni ilẹ̀ adúláwọ̀ ti bẹ̀rẹ̀ si kọ awọn ọmọ ilé-ìwé wọn  ni Mandarin, ẹ̀yà èdè China.

Ti a kò bá fẹ́ ki èdè Yorùbá ki ó di ohun ìgbàgbé, a ni lati yi padà, ki á si ṣe àtúnṣe.  Ẹ jẹ́ ki ó jẹ́ èdè yi ni àwọn ọmọ wa yio kọ́ gbọ́, ti á o si má ba wọn sọ ninu ilé, dípò èdè Gẹẹsi.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

We are complaining about children not understanding our language.  who is suppose teach them?  Parents have a lot of work to do to stimulate children’s interest in their mother tongue.  Parents must change their attitude towards Yoruba language for it not to go into extinction.  According to one of the Yoruba proverbs “It is the calabash bowl owner that called it useless, that caused it to be used as dustpan”.  As parents, it is the instruction laid down while the children were young, that will serve as their guide for the future.

What are the parents establishing?  Foreign language!  In this case English language. Parents think they are too modern, too educated and in upper class, hence it is too shameful and disgraceful to communicate in their mother tongue with the children.

It is good to observe and learn from the other ethnic groups such as: Hausa, Igbo, Chinese and India.  Their children are taught in their language wherever they go.  The English were proud of their heritage, hence influencing almost half of the world’s population interest in learning English.  The Chinese are not left behind as more and more countries such as America and many African countries are beginning to teach Mandarin (one of the major spoken Chinese language) in schools.

Let us make amend to avoid Yoruba language going into extinction.  Let our mother tongue be the first language to pass on to the children instead of English language.

Originally posted 2013-10-08 18:36:55. Republished by Blog Post Promoter