Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Na who dong ever brain ngah for contritok?

Let's get this out of the way before we proceed. The word 'Brain' in pidgin simply means convincing a girl to be your girlfriend. In English, the definition would be courting a girl. Now back to business. At a time when African governments have suddenly decided to promote our African languages - dialect or patois to some people but we'll call it mother tongue - , it is interesting to appreciate the level of use of these African languages by African youths. In this layman research endeavour, our research questions are rather simple and straightforward. 1- This far, how often do those of us who have the privilege of speaking our mother tongues use them to do things daily? 2 -How important, in our opinion, are  these languages going to be in helping us unlock situations in our 21st century lives? Talk of a situation, I think of meeting a hot girl. Talk of doing something daily with Limbum, my mother tongue, I think of 'braining' this hot girl. So this is my question to all the guys, 'How often have you used your mother tongue to 'brain' a girl' or 'girls'? Have you even ever 'brained' a girl in your mother tongue? The above two questions are also directed to the ladies? To all, how did that feel like? To guys,was it easier or harder than in English or French? To girls, did it feel strange or normal to be 'brained' in that tongue? As a member of the sample,this writer can say this. Despite his good grasp of his mother tongue, he has never 'brained' a girl in that language. The few times he has wanted to, it has been so strange and augured failure so evidently that he gave up a few thoughts before the first words could pop from his mouth. Don't get me wrong. Granting greater prominence to African languages via institutionalization is a laudable initiative. But it is worth pointing out that language is a living and dynamic thing that can only be kept alive through use in writing and speech, most importantly - look at pidgin . So as African States set about setting the stage for indigenous languages to gain greater prominence, thought must be given to ways and means of making the target audience actually use them to do things, other than 'braining', so that this move can free itself of the window-dressing sentiment it has engendered.

3 comments:

  1. Hahaha! THat must be one awkward experience! I know a brother of mine who can tell you more about that! He knows the "GRAMMAR" of the mother tongue (Limbum). Too bad he'snot of the internet generation. :D

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  2. en ce qui concerne la promotion des langus africaines, ce serait plus facile si un pays en avait une ou deux. le Cameroun en a pres de 200, alors s'il faut "brain a girl in your own mother tongue", il y a de fortes chances qu'elle te rie au nez, pas parce qu'elle se moque de toi, mais parce qu'elle ne comprend rien à ce que tu racontes!!

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