As you are speaking English to them from inside the womb, be speaking your native language too. Don't say "will they use it to collect money in the bank?"
Understanding and speaking your native language boosts self esteem while in the midst of your tribe people.
It can even save lives. I heard stories of how some people during the civil war, were asked to pronounce some words in their native languages, before they were allowed to go free.
It can help you get a good job, yes it can.
A cousin of mine landed a great job in a multinational company last month because he can speak his native language.
The company needed a man with his physical attributes and profile to fill the position of the "Head, Public Relations", in their branch located in his state of origin. The role involves relating with indigenes who do not understand English, meeting with traditional rulers and others, etc. It came with a very good package.
Thank God my kids speak my native language. They even read it too.
I see some parents speak English to their kids from birth, when they grow older they start speaking their native language to them, poor kids will now be replying with English. Lol
You can't even say something private to such kids in the house without neighbours knowing what you are saying.
I don't envy you all at all.
It can even save lives. I heard stories of how some people during the civil war, were asked to pronounce some words in their native languages, before they were allowed to go free.
It can help you get a good job, yes it can.
A cousin of mine landed a great job in a multinational company last month because he can speak his native language.
The company needed a man with his physical attributes and profile to fill the position of the "Head, Public Relations", in their branch located in his state of origin. The role involves relating with indigenes who do not understand English, meeting with traditional rulers and others, etc. It came with a very good package.
Thank God my kids speak my native language. They even read it too.
I see some parents speak English to their kids from birth, when they grow older they start speaking their native language to them, poor kids will now be replying with English. Lol
You can't even say something private to such kids in the house without neighbours knowing what you are saying.
I don't envy you all at all.
I totally agree with you. Even names, now Nigerians take pride in giving their kids English names as against native names. I have a neighbour whose kids are Nicole, Karen, and Kenisha, another one is Tarilla and Tedrick. I just smh
ReplyDeleteKai! Tarilla .,. what a name
DeleteDifferent Strokes for everyone!
DeleteMe I prefer my kids speaking only English
I think we Igbos are guilty of this. We should do better. Speaking your dialect to them won't reduce them or make them to lose their landed properties.
DeleteMao Akuh
Mao Akuh
Nk u for give Dem Japanese names.
DeleteLoud it
ReplyDeleteMy son speaks Yoruba and English language fluently
Very correct
ReplyDeleteSpeaking your native language to your kids is proper thing to do.
Low self esteemed parents think when their kids speak English that it means the children are posh, when they don't understand their native tongue, they feel very happy about it.
This is so apt👌. Being able to speak my native dialect is one among so many things I'm grateful to my parents for. They never allowed us to speak English within ourselves like the compound children did then. This made my siblings and I stand out. Even though e nor too thick😃 but we can understand and speak it. And I really admire children that speaks their dialect
ReplyDeleteAs they did for me so will I do for my kids, so help me God
I can't kill myself oh, I can't kill myself. It's easier for those of u married to ur tribes as you will already speak ur native language with ur spouses so it will be easier to communicate with ur kid in the language or they even pick it from hearing both of u speak. But for those of us married to a totally different tribe and communicate only in English or pidgin, it's a lot more difficult than you make it seem.
ReplyDeleteHopefully, they grow up and find a job in the language they speak.
Same here. Dad is Yoruba. Mom is Igbo. The best means of communication is English.
DeleteThe native language is so hard.
@Eka. I totally agree with you. I have a Yoruba friend and her husband is Ishan and they are doing the same. Abeg, I speak English to my children from birth and I have no regret whatsoever.
DeleteI'm wearing that shoe. My husband is Ghanaian and I'm from Akwa Ibom and we live in Ghana. English is what we communicate with. I try to speak my language to the kids but, it's just me and not working.
DeleteJoy, start speaking Igbo to them, your hubby can also speak Itsekiri to them, they will understand both. I made the mistakenly of not speaking my own language to my daughter from small. Now she speaks only Yoruba because that is what me and hubby speak at home.
DeleteCourage, she speaks that because that's what u and ur husband speak. You won't even remember to switch from ur active language to another when speaking to ur kids. I know the effect of what hearing dual languages (Portuguese and English) did to my child and those of my friend's kids in terms of their speech development, I will never subject my child to that again. We are fine with English and the German she will pick up.
DeleteYes I totally agree with you. We should be proud of our language. Some parents will even speak disjointed English to their kids and when the kids speak, you wonder if na by force.My parents will speak Yoruba to you and you dare not reply in English. My brother speaks only Yoruba to his children at home , when it was time to register the daughter in school, the class teacher spoke English to the girl, she couldn't respond. Ha! teacher asked why so? My brother told her, that's the reason he is paying the school now, that he brought her for them to teach her English and other languages. This is a well educated man oo. Now the girl can speak three languages. Parents your kids are capable of learning more than even three languages, don't limit their speaking skills to just English.
ReplyDeleteWhen u marry someone of different tribe, and u haven't learnt the language, menh, whatever they're are saying will be like they are gossiping about all the time.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of a kid saying her mum didn't teach her to speak her tribe because she might have Yoruba accent.
ReplyDeleteMy son is learning though,he understands but can't speak yet.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
DeleteShe might have Yoruba accent while speaking English
Totally agree with you
ReplyDeleteIt's a very good thing to teach your kids your dialect.
ReplyDeleteMy son looks ajebota but he understands Yoruba very well and speak but not fluently.
One day,my mum sent my son drinks from a shop infront of her house and this woman was saying to the people there,Mummy sha,won like coke gan,won le ma mu coke lojumo kan.
My son told my mum and she stopped buying from her all the time.
So many things outsiders say in his presence,he will just come home and download for us,some we react and some we just let it be.
Pls tell your mom to stay away from fizzy drinks pls 🙏
DeleteSo people that speak their native language are not ajebota? If not i dnt understand he looks ajebota but understands yoruba very well.
DeleteThat’s y i respect hausa people, even the richest man in Africa’s kids must speak their language even if they were living in a foreign land.
@honey,thanks,she has reduced it.
Delete@ anon,Meaning,as per the way people judge you with your looks.
Hmn... God help us
ReplyDeleteYou're right
ReplyDeleteAs a parents we must endeavor to teach our children and make sure we speak our native dialect
One of the most important thing to teach our children from infancy as long as they can understand speak you language to them.
ReplyDeleteIt's very important we teach and speak our native language to our children.
ReplyDeleteYou are on point 👍
ReplyDeleteParenting no be beans o. I speak to my children from baby but they can't speak fluently except my last born. They hear but won't respond with Yoruba
ReplyDeleteI speak my language, but since I started meeting people that speak different languages, I don't speak it fluently without using English words.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you on this 👌
ReplyDeleteMy children can't speak Yoruba...but my 1st son understands small like
ReplyDelete" I will beat u"
" I will slap u"
He was even asking me how to greet in our language....Guess his teacher told him to ask me
In a situation where a husband and wife do not speak the same native language, the father will be speaking his language to the children while the mother also speaks hers. The children will learn the two languages. Children have the capacity to learn and understand up to 5 languages while growing up as their brain absorb new things better and easier than adults.
ReplyDeleteTrue talk
ReplyDeleteWe started teaching our son our native language when he was born only for him to start school and we discovered that he was not doing well in his school work. When we complained, his teacher said that we are getting the child confused and that is why he is not catching up. She said when he hears English at school and our native language at home he will not know which one to follow because he has not started talking well then. So we had to start speaking English to him and truly he picked up fast and stared speaking English very well.
ReplyDeleteWhen we later wanted to restart teaching our native language the boy was already a confam English speaking boy. Even if he understands you he will respond to you in English. 😩
That teacher lied to you. The brain of a child is like a sponge, it absorbs whatever you put into it. What of these Latinos and Indians, by now they would have been the most confused ppl on earth, because no matter the situation, no matter how rich or tush they are, they would always know how to speak their language. Infact, at home it is strictly their native language, in school you can speak English or whatever official language you want.
Delete18:02, not every child is the same. My kid suffered from English/Portuguese confusion and the teachers also explained that as the cause.
Deleteis good to understand your mother's tongue
ReplyDeleteCorrect
ReplyDeleteMy daughter speaks Yoruba (her dad's language) but not as fluently as she speaks English. My own language (Ibibio) she does not understand anything apart from "come, go, how are you?".
ReplyDeleteThe reason she understands Yoruba is because we live in a konk Yoruba land and I speak Yoruba with hubby as I understand it very well. Now we all speak Yoruba in the house.
I started speaking English to her from birth but stoped three years ago and switched to Yoruba. It hasn't affected her English fluency or her fake British accent 🤣
God help parents ooo🙌
ReplyDeleteYou just have to discern what is good for your kids.
I will really love my kids to speak my native dialect fluently.
I'm Igbo, married to Yoruba. My kids understands and speak Yoruba fluently. They understand Igbo and could speak at a point until I stopped speaking it with them. Now, I'm trying to communicate with them with more of Igbo nowbut their Igbo is not igboing but it's better than not knowing at all and they still speak good English.
ReplyDeleteThis is one regret I have. My parents never thought us how to speak..they thought it would affect our accent. Now we are stuck they truly regret their actions
ReplyDelete