“NIGERIAN LANGUAGES AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS” Professor Andrew

270 Pages·2017·2.85 MB·English

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THEME: “NIGERIAN LANGUAGES AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
GOALS”

Professor Andrew Haruna
Vice Chancellor,
Federal University, Gashua, Yobe State, Nigeria

1. Introduction
Distinguished Friends, Colleagues, Invited Guests, Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen:
It is a great honour for me to be invited to deliver the keynote at this very important forum. I would
like to first of all congratulate the Executive Director of the National Institute for Nigerian
Languages (NINLAN)—Professor Chinyere Ohiri-Aniche—and the officials of NINLAN for the
excellent arrangements for this conference. It is for moments like this, when deliberations on how
Nigerian languages contribute to global issues, that we who work in areas relating to Nigerian
languages assemble. The theme of the conference is thus a timely invitation for all of us to
participate in the deliberations in the various sessions as outlined in the schedule of events. I am
glad to initiate the deliberations by delivering this keynote. I, therefore, warmly invite you to listen.
I would begin with an introduction of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). I would then
briefly discuss how Nigerian languages can contribute to the SDGs. Lastly, I would consider the
role of the Nigerian linguist in the achievement of the goals of the SDGs. As you would appreciate,
the theme chosen by the organisers has far-reaching implications, and I have confidence that
important issues relating to it will be elaborately discussed during the panel discussions following
this keynote speech.

2. What are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 global goals with 169 targets. They are
spearheaded by the United Nations and involve 193 member states, as well as global civil society.
The goals are contained in paragraph 54 of the United Nations Resolution A/RES/70/1 of 25
September 2015. The resolution is a broader inter-governmental agreement that acts as the
successor to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The SDGs cover a broad range of sustainable development issues like ending poverty and hunger,
improving health and education, making cities more sustainable, combating climate change, and
protecting oceans and forests. Four dimensions are identified as part of a global vision for
sustainable development: inclusive social development; environmental sustainability; inclusive
economic development; and peace and security. In a nutshell, the 17 global goals of the SDGs
include the following:
1. Goal 1: No Poverty – End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. Goal 2: Zero Hunger – End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote
sustainable agriculture
3. Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being – Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at
all ages
4. Goal 4: Quality Education – Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote
lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Goal 5: Gender Equality – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

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6. Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation – Ensure availability and sustainable management of water
and sanitation for all
7. Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy – Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and
modern energy for all
8. Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable
economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure – Build resilient infrastructure, promote
inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
10. Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities – Reduce income inequalities within and among countries
11. Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – Make cities and human settlements inclusive,
safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production – Ensure sustainable and consumption and
production patterns
13. Goal 13: Climate Action – Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts by
regulating emissions and promoting developments in renewable energy
14. Goal 14: Life Below Water – Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine
resources for sustainable development
15. Goal 15: Life on Land – Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems,
sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and
halt biodiversity loss
16. Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions – Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for
sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and
inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Goal 17: Partnership for the Goals – Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the
global partnership for sustainable development.

3. The role of Nigerian Languages in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
Nelson Mandela was a great man famously known to have once remarked: “If you talk to a man in
a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his
heart.” I consider that statement appropriate to our present theme for this conference. It is on that
premise that I hinge the following discussion on the role of Nigerian languages in achieving the
Sustainable Development Goals.

The use of Nigerian languages, especially the “minority” ones, as media for communication will
significantly enhance the achievement of sustainable development in many areas, such as the
eradication of hunger and poverty. Poverty goes beyond a lack of income or resources, but includes
a lack of basic services such as education, or denial in the partaking in decision-making processes.
The ideology behind the SDGs is to tackle the problems from the root causes. As envisaged in the
language section of our National Policy on Education, the use of a child’s mother tongue as a
medium for communication help in promoting access to literacy and better understanding.

Olaoye (2013) suggests that individuals in a nation can develop educationally, socially, politically,
economically and culturally through interaction with government agencies that disseminate policies
through various indigenous languages. That is why development indices such as internal cohesion,
integration, unity, economic well-being and citizens’ participation in governance are promoted

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through indigenous languages. It is thus logical to presume that the SDGs cannot be meaningfully
achieved in Nigeria without recourse to the indigenous languages of Nigerians.
Let us consider the following table, in terms of general literacy for Nigeria (referring to the ability
to read and write, and to simple numeracy skills). UNICEF (2016) reports the following statistics
for Nigeria.

Illiterate Population Total Male Female
(15-24 years) 9, 434, 393 3, 574, 693 5, 859, 700
(15 years & Older) 41, 261, 920 15, 937, 117 25, 324, 804
Literacy Rate (%) Total Male Female
(15-24 years) 72.79 79.89 65.33
(15 years & Older) 59.57 69.19 49.68
(65 years & Older) 26.35 37.75 15.89

(Note that the two age ranges of “15-24 years” and “15 years & older” refer to two separate
classifications. “15 years and older” refers to the adult literacy rate, which is the share of literate
persons in the population aged 15 years and older, while “15-24 years” refers to the youth literacy
rate. It is the global division/ classification adopted by the UN(ICEF).)

If, as reported by UNICEF, a significant population of Nigerians are not literate (at least in English)
the solution to global issues having a bearing on Nigeria must lie in the accessibility of Nigerians
to participation in such global issues through the opportunity provided by their indigenous
languages. The key to sustainable national development in Nigeria is, therefore, tied to how much
we can harness our languages as tools for engaging in global issues such as the SDGs.

Apparently, experience is intricately tied to, and is an outcome of, participation. Nigeria is a target
for the SGDs, as are 192 other member states of the United Nations. For Nigerians to meaningfully
benefit from the SDGs, they necessarily have to be a part of the process. In other words, they
actively have to participate in the ongoing process leading up to achieving the set goals. Nigerians
must first of all understand the issues of the SDGs, and for a significant number of the populace,
this will be better achieved by transmitting all issues of the SDGs to them in their indigenous
languages. Once they have understood the concerns of the SDGs, Nigerians will be in a good
position to promote practices and behaviours that will conduce to the achievement of the SDGs.

Only recently here in the country, a team comprising language and medical experts from various
Nigerian universities and specialist hospitals, led by our very own Professor Herbert Igboanusi of
the University of Ibadan, created new names for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, the aim of which is
to eliminate stigmatisation and discrimination of persons living with HIV and AIDS. The effort is
the outcome of a two-year research titled “A metalanguage for HIV, AIDS and Ebola in Hausa,
Igbo and Yoruba” sponsored by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TET Fund) in Nigeria.

The researchers agreed that the appropriate name for HIV in Igbo is Ori Nchekwa Ahụ (ONA) (that
is, “something that fights or weakens the body immunity”) while the appropriate term for AIDS
is Mmịnwụ (“a condition that causes emaciation”). In Yorùbá, the appropriate term for HIV is

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Kòkòrò Apa Sójà Ara (KASA) (that is, “that which kills the body immunity”)
while ààrùnìsọdọ̀lẹàjẹsára (“a sickness that completely weakens body immune system”) is the
appropriate name for AIDS. In Hausa, ƙarya-garkuwa (“that which weakens the body’s immune
system”) has been chosen for HIV while ƙanjamau (“capable of emaciating one’s body”) has been
chosen for AIDS. Speakers of these languages are advised to strictly adhere to the use of these
chosen terms in order to avoid confusing HIV with AIDS, and consequently reduce the spread of
HIV through behavioural change. The researchers believe that behavioural change is only possible
when people are familiar with the appropriate terminology for HIV and AIDS in their own
languages. It is a move along this line that will help to heighten understanding of issues of SDGs,
especially among the disadvantaged (on grounds of formal education, of course) group of
Nigerians. Indeed, the goals outlined in the SDGs are commendable. But perhaps what is more
heart-warming is the fact that they are attainable. A crucial criterion for its achievement in Nigeria
is getting Nigerians to understand the SDGs, their implementation schedules and procedures, as
well as the roles that they, the government, and all stakeholders concerned, are expected to play in
seeing that the objectives of the SDGs are achieved.

Admittedly, the use of English as Nigeria’s official language has its practical benefits. These need
no mention. But the English language has in no way solved all the myriads of social issues that
have plagued our nation, such as issues relating to access to knowledge, divisiveness, poverty and
general under-development. A way should be found to encourage our policy makers to practically
promote the development and use of our indigenous languages, alongside English, as media of
instruction in at least some of our schools. This will ensure that a wider range of people are given
access to education. This is in line with Goal 4 of the SDGs that seeks to ensure inclusive and
equitable quality education. Aspects like rural/nomadic education will adequately be covered under
this kind of arrangement.

4. The Role of Nigerian Linguists in Achieving the SDGs
The role of the true linguist is both academic and social, and sometimes the social role is required
even more than the academic role in dealing with societal issues. This is one of such times. The
United Nations has called upon all member states to participate in the SDGs programme. The world
is in search of common solutions to common global challenges. It is time for linguists and all
language enthusiasts to rise to the challenge and endeavour to find solutions to global problems.
Experts in other fields—economics, health, agriculture, law, environment, industry, etc.—are
working assiduously to meet their own quota of contribution towards the achievement of the SDGs.
We too need to do our own task in the whole process.

Nigerian Linguists can play a social role by doing something similar to what the Professor Herbert
Igboanusi-led research team did recently. They can translate, for example, the whole SDGs
document, as well as write simple pamphlets and booklets in various indigenous languages, in the
manner of the work done by the Nigeria Bible Translation Trust (NBTT) and other translation
agencies, the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) Nigeria, the National Institute for Nigerian
Languages (NINLAN), etc. When the relevant resources are made available in Nigeria’s indigenous
languages, the people for whom the translations are made will be able to have access to the global
discourse on SDGs, and that will enhance their understanding and offer them a platform for
response and participation. But when the people feel that the entire discourse is one of the many,
usually incomprehensible, out-of-their-reach endeavours of the privileged class and for the

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privileged class, they feel excluded and become uninterested in the matter that, whether or not they
know it, directly affects them. Apathy thus sets in for them.

Also, there is a need for linguists and policy makers to create a synergy, as far the SDGs are
concerned. Findings of linguists concerning the numerous indigenous languages of Nigeria ought
to be made available to government and its agencies. On their own part, policy makers ought to
involve linguists more in aspects of our national interest that concern language. The solution to
numerous social, political and ethnic issues that have plagued this country can be found in the
research of linguists and non-linguist language enthusiasts. The fact that some of these solutions
are lying in virtually unread manuscripts on dusty shelves in government offices is worrisome.
Linguists must learn to make a little more noise as specialists in language issues, and some of us
can probably serve as a link between our various communities and the government.

Furthermore, as experts and specialists in language, linguists owe posterity a duty to ensure that a
better linguistic environment than the one we currently have is created. This is where issues like
orthography development, corpus and status planning for our languages could play a significant
role in developing instructional material and vocabulary expansion to capture scientific/educational
terminology. As much as possible, linguists should encourage the development of literacy in as
many indigenous languages as possible.

Finally, of significance, too, is the creation of synergy and awareness between different
professional bodies that are involved in linguistic fieldwork. I have already mentioned relevant
bodies like the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), Nigerian Bible Translation Trust (NBTT),
the National Institute of Nigerian Languages (NINLAN). These and others should create forums
such as this conference where their findings and ideas can be shared in the interest of national unity
and development. This is in line with Goal 17 of the SDGs which encourages partnership as a
means of strengthening implementation. This is likely to enhance the linguistic fortunes of our
country in significant ways and ultimately lead to sustainable development for Nigeria and
Nigerians.

5. Conclusion
Access to better quality education has the potential of leading to better economic productivity and
opportunities. Access to basic, sexual and reproductive healthcare, and preventive procedures
through proper enlightenment in Nigeria’s indigenous languages, especially within the rural areas,
would also promote one of the significant goals of the SDGs. Basically, almost all the sustainable
development goals are hinged on access to a better quality of education and an inclusive
environment. Inclusiveness and the recognition of linguistic rights of all within our communities
will inevitably lead to a more harmonious and safer society. This is better achieved when people
have access to an educational system that is friendlier to them and gives the indigenous languages
found in them a pride of place and practical functionality. This is meant to serve as a rallying call
to my “brothers-in-arms”. The very survival of our great nation may ultimately lie in our hands.
Thank you very much for your kind attention and I hope the conference will be a great success.

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NIGERIAN LANGUAGES AS KEY TO THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Prof. Imelda Udoh
Department of Linguistics & Nigerian Languages
University of Uyo, Uyo.
[email protected]

Abstract
Sustainable Development implies development that meets the needs of a people at a particular time
without compromising the future. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which were a
revision of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), have a global vision on: Inclusive Social
Development, Environmental Sustainability, Inclusive Economic Development, Peace and
Security. These dimensions of sustainable development underscore community participation, and
make language a sustainable weapon. It is language that binds a nation together in terms of
governance, values, integration, instruction, economic and social development. This paper
explores the different ways that the Nigerian indigenous languages can serve as key towards the
actualization of the targets in the SDGs in a multilingual nation like Nigeria.

1. BACKGROUND1
Nigeria’s official language is English, but in addition to this, and perhaps the need to break off
imperialistic ties, she has chosen three official regional languages - Hausa, spoken by about 20
million people in the North, Yoruba, spoken by about 19 million in the west, and Igbo, spoken by
about 17 million people in a part of the south east. These three languages are regarded as ‘major’
languages. In addition to these three, there are about 400 other “languages”, (some with very small
numbers), referred to as ‘minor’ languages (Crozier/Blench 1992). Egbokhare/ Oyetade/ Urua/
Amfani (2001), reduced this very large number of languages to 113 language clusters, using mutual
intelligibility criterion, in a preliminary report aimed at simplifying the current complex linguistic
picture deriving from previous genetic classifications of these languages. Some of them have some
degree of official status in their locality and are used as lingua franca, e.g. Efik, Ibibio, Edo, Fulani,
etc. Within this network of indigenous languages, the Nigerian Pidgin English is a national lingua
franca.

‘Minority’ languages in the Nigerian context are languages that are spoken by the minority ethnic
groups, which are by implication not ‘major’. Generally, the languages spoken in Nigeria can be,
for ease of our discussion grouped into five types: moribund/threatened languages, retreating
languages, under-developed languages, developing languages and pidgin (Connell 1994).
Moribund and threatened languages are languages that are not being used, and as such are not
transmitted to the younger generation. Such languages are threatened and endangered because they
are on their way to extinction as a result of lack of use. Retreating languages are those that appear
to be dying from a particular area, but still flourishing in another area. This is particularly obvious
at inter-country boundaries. Under-developed languages are those languages without
orthographies, written literature and meta-language. Developing languages are one step above the
under-developed languages. They have fairly developed orthographies, and they are in the course

1 Parts of this paper are excerpts from the Annual Lecture of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, which I
presented on the 13th of February, 2014 at the University of Ibadan.

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of setting a literary tradition, with the instruments put in place for developing a meta-language.
Considering the problems which are associated with the writing and acceptance of orthographies
as well as the protocols involved in developing a literary tradition and a meta-language, it is not
surprising that the Nigerian languages are at different levels of under-development.

Unfortunately, with all the efforts that have been put into the development of Nigerian languages,
not even the ‘major’ languages have gone beyond the ‘developing’ stage. We apply these
classificatory labels to the indigenous languages spoken in Nigeria with a view to determining their
statuses along a developmental scale. Nigeria has more than one-quarter of the languages spoken
in Africa, and three of the four language phyla in Africa meet in Nigeria, namely: the Niger-Congo,
Nilo-Saharan and Afro-Asiatic phyla.

The uniqueness of these languages are not appreciated, and they are poorly researched. Much of
the work on them have been done by foreigners, with funding from abroad. The existing works on
these languages are sometimes for this reason not the clear representation of what actually obtains.
The Ethnologue (www.ethnologue.com), which provides some kind of linguistic data base of 7,105
languages of the world, records 515 languages for Nigeria. Other works from which it apparently
draws from have similar figures. Some of these include Crozier & Blench (1992), and more recently
Blench (2012), which records 489 languages, with 200 of these being severely endangered and 20
moribund languages. In the absence of quality research from within, we have to use these works,
even with some of the shortcomings in them. For instance, languages like Leggbó and Lokaa are
no longer in Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River State. Rather, Leggbó is in Abi, while
Lokaa is in Yakurr. For a publication of 2012, the geo-political information on most of the
languages appear extremely outdated.

What this implies is that Nigerian languages are not adequately investigated and they are poorly
researched. When compared with the volume and quality of research on the indigenous languages
of Europe, America, Asia and Australia, it appears as though not much is being done here. Really,
from the point of view of the researchers, funders and speakers, how much effort is being put into
the work and use of these languages? Yet, Nigeria is very important to the global linguistic map,
as its languages have very unique features and processes that have universal implications. They
have remarkable linguistic heritage, and they lack support and initiatives in concrete terms.

However, there is a rising enthusiasm from the communities who are seeking to develop their
languages. The research community should take advantage of this and collaborate with them, rather
than merely pursuing theory and armchair research.

It is with this background that we explore how these Nigerian languages can serve as key to the
Sustainable Development Goals, where a key can be defined as an input, solution and answer.

2. THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Sustainable development is ‘…development that meets the needs of the present, without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (Sustainable Development
Commission 2011). Sustainable Development Goals, therefore, are goals that aim at development
along these lines.

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In 1972, the meeting of governments in Stockholm, Sweden, at the United Nations Conference on
the Human Environment, marked the beginning of plans to put in place a concrete plan to address
the rights of the human family and a healthy environment in a sustainable way. With the formation
of the World Commission on Environment and Development in 1983, the stage was set for the
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, where the Agenda 21 was
developed and adopted in Rio. Later in 2000, at the Millennium Summit, the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) were established by the United Nations.

The MDGs, which were adopted by 189 UN Member States, had 8 Goals with 18 Targets, and 48
Technical Indicators to measure progress which were to be achieved by 2015. The MDGs set out
to combat poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination.

A Post 2015 Development Agenda was reset with the adoption of the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) to cover 2016 – 2030. The SDGs were agreed on by 191 Member States covering
17 Goals and 169 Targets, to tackle poverty eradication, energy, water, sanitation, health,
inequalities, etc. in partnership with governments, civil society, scientists, academia, private sector,
communities, etc. The SDGs are to transform the world, and they are:
1. No Poverty
2. Zero Hunger
3. Good Health and Wellbeing
4. Quality Education
5. Gender Equality
6. Clean Water and Sanitation
7. Affordable and Clean Energy
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequalities
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
12. Responsible Consumption and Production
13. Climate Action
14. Life below Water
15. Life on Land
16. Peace, Justice and strong Institutions
17. Partnerships for the Goals

It is important to note here that the 17th Goal calls for partnerships globally and locally. According
to Ban Ki-moon: “To successfully implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we
must swiftly move from commitments to action. To do that, we need strong, inclusive and
integrated partnerships at all levels.” Strong, inclusive and integrated partnership must have a grass
root component which should involve the communities.

3. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & THE SDGs
The community is a very important unit in development. It is usually defined in terms of
relationship with people or the land. Thus, we have the geographic community, which refers to the
physical location; community of interest, which refers to shared interest and common cultural
heritage, language, believes; the neighborhood community; and the religious community. The
community deals with the grassroots.

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Community Development is development where the process and the results are equally important.
It is a grass root process and a collective action by community members to deal with common
problems, wellbeing, etc. It should be well planned, inclusive, involving, holistic and it should be
integrated into a bigger picture. Such development should be of benefit to the community and it
should make them more responsible, involving and empowering. It should also bring mutual
benefits and shared responsibilities for members of the community. Above all, it should connect
social, cultural, environmental and economic matters, as well as build capacity in required areas.

Changes in the peoples’ lives are best effected by the people themselves. They should therefore be
a part of the process. Community participation is very important in projects. Indigenous languages
facilitate community participation and they encourage participation of the target groups.
Mobilization is very important in realizing the targets of any project goals, and this is best done in
the language(s) of the groups involved. The 17 SDGs have a global vision on: Inclusive Social
Development, Environmental Sustainability, Inclusive Economic Development, Peace and
Security. These dimensions of sustainable development underscore community participation,
which make language a sustainable weapon.

4. NIGERIAN LANGUAGES AS KEY TO THE SDGs
Language is a human system of communication used by a community or country. It is an extremely
important aspect of a community, and an important index of identity. It is used for all
communicative functions that a community requires. It serves as a repository of a people’s culture,
history, exploits, etc.

Languages are sustainable weapons that should be adequately harnessed as well as key to
sustainable development. They bind a nation together in terms of governance, values, integration,
instruction, economic and social development. Nigerian languages can be used as key to the SDGs.
Here are some recommendations in this area. The recommendations are made in three main areas:
1. empowerment of Nigerian languages;
2. use of Nigerian languages;
3. key players in the empowerment of the Nigerian languages.

4.1 Empowerment of Nigerian Languages
The empowerment of Nigerian languages should involve several stages. Given the fact that these
languages are at different stages of development, they have to be addressed differently, depending
on the status and function of the language in the Polity. However, such empowerment should be
done in a sustainable way, so that these precious languages can be useful today and preserved for
the future. What we need is to develop a strategy for the survey of these languages to find out their
sociolinguistic facts, document and describe them, codify them and develop tools for working on
them.

4.1.1 Language Surveys
Language surveys measure people’s ability to speak and understand another language. They also
help to study people’s attitudes about different languages, evaluate the differences and similarities
in speech communities that speak related languages and assess the vitality of languages that may
be endangered. Basic surveys need to be done to initiate descriptions of the languages. Survey
results are used for many purposes, especially in making decisions regarding language policies,
language classifications, educational programmes, language development work, testing the vitality

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of the languages, etc. They may be conducted by individuals (like the Language Survey of India
by George Abraham Grierson), the survey and language teaching in East Africa by the Ford
Foundation and several surveys across the world by SIL International.

We should put in place a structure to do a systematic survey of the Nigerian languages. We need to
establish what languages are spoken where, when, etc., and record the basic sociolinguistics of the
speech communities. Such a survey will also capture the geo-political details and dynamics, as well
as provide a clearer picture of the vitality of the languages spoken in the 774 LGAs in Nigeria.

4.1.2 Documentation and Description
Following from the survey, we can then strategise further to document and describe them. Linguists
have always done some form of documentation, as a way of recording linguistic data. Traditionally,
from elicitation of data from different aspects of a language, and subsequent analyses, grammars,
dictionaries, etc. emerge. These constitute some form of documentation. But in the light of current
developments in a new area of Linguistics has emerged, whose aims are slightly different from the
traditional aims of language description. Himmelmann (1998) has tried to differentiate between
description and documentation. The aims of description are different. A record of the language with
emphasis on abstract elements, constructions, underlying rules, etc. form the focus of the elicitation,
and these precede the analysis. On the other hand, the aims of documentation are basically to record
the linguistic behaviour as exhibited in discourse.

What has emerged out of this is Documentary Linguistics, conforms to the times in terms of
practice, tools and products. It deals with the record and representation of natural discourse. Since
discourse is primary in Documentary Linguistics, then both description and analysis are secondary-
products of the record of natural discourse which form the documentary corpus. Descriptive and
explanatory materials like grammars, dictionaries, etc. annotate the documentary corpus.
Documentary Linguistics also curates texts, such that they can be stored, accessed and shared
electronically using very special tools.

There is a current technological revolution going on in the Information
Technology. Nigerian cultural heritage must be recorded preserved, shared, retrieved and passed
on. Nigerian languages have to be part of this revolution. We need databases and structures for
capacity building in different areas of our civilization. What are the implications of globalization
for the preservation of these languages in the light of the current international fight against language
death? How can Nigerian languages participate effectively in globalization and yet preserve her
unique but diverse languages? Since globalization involves basically some interaction, it follows
therefore that the interaction can be monopolized by some groups involved in the interaction, thus
colonizing the activities. On the other hand, the different activities can be shared by the
participating members. This sharing implies the empowerment and acquisition of the correct tools
of participation. We have two options of either being colonized or sharing. Which of these two
options do we want? We must therefore develop our languages and put in place a structure for this
development, so that Nigerian languages can participate in the global linguistic activities.

4.1.3 Codification of the Languages
Codification refers to the standardization and development of a norm or a model for a language.
Given the Nigerian case, with the languages at different stages of development, we need a strategy
to do this in a systematic way. Some languages may need to begin from the documentation stage,

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