Language is an expression of who we are as people, nations or communities. Language, therefore, conveys meanings and references beyond itself. That is, the meanings of a particular language denote the culture of a particular social group.
“To interact with a language means to do so with the culture which is its reference point.
“We could not understand a culture without having direct access to its language due to their interrelations.
“A particular language points to the culture of a particular social group.”
Corollary, some schools of thought maintain that learning a language, is not only learning the alphabet, the meaning, the grammar rules and the arrangement of words, but it is also learning the behaviour of the society and its culture and customs.
I beg to differ. In as much as I have a great deal of respect for people who have command of a foreign language, I do not think they are obliged to practice the culture, because culture is sacred to a particular group of people.
The historian Herodotus argued more than 2,000 years ago that culture and customs are sacrosanct, and there are no universal ethics when it comes to culture and customs.
To buttress his point, Herodotus told the story about the Persian king Darius. The king, said Herodotus, summoned several Greeks and asked them how much money they would take in exchange for consuming the dead bodies of their fathers.
But extremely outraged, the Greeks proclaimed their refusal to perform such a gruesome act at any price, adding that cremation of the dead was a sacred obligation.
According to Herodotus, King Darius then called upon some Indians, who by custom, ate their deceased parents, and asked them if they would consider burning the bodies of their fathers.
The Indians felt insulted. And to ventilate their arousing disgust, the Indians retorted that such an act would be a heinous crime.
The moral lesson concluded by Herodotus, was simply that different group of people regard their own culture and customs as sacrosanct and superior (Herodotus 1974; Ishay 2004).
Ironically, however, we (Ghanaians) tend to ascribe transcendent intelligence to persons who have the grasp of Englishman’s language.
I am afraid, such a notion is sophistic. Having a command of English language cannot be a cynosure of transcendent powers of the mind.
Of course, having a command of English language is an advantage to individuals, given its ecumenical recognition. Nevertheless, I take an exception to a school of thought who holds a view that having a mastery of the English language is a sign of intelligence.
I am afraid, that is specious. For I have had the opportunity to give remedial instructions to a group of English indigenes who had learning disabilities (mentally incapacitated), and yet had unbelievable linguistic precision.
Paradoxically, however, in Ghana, individuals are held in high esteem for having superlative grasp of Englishman’s language. How bizarre, how romantic, and how ironic to attribute superior powers of the mind to individuals with a mastery of Englishman’s language?
So with such an innate predilection, we tend to believe that a trained communicator for instance, can solve all our problems by virtue of his/her communication skills.
No, having the precision of English language is neither a leadership quality nor a sign of intelligence. In truth, it does not necessarily make one a great leader and thinker, but sad to admit, we, Ghanaians, are routinely lured by rhetoric devoid of substance.
We definitely need attitudinal and behavioural change. Of course, individuals have their absolute right to speak the language (s) of their choice. However, I find it extremely abhorrent when bona fide Africans slavishly decide to scoff at the natives who speak their mother’s tongue superlatively.
With all due respect, and, no offence intended on this occasion, although someone like Madam Akua Donkor of Ghana Freedom Party does not have a classroom education, she harbours no vestiges of slavery as evidenced in her previous pronouncements.
I must confess I could not believe my ears when I once heard Madam Akua Donkor on the radio disclosing her inborn proclivity for ‘Pan Africanism’.
Unlike the unliberated intellectuals who more often than not, take solace in the foreign culture, Madam Akua Donkor is rather antipathetic to the Western way of life, judging from her solemn narratives.
According to Madam Akua Donkor, she was christened as ‘Victoria Donkor by her biological parents, but after growing up and developing superior powers of the mind, she did not find the wisdom or the need in keeping ‘Whiteman’s’ name, hence changing her birth name to Akua Donkor.
Madam Akua Donkor boldly and passionately asseverated: “tell me why I should take a ‘Whiteman’s’ name?” “Don’t I have my own culture?” “Would a ‘Whiteman’ ever name his child after me (Akua Donkor)?”
I was indeed dumbfounded to hear someone who had had no classroom education, yet so much liberated in the mind. Indeed, Madam Akua Donkor holds no slavish mentality.
Well, juxtaposing Madam Akua Donkor’s emancipated mind or her refined disposition with a self-acclaimed intellectual’s thought process brings nothing but melancholy, so to speak
Yes, we have self-acclaimed intellectuals who find it inappropriate to be called by their aboriginal names, but would rather take comfort in adopted ‘Western’ names. How bizarre?
It reminds me of a friend of mine who once questioned me about my reasons for refusing to give ‘English’ names to my boys.
According to my friend, the ‘English’ people will find it difficult to pronounce the names of my children, and therefore it was needless for me to give British born children the native Ghanaian names.
I was deeply baffled upon listening to my friend’s thought process. However, I contained my emotional intelligence, and showed deference to my classroom educated friend, who is yet to liberate his mind to reach Madam Akua Donkor’s level.
All the same, my innocuous question to my friend was: “did our colonial Masters name their children after our great forefathers?
I proceeded: “Have you ever seen any Englishman who has named his child after our rich African names such as ‘Badu, Sarfo, Sakyi, Danso, Owusu, Mensah, Tetteh, Nkrumah, Busia, Danquah, Acheampong, Afrifa, Amu, Ayikwei, Quartey, Azumah, Gbedema, Atinga, Atuguba, Dramani, Kufuor, Addo, Akoto etc.???????????????????” I enquired.
Unsurprisingly, however, my friend answered no and then added that he has realised why I have given African names to my three boys.
Let us be serious for once; culture is unique and sacrosanct to a particular group of people, and hence cannot and must not be trampled upon anyhow.
Source: K Badu/ghanaweb.com
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
IT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY CLEAR THAT SOME GHANAIANS ARE LACKING COMMON SENSE AND READING COMPREHENSION. THE WRITERS BEAUTIFULLY AND CONCISE ARTICLE SHOULD BE COMMENDED AND PRAISED INSTEAD OF UNNECESSARY AND ***barred word*** CRITICISMS. THE WRITER DIDN'T CONDEMN THE LEARNING AND MASTERING OF THE ENGLISH OR FOREIGN LANGUAGES INSTEAD HE IS ADVOCATING THE MASTERING AND EMBRACING OF OUR MOTHER TONGUES OR LOCAL LANGUAGES AS FIRST AND FOREMOST. ONLY THOSE DROWNING IN INFERIORITY COMPLEX WOULD BE QUICK TO ATTACK THE WRITER. THE LOW LEVEL AND INFERIOR EDUCATED YOUTH PARADING OUR COUNTRY CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE INSISTENCE OF USING ENGLISH AS THE BASIS OR FOUNDATION IN EDUCATING OUR CHILDREN. WE NEED TO GO BACK TO THE OLD APPROACH WHERE OUR SCHOOLS USED THE LOCAL LANGUAGES IN THE EARLY YEARS IN TEACHING OUR CHILDREN! WE ARE INDEED RETROGRESSING WITH OUR OVER EMPHASIS ON ONES ABILITY TO SPEAK AND WRITE THE QUEENS ENGLISH!!!!!!
If you can speak English and you are not sensible what is the point of you speaking English. If you can speak English and cant afford to buy food to feed yourself and your children what is the point. Speaking English does not make one sensible and neither does it put money in your pocket. A word to Kwabena Yeboah of Sports writers and Sports highlight fame please speak your mother tongue. It irritates me when I see people who cannot speak their mother tongue whiles white people come all the way to Ghana to learn how to speak our dialect. its a big shame.
My brother,educate yourself before you jump into intellectual discourse!! The Chinese,the Greek, the guys even from outer space if they need to communicate as pilots do with airport towers, ship captains everywhere communicate in ONLY ENGLISH! You think you can understands science better if thought in your Ghanaian language?? Poor you; what's the two word for chromosome? Good luck to you!!
indeed we have a very unwise way of judging people in this society. i strongly if we are taught in our local languages at school we would be able to understand science and mathematics better. today if any i-d-i-o--t speaks good english, people think he/she is an intelligent person. that is complete and absolute ***barred word***. this is the trouble with our backwardness and our inferiority complexes. but i sincerely think there are individuals in this country who are bent on destroying the promotion of our local languages, and that is very bad.
Yas, do the Chinese, Germans and Japanish also speak English and are progressing well. I agree with Badu full time...... Intelligence and life skills are not related to how well you can speak English Language.
Mr. Badu, ask yourself what language we judge our literates in?? Vernacular speaking people don’t have a dog’s chance in our world today!! Pilots, Astronauts and all manner of professionals communicate in English despite the fact that they’re French, Spanish, Russian etc.!!! PLEASE STOP this hackneyed unsustainable argument!!!