Arsenic is a metallic-looking poisonous chemical substance, which is odourless and tasteless. It is used for the manufacture of insecticides and fungicides. Arsenic may be absorbed accidentally through ingestion （foo...Arsenic is a metallic-looking poisonous chemical substance, which is odourless and tasteless. It is used for the manufacture of insecticides and fungicides. Arsenic may be absorbed accidentally through ingestion （food poisoning）, inhalation （toxic air） and permeation of skin. It has been scientifically proved that as little as 20 milligrams of arsenic may be life-threatening. It attacks delicate internal organs of the body, thereby, leading to health disorders and eventual death. On the one hand, this paper is set out to prove that the English language exerts similar killing effects on the Igbo language. On the other hand, the author will suggest ways of salvaging Igbo people＇s mother tongue from such killing effects.展开更多
The Efut culture,and by extension language,seems to have been mortally threatened after their speakers’migration to Nigeria from Cameroun in the 16th Century.The linguistic situation resulting in language shift was e...The Efut culture,and by extension language,seems to have been mortally threatened after their speakers’migration to Nigeria from Cameroun in the 16th Century.The linguistic situation resulting in language shift was especially exacerbated in the last seven decades,largely due to the dominant cultural influence of Efik,Ibibio and English.The most ostensive vestige of the language manifests in the Ekpe‘Leopard’secret society songs,rituals and proverbs(performed by,and intelligible mostly to octogenarians).The Efut language sociolinguistic status is between post moribund and dead stage(s).This paper attempts,therefore,to x-ray ways to revitalize and revive it.Two such revival strategies are the use of digital communication technology and Efut in Nollywood movies.Data for this work came mainly from songs,proverbs,interviews,wordlist and available historical literature.The prognosis for reviving Efut appears realistically poor,at present.However,with appropriate input and pragmatic will from all stakeholders,it would be hasty,uncharitable,to consign the language to irreversible extinction.This optimism is sustainable only if language engineers,policymakers and the Efut nation do not continue to sit on the fence.展开更多
文摘Arsenic is a metallic-looking poisonous chemical substance, which is odourless and tasteless. It is used for the manufacture of insecticides and fungicides. Arsenic may be absorbed accidentally through ingestion （food poisoning）, inhalation （toxic air） and permeation of skin. It has been scientifically proved that as little as 20 milligrams of arsenic may be life-threatening. It attacks delicate internal organs of the body, thereby, leading to health disorders and eventual death. On the one hand, this paper is set out to prove that the English language exerts similar killing effects on the Igbo language. On the other hand, the author will suggest ways of salvaging Igbo people＇s mother tongue from such killing effects.
文摘The Efut culture,and by extension language,seems to have been mortally threatened after their speakers’migration to Nigeria from Cameroun in the 16th Century.The linguistic situation resulting in language shift was especially exacerbated in the last seven decades,largely due to the dominant cultural influence of Efik,Ibibio and English.The most ostensive vestige of the language manifests in the Ekpe‘Leopard’secret society songs,rituals and proverbs(performed by,and intelligible mostly to octogenarians).The Efut language sociolinguistic status is between post moribund and dead stage(s).This paper attempts,therefore,to x-ray ways to revitalize and revive it.Two such revival strategies are the use of digital communication technology and Efut in Nollywood movies.Data for this work came mainly from songs,proverbs,interviews,wordlist and available historical literature.The prognosis for reviving Efut appears realistically poor,at present.However,with appropriate input and pragmatic will from all stakeholders,it would be hasty,uncharitable,to consign the language to irreversible extinction.This optimism is sustainable only if language engineers,policymakers and the Efut nation do not continue to sit on the fence.
