AN INDIGENOUS NATIONAL LANGUAGE: A MYTH OR A REALITY

Date

2006-04-01

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Department of English, Faculty Of Arts, Nasarawa State University, Keffi

Abstract

The (indigenous) national language question has generated so much heat and bitter conflicts in the past that it became a divisive factor. From every indication, scholars have allowed the issue to lie low because for now, no one seems to be really interested in the discussion and English still remains our official and 'national’ language. This is indeed an unfortunate situation after 45 years of our independence. This paper critically looks at the various arguments and contends that the 'dream' about an indigenous national language can still be realized for the country if our policy makers can be more decisive over some of the policy statements that have been made some of our national documents like the National Policy on Education (NPE) and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

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Citation

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