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How do most Africans in sub-Saharan Africa view the fact that most of their countries have European languages as their national language instead of an African language? If Europeans hadn't colonize the continent how would languages had played themselves out over the continent?
European languages act as a lingua franca, meaning it enables, most the population. of often divided tribal/lingual populations to be able to communicate.
It enables easier access to the world outside, and clearly more advantageous, than having many languages that are not understandable by others.
Languages such as Swahili, do got to bridging language incompatibility, and widely used in Central and East Africa. (rather pleasant language as well) Of course Arabic fills that role in North Africa, but with French and English still widely spoken, depending on particular country.
Virtually everything written in the world, from classical poetry to technical manuals to singles websites exist in one or more of .the European languages, usually English. Africa will have a long wait to modernity, if they want their higher education materials to all be translated into Bambera or Chichewa before they pass on any of the accumulated world knowledge to their children.
Get over casting blame and deal with it. You want what we've got (money, knowledge, tools), you need our language to exploit and manipulate it.
You don't want a situation such as in the Asian nation Sri Lanka (Ceylon) which stopped English-teaching for an entire generation, resulting in many of its college graduates were left unemployable and isolated. (Click on link below, and then scroll down below the Advert).
You don't want a situation such as in the Asian nation Sri Lanka (Ceylon) which stopped English-teaching for an entire generation, resulting in many of its college graduates were left unemployable and isolated. (Click on link below, and then scroll down below the Advert).
Not to promote colonialism. But if Africans had never been colonized at what point would Africans have learned European languages so that they could interact with the broader world?
They are very selectively and aggressively choosing a European language to interact with the broader world, some even rejecting those of their colonizers..
Some are actually in the process of changing their common European language to English, from that of their colonizers. In 2008, Rwanda officially changed their language of school education from French to English. Nobody speaks Italian in Ethiopia or Somalia, it's all English. The Dutch never colonized South Africa, where the majority speaks Dutch (Afrikaans). Togo and Tanzania were once German colonies.
Educating your people in a major European language also means that they can do advanced studies in medicine and engineering in European or other countries. It also makes it easier to attract skilled workers, e.g., during Portugal's recent economic malaise, booming Angola could attract skilled Portuguese and other Lusophones.
How do most Africans in sub-Saharan Africa view the fact that most of their countries have European languages as their national language instead of an African language? If Europeans hadn't colonize the continent how would languages had played themselves out over the continent?
Most modern African nations only exist because of European colonization. Without those languages, they wouldn't have anything in common.
Using Angola as an example, there was never a common language nor a concept of "Angola" before Portuguese. The Portuguese language is what unites them. The PALOP countries are proud to be Portuguese speakers because it unifies people who would otherwise be unrelated.
Not to promote colonialism. But if Africans had never been colonized at what point would Africans have learned European languages so that they could interact with the broader world?
Why is it assumed that Europe is the standard? Africa had civilizations long before anyone thought about a Europe. And they spoke Semitic languages. Africa is the standard. Some have forgotten; others have been miseducated.
By today's count, there are 5,678,669 articles in Wikipedia in English, and 388 in Chichewa. Which language's body of work do you want a Malawian school child to have as a research tool on Wikipedia?
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