INTRODUCTION
Language is related to almost every human activity e.g. culture, economy, politics, education and so on. The topic of our concern in this unit relates to language and politics. Whenever the concepts of nationalism and nationism are discussed, language cannot be ignored. So in this unit we shall see how language is related to nationalism and nationism. Our discussion in this unit will further reinforce the importance of language to man and his society. It will also dwell on some of the language problems facing a developing country like Nigeria.
3.1 Language and Nationalism
As you have learnt, language is a system of human communication, which makes use of sounds and symbols. It is very much related to human culture-it is part of culture and it also serves as a means of expressing culture. Language is very much related to the political concepts of nationalism and nationism.
According to Fishman (1968) the term ‘nation’ should be considered as a politics -geographical entity while ‘nationality’ might be considered as a socio-cultural entity. This means that the term ‘nation’ refers to a political and geographical entity or unit while ‘nationality’ refers to an entity or unit which can be socio-culturally defined.
What then is ‘nationalism’? According to Akindele and Adegbite (1999:70), ‘nationalism’ denotes the feeling of belonging to a nationality. They also explain nationality as a sociological unit. People belonging to a nationality exhibit solidarity or the feeling of oneness as they subscribe to common socio-cultural and linguistic habits. In Nigeria, as Akindele and Adegbite say, nationality: coincides with ethnic group boundaries like Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Edo, Itsekiri, Ijaw and son on. They also note that these ethnic group boundaries extend beyond state boundaries. Reflect on this for a moment. Then, mention the Hausa-dominated states in Nigeria. In addition, mention the Yoruba- dominated states in Nigeria as well.
As at now, Nigeria cannot be said to be a single nationality; it is made up of many nationalities. But a nation like England is also a nationality, and being a nationality it is not pre-occupied with the problem of language choice. In other words, nationality is not confronted with the problem of language choice. In England, for example, it is definitely the English language. In this sense, the English language defines the England nationality.
Language and nationism
As Fishman (1968) says, nationism suggests political integration. According to Akindele and Adegbite (1999:71), ‘nationism’ as a concept denotes the feeling of belonging to a nation. As we have said earlier, the term ‘nation’ denotes a political and geographical entity. In the opinion of Akindele and Adegbite (Ibid), the term ‘nation’, as a political entity does not necessarily mean a sociological unit. They cite U.S.A, Australia, France and West Germany as examples of nations, which are also, nationalities, while Nigeria, Ghana and Liberia are African nations that are yet to transform to nationalities.
Unlike a nationality, a nation which is yet to become a nationality has the problem of language choice to contend with. English is the national language in England, but as at now Nigeria has no truly national language. In Nigeria, there are over 200 ethnic groups, each with its own language. Thus, Nigeria can be said to consist of over 200 nationalities. In this situation, the choice of which language should be regarded as a national language cannot be a simple one. Certainly, no ethnic group will want its language to be relegated to the background. Even the mere political recognition of Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba as major indigenous Nigerian languages does not go down well with the speakers of the so-called minority languages. So, a nation like Nigeria cannot yet be regarded as a nationality until it has succeeded in its choice of a truly national language.
Certainly, lack of a national language can lead to a divisive tendency in a nation. In order to contain this problem, English is used in Nigeria to fill the vacuum created by the absence of a true national language. Thus, English becomes a medium of communication across ethnic boundaries. It is in this sense that we can regard English as playing an integrative role in the country. The language weds together different nationalities that make up the Nigerian nation. The transformation into a nationality remains the highest goal of Nigeria as a socio-political entity or unit, and the issue of language choice is a major determining factor.
Self-Assessment Exercises
1. Is there any country in Africa that can be regarded now as both anation and a nationality?
2. Explain the integrative role of the English language in Nigeria.
4.0 CONCLUSION
In a nationality, there is no problem of language choice as the entity is already linguistically integrated. What is paramount in a nationality relates to language maintenance and development. On the other hand, language choice is a serious problem confronting a nation that is yet to transform into a nationality. This is the situation in which countries like Nigeria, and Ghana are now. In Nigeria, English is being used as a national language. It is the only language that guarantees inter-ethnic communication.
5.0 SUMMARY
In this unit, we have explained the two different but related concepts of nationalism and nationism. In addition, we have brought out how language is related to the two concepts.
6.0 TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENTS
1. Define the concepts of ‘nationalism’ and ‘nationism’ .
(a) How is language related to nationalism and nationism?
(b) Will you regard Nigeria as a nation and or nationality?
Give linguistic reasons to support your answer.
7.0 REFERENCE/FURTHER READINGS
Akindele, F and Adegbite, W (1999) The Sociology and Politics of
English in Nigeria: An Introduction. Ile-Ife Obafemi Awolowo University Press.
Fishman, J et al (eds) 1968) Language Problems of Developing Nations. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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