Steemit Engagement Challenge || Season2, Week #2 || Language. How language connects an individual to his family, globe or specific society.? Entry by @ngoenyi

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Greetings dear community, it is my delight to be taking part in this amazing contest for week 2 in the season 2 of the engagement challenge. The topic happened to be the most important in man's history- Language

Background

Language dates back to the creation of man. When the Almighty made the first man, he gave him the ability to communicate with him and the other animals. When man continued to multiply on earth, they were all speaking one language. You can imagine the unity that must have existed then. The Holy Scriptures at Genesis 11:1 has this to say:

Now all the earth continued to be of one language and of one set of words

Because they were able to understand each other, they were very united and almost accomplished their achievement until something happened. You may like to know what project they embarked on and why they couldn't complete it. No human can be able to tell until we go back to the Holy Scriptures at Genesis 11:4 tell us

They now said: “Come! Let us build a city for ourselves and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a celebrated name for ourselves, so that we will not be scattered over the entire face of the earth.”

Language can bring about an accomplishment. These ones began this massive project under the leadership of a man named Nimrod, a great hunter in opposition to the Almighty God whose will is that man live all over the earth instead of to cluster in one place. Their plan wasn't a good idea and because of that, the Almighty did something to halt their project. What did he do? The Holy Scriptures tell us again at Genesis 11:6-8

Jehovah then said: “Look! They are one people with one language, and this is what they have started to do. Now there is nothing that they may have in mind to do that will be impossible for them. 7 Come! Let us go down there and confuse their language in order that they may not understand one another’s language.” 8 So Jehovah scattered them from there over the entire face of the earth, and they gradually left off building the city.

You can see how different languages come about. Simply put, those who could understand themselves moved to different locations to dwell. Little wonder that today, there are more than 7100 languages that are spoken all over the globe. Massive! Isn't it?

What is meant by language? Define language in your own words.

Language is defined by Wikipedia as

A structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means of communication of humans, and can be conveyed through speech, sign, or writing. Wikipedia

This follows that a language is a means by which man as a social animal communicates with his fellow man. Language can then take the form of spoken words, written words, written symbols and or manual signs. Whatever it is that one uses to convey information to his fellow man is language. It doesn't matter whether everyone understands it is not.

How language connects an individual to his family, globe or specific society.

Language as a means of communication connects people together. Infact, the whole essence of learning a language is to be able to connect with people. There is what is called the language of the heart. An individual is a foreigner to his family if he or she doesn't understand the language that is spoken in the family. Whereas the reverse is the case if he is she understands the language. There will be a great attachment if one understands the language of his people.

It is the same with when one is in a city or country that doesn't speak his language or the general language. The person becomes a foreigner with any attachment and the person can not be able to achieve anything without the language. So, no language, no communication, no love and no bond, no business and no cash. You get?

Which is your mother tongue? and which languages ​​are spoken and understood in your home other than your mother tongue?

I came from Nigeria and inside Nigeria, I came from the south east. South eastern part of Nigeria has a general language which is Igbo though with different dialects. Sometimes it is hard to understand all the different dialects. So my mother tongue is Igbo, the one spoken by the Abam Onyerubi Onyeofia. You may not understand this but just take the language to be Igbo language, disregard the dialect to avoid confusion.

Aside this my mother tongue, English language and the Nigerian pigeon is another language that we communicate with in my home. The reason is because so many of our children have traveled to different parts of the country and outside, so English becomes the major language for communication in my home.

How many languages ​​do you know and how did you learn more than one language?

I know my mother tongue, Igbo and I am fluent on it. I can communicate orally with it as wl as read it if written. I learned this language from my parents and those around me. When I was given birth to, that was the language I heard first and that is why I learned it faster.

I also can speak, write and read English language. I learned it from school because it is a general and compulsory language course in my country. I also learned it from my friends who doesn't speak or understand my mother tongue.

I speak a little of Yoruba language because I lived in Lagos which is the western part of my country during my teenage age. Though I have forgotten some of them but I still understand most when someone else's speaks. I learned this language from the people of Yoruba in Lagos. I was also enrolled in one of the government schools in Lagos where Yoruba was part of the languages we were taught. I didn't stay long that's why I didn't learn all.

I am currently in the South South region of my country where Ibibio language is spoken. I only know a little of it. I am learning from my friends when they speak or are communicating with others. It's hard for me but am making efforts. If not for the COVID-19 that lucked up everyone at home, I would have gone far by now.

In which language did you study in school to university and which language do you prefer in the education system in your country and why?

English language is the language I studied in school from my primary education, to secondary even to my second year in the polytechnic. It was due to my course of study that made me not to complete it.

I also studied my language, Igbo in the school. That was in my secondary school. That made me to learn how to write my Language and how to speak the general Igbo because like I said earlier, Igbo language has a lot of dialects but there is a general one that also everyone understands. That is the one that is taught in schools.

How one language or more than one languages plays an important role in the development of society.?

In a society where there are several languages that spoken, there is usually one or two languages that must be general. Take steemit for instance that is made up of people from different languages and countries, the most generally accepted language here is English, then Spanish and any other one. It is because we all have a way to communicate, that's why we are all connected together and can think out ways to develop the society. This steemit engagement challenge wouldn't have made any sense without language. If there is anything that maybe done to develop the society, it has to communicated to all and language does the magic. And because we accommodate others that's why everyone can bring his or her talent that when combined can bring about development.

How does culture relate to language?

Culture means people's way of life of which language is part of culture. In fact, the culture of certain people come about because they speak the same language. So language can never be separated from culture. They are the same in fact.

Would you like to prefer writing in your own language at the time of writing posting on steemit, if yes why and if not why not?

No, I will not prefer that. The reason is because not everyone here in steemit who speaks my language can be able to read and understand it. Additionally, my language is a minority in steemit when compared to other major languages like English and Spanish. So I will eventually be communicating to just myself or a few others who can comfortably understand and prefer the general language which is English.

It will be a waste of time writing in my language since English is taught in various schools in my locality as the general and compulsory language unless I am tutoring my language to others who are not from my locality. If it is not for the purpose of teaching others about my language, I would prefer English and of course, I write in English here in steemit.

But if in the future Igbo language becomes one of the major languages in steemit, I will prefer writing in it.

If you want to promote your language in the world, how will you do it? and if you already done, then how much success have you achieved?

If I want to promote my language to the world, I will do so in videos. My language is better taught when spoken and written. Writing it alone can not do the magic until it is pronounced.

I have not started promoting my language already to the world and as such, no success yet. Maybe in the future I will do that

Conclusion

So far so good, I have been able to give attention to all the points that this contest required me to write on to the best of my ability at the moment.

Language is a general thing. No one on earth that doesn't use language either spoken, written, signs or any other form.

Language dates back to creation and as such it is inseparable from humans and society.

People's culture is first identified by the language they speak.

Thanks to you dear community for such an opportunity to take part in this contest.

I will like to invite @chiabertrand @olabillions and @eliany to take part.

Note that all scriptures cited or quoted are from the New Word Translation of the Holy Scriptures from www.jw.org web site