Speak Your Mother Tongue at Home, Prof. Olumiyiwa Tells Nigerian Parents

Professor Temitope Olumiyiwa has called on parents to speak their native dialects to their children in order to safeguard indigenous languages from going into extinction.

Prof. Olumiyiwa, a Professor of Yoruba Language and Dialectology at the Department of Yoruba Language and Linguistics, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, made the call while delivering the institution’s 47th Inaugural Lecture.

The lecture, titled “Changing the Change: Yoruba Language and Dialectology in a Changing Society,” highlighted the urgent need for parents, policymakers, educators, media practitioners, and other stakeholders to take active responsibility in promoting indigenous languages.

According to him, the survival of native languages depends largely on deliberate efforts at the family and institutional levels.

Also speaking, some stakeholders in indigenous language propagation, Reverend Damilola Akinwale and Tomogun Olubunmi, stressed the need for government to encourage the teaching of local languages in schools.

In his welcome address, the Vice Chancellor of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Professor Olugbenga Ige, commended Professor Olumiyiwa for his outstanding contributions to research, teaching, and community service.

The 47th Inaugural Lecture was organized to celebrate his remarkable achievements and scholarly impact.