Repositioning French Language Education for National Integration and Development

Abstract

Nigeria's linguistic diversity rather than being a blessing as it was at Pentecost has been a bane of national development and integration as it was at Babel.  Nigeria parades over four hundred indigenous languages (Crozier and Blench, 1992) and two official foreign languages (English and French).  Of these various local languages, three stand out for national prominence.  While most developed countries are monolingual with the significant exception of Canada that is bilingual, with English and French spoken with equal degree of proficiency, most developing countries are bilingual or multilingual.  This is to say that monolingualism is not the only yardstick for development.  Therefore, if the French language is well repositioned and restrategised, it may definitely take Nigeria to an enviable height.  This paper therefore defines the concepts of language, national integration and development.  It highlights the apparatus on ground to make the French Language more functional in an Anglophone Nigeria.  The relevance of French to National Development is discussed, and strategies towards making it more functional for national development are pointed out in concrete terms.

Keywords: Language, national integration, national development.