DOCUMENTATION OF AFRICAN LANGUAGES: A PANACEA FOR THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF GLOBALIZATION

Abstract

Globalization is the ability of many people, ideas and technology to move from one country to another (cf. Emenanjo, 2005). This implicates globalization as oriented to achieving universalization, homogenization, integration and centralization: factors which portend danger to the cultural and linguistic identity of most of the peoples of the world, especially the African peoples. In fact, the benefits advanced by the proponents of globalization make this danger difficult to be observed. However, some scholars have identified the danger. For instance, Mbat (2005) interprets it (globalization) as neo-colonialism. That is, it is a system with socioeconomic cover equipped to destroy the remnants of African cultural and linguistic identity left by colonialism. This paper argues that the only workable way of preserving the remnants of African cultural and linguistic identity is via documentation of African languages, developed, undeveloped or underdeveloped ones. Moreover, it recommends a course of action for the documentation of the languages and proposes that any successfully documented language should be utilized in the modernization of other languages.