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Celebrating Multilingualism (8/12/2008)

I teach a first-year B.A. course called “Language Use and Bible Translation”. Remembering a church history course I took which always began with the singing of a hymn, I decided that we would start our weekly class by singing a well-known chorus, either in English, the language of instruction, or in Hausa, the regional language.

In typically boisterous style my Nigerian students would sing the chorus I chose each week. Part way through the term I was having trouble thinking of another chorus that everyone would know or be able to pick up easily. Then came my brainwave: Why not ask a different student each week to teach a chorus in his/her language? The 21 students came from 17 distinct language groups. One of the most common uses of minority languages in the church is for singing choruses that convey the gospel.

Several months after the term ended, one student, a lady called Dirmwa, greeted me outside my office singing one of the choruses that had been taught in class. It wasn’t the one in her language. I was delighted! This indicated that my students had grasped one of the main points of the course: that the multilingualism of Nigeria is something Christians should celebrate, not ignore.

Steve Dettweiler

(Editor’s Note: Steve and Sonia Dettweiler are EMCC Recognized Missionaries serving with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Nigeria.)

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