SEEDS ON FERTILE SOIL: THE IMPACT OF LANGUAGE ON NATIONAL COHESION AND DEVELOPMENT – A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH

Abstract

The role of language as a tool in the attainment of national cohesion
and peace as well as industrial and socio-economic development of a
nation cannot be over-stated. Where there is no language, there will
be no development. However, language does not, itself, guarantees
development. It is humans that energise development and humans
haves to be prepared through language use. Moreover, when language
is not productively used, it becomes destructive. Thus, for language to
be productive, it must be seen to be communicating the intended
meaning and receiving the expected reactions so as to serve as a
vehicle for achieving a nation’s set goals. These set goals could be
education, national unity, psychological identity, socio-economic and
technological development, etc. This paper uses Systemic functional
Linguistics approach to language study and also draws on insights
from Walter Rodney’s theory of development, which is centred on
the development of man, to present language as a valuable tool that
develops the intellectual capacity of humans who in turn energise
national growth and development through technological inventions
and innovations as well as social order and political stability which are
also tenets of national growth and development.