I called upon the northern man who hawks yam with his wheelbarrow, a common sight in my country, as most of the food we eat is grown in the northern region of Nigeria, so it is preferable for we consumers to patronize the northern sellers than other tribes because we consider their goods to be cheaper compared to other tribes that sell same foodstuff they are more like wholesalers to these northerners which means they have to add their extra cost before reselling to we the consumers, due to this very reason, ever since the rise in dollars to the naira exchange rate, and the prices of foodstuff hitting the roof, now even more than before we would rather wait patiently to patronize the northern sellers, not that their goods were any cheaper and easily affordable these days, but that slight difference in the price rates is worth waiting for.
I held my two thousand naira note in hand hoping to buy the size of yam I had hope for that range, but the northern seller insisted that his prices had changed and my bargaining power seemed to not have any effect on him no matter how hard I tried, trust me, I'm very good in this aspect of marketing, I was at the junction, there was no way I could go back home to get extra cash because he had to move further to sell his goods, the yam I intend to buy is not worth that much of his time, neither was I with my phone or debit card to make any withdrawal nearby, and I had already made a promise to my daughters to cook their favorite meal today, pounded yam and melon soup, what was I going to do, I thought to my self, as I started thinking of waiting for another seller which is a 50:50 chance as it was already late evening, just then I saw my husband walk down the street from home on his way to get his haircut, "what is taking you so long babe?" he asked about, price changed, I replied, how much is he insisting on selling he asked and I told him, just then, hubby switched to the Hausa language which he is very fluent in as he also grew up in the northern part of Nigeria, Kaduna precisely, while we were from the Southern part, I didn't understand any word he was saying to the northerner.
I just watched their mouth moved while guessing what they mean from their facial expression, he must have cracked a joke because the northern seller laughed hard exposing his set of brown teeth, next thing, he was handing me same yams he refused to sell me a while ago, no matter how hard I tried to bargain with him, give him the money, hubby said in english now, without hesitation, he collected the two thousand naira with a smile and also gave me a new name In Hausa, and when I asked hubby for the meaning, he said it meant "My brother's wife" lol very funny but was very satisfying seeing the favor one can get just by knowing how to speak others language, and it didn't stop there he now considers me a family because I am married to someone who can speak his language.
Image is mine
It's easy for us to get stuck with the mindset that language is simply just a tool for communication ,a means of encoding and conveying information through speech and writing, what we fail to realize and fully appreciate is the profound role it plays in shaping our identities and relationships, language is more than a means of communication, it goes deeper, my experience with the northern seller made me understand it brings people more closer, and the understanding is far more clearer, because each language has it's unique expression, and impression, I was jealous of hubby, because if there is anything I find difficult to do, it's learning how to speak a new language apart from my mother's tongue and english language, I might understand what the speaker is saying but speaking it becomes hard, for instance, I was born and brought up in Lagos State where the common language spoken is Yoruba, which I understand very well , but speaking it becomes hard for me, except for few mono slangs, but i've seen people just like my hubby who is very gifted in learning how to speak diverse language, just so you know, he speaks four major languages among the major tribes in my country, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Ibibio add english language that makes it five, and calls himself the perfect business man, he truly is talented, which brings me to the next advantage of being a multilinguist.
It helps businessmen thrive easily in the business world, the event in my introduction is an example of what a multilinguist can achieve in the business world, he is easily trusted for contracts, investments and relied on just because these investors feel he understands them better, why do business with someone you both communicate with using another man's language when there is someone out there that understands your goal better. To learn and embrace new languages is to unlock entirely new dimensions of meaning and deepen our awareness of other cultures, beliefs, and their general point of view.
Do you know that some research shows that being multilingual enhances one's critical thinking abilities, problem-solving skills, memory function, and even delayed onset of age-related mental degradation? Speaking multiple languages quite literally makes your brain stronger and more agile over a lifetime, how awesome, I need to break through my difficulty of not being able to learn and speak a new language
When we learn a new language, we are committed to becoming open-minded, become humble to learn and understand other cultures of our interest, and this mere act of studying another language's structures and linguistic frameworks as we immerse ourselves in new modes of their expression makes us appreciate diversities of identities and thoughts, and we become more tolerant of other tribes, we would no longer be hearing news of inter-tribal wars, and see ourselves more like family.
Of course, language learning is no easy thing to do, especially as adults with so many things occupied in our hands, I believe children are better learners when it comes to learning a new language, so we should encourage our children to mix and learn, especially if you live in a foreign state or country, one of the reasons I have difficulty in speaking the Yoruba language is because I was more of an indoor type of child and never really socialized while growing up. All hope is not lost though as an adult, after all, people go to school to learn other people's language, when I see an American speaking a Nigerian language on the internet I'm always fascinated, all it requires is immense dedication, patience, cultural immersion, it may take many years but it's possible.
That being said, the empowering benefits that await those willing to put in the effort are invaluable and life-altering. Whether through formal schooling opportunities, travel, or movies, you read that right, some Nigerians learn the Korean language just by watching their movies over time
So by all means, set a goal to learn a new language, Spanish is another language I'm so in love with, knowing that I can learn how to speak it is empowering in a way, and don't forget that language is not just a means of communication, it is so much more, it makes us view the world in another light with its numerous benefits attached.
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