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He explained that language was part of culture so if children spoke their native language, they would get to know a lot more about  their culture.

He said most children in urban areas knew more about other countries than their own country because they communicated in English and, therefore, read more about those countries.

 Mr Essien said if foreign culture dominated the native culture, children grew up either forgetting or not knowing their culture at all.

According to him, children in the rural areas tended to speak their mother tongues more than English because parents  spoke to them in their native languages.

“Also, children learn and become comfortable with whatever language they hear in their immediate environment and  pick easily, hence if parents speak English to them, they grow up speaking it,” he added.

Citing examples, he said in our modern setting, we hardly would hear “maaha”, “maakye” and “maadwo”, but “good morning”, “good afternoon” and “good evening” were very common.

He advised parents to speak their native language to their children and asked  children to be confident in speaking the local languages.

In separate interactions with some children in Accra and Takoradi, they said they spoke English either because that was the language of communication between them and their parents or their teachers forced them to speak.

Others also said they spoke English because of the stigma associated with speaking local languages.

Samuel Edwin Apetsi Akpah, an eight-year-old pupil of Blessed Holy Child Academy in Accra, who spoke English more fluently than he spoke Ewe, said it was because he was able to express himself better in the English language.

Another pupil of True Love School at East Legon, Accra, Akua Gyamfuah Seinti, said she spoke English because her parents introduced her to it.

Gideon Annan, an 11-year-old pupil of the Gled Academy at Apowa, Takoradi, said even though he spoke English fluently, he was also able to express himself in Fante.

Princess Brielle Osafo-Darko, a five-year-old pupil of Alpha Beta Education Centre, said she spoke more fluent English than Twi because her parents introduced her to the English language.