Rwanda marks International Mother Language Day

As the World marks International Mother Language Day, Kinyarwanda teachers in different parts of the country where different dialects of the language are used say they must be careful to try and use the original pronunciations and spellings of words, which is not always easy because they too use the dialects on an everyday basis. 

Officials at the Rwanda Academy of Language and Culture say however that such dialects should not be completely ignored, because they complement the Kinyarwanda Language itself.

The Rwanda Academy of Language and Culture say however that such dialects should not be completely ignored, because they compliment the Kinyarwanda Language itself and are part of the main language itself, though in schools no dialects are to be taught.

Other Academicians say much more emphasis should be put on using the Kinyarwanda Language in Schools, going as far as saying that apart from subjects that deal directly with other languages, the Kinyarwanda Language should be the language used to teach all other subjects.

Regardless of how many dialects may exist, Scholars agree that they are still part of the Kinyarwanda Language and urge people not to laugh at a person simply because they may speak a dialect that is not automatically familiar.