TY - JOUR AU - C. N. Anyagwa PY - 2019/12/04 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - Harnessing Linguistic Resources towards Sustainable Language Development JF - Unilag Journal of Humanities JA - ujh VL - 7 IS - 2 SE - Articles DO - UR - http://ujh.unilag.edu.ng/article/view/515 AB - ‘Sustainable development’ is often discussed with emphasis on social, infrastructural,economic and technological development, in many climes. The question of languagedevelopment is hardly ever mentioned and when it is, it is subsumed under culture. Allover the world, language suffices as that aspect of culture which marks a people outamong other groups of the same species. It often remains the inheritance of generationsafter generations and guarantees the perpetuity of the common goals and aspirations ofthe people. Given the central role which language plays in the individual and communallives of the people, it is often surprising that linguistic aspects of a people’s existence areoften treated with levity. In this study, adopting a purely library-based methodology andfocusing on the linguistic resources that abound in two indigenous Nigerian languages(Igbo and Yoruba), we investigated their state of development and their prospects. Thestudy sought to establish the place of Language Development within the larger picture ofSustainable Development focusing on the principles of graphisation, standardisation andmodernisation. It was argued here that any integrated development that affects otherareas of a people's life must of necessity also pay attention to the crucial issue ofLanguage Development since language is central to national development. The studyconcluded by emphasising the need for collaboration among stakeholders – the media,the academic and the everyday language user - to ensure that the results of our individualresearches are adequately publicised and implemented towards sustainable languagedevelopment. ER -