Education
Yale committed to advancing study of African languages – Prof Salovey
By EMEKA EJERE
The Yale University has expressed its commitment to advancing the study of African languages, integrating such study into contemporary scholarship and expanding the community of African scholars in this area of study.
Prof Peter Salovey, president of the university who stated this in Lagos on Friday, January 17, announced that Yale will co-sponsor two upcoming meetings of the African linguistics school, which is devoted to collaborative training and research on generative linguistics in Africa.
The first of these Yale-sponsored meetings will take place in Benin Republic in July 2021.
The co-sponsorship both allows Yale to contribute to the study and preservation of African languages and fosters a deeper understanding of the shared features of all human languages.
Speaking at a press briefing, President Salovey said, “Language is a central aspect of human life and plays a unique role in sharing knowledge, ideas, beliefs, and hopes and in building relationships.
“As African nations expand their global roles, Yale is committed to advancing the study of African languages, to integrating such study into contemporary scholarship, and to expanding the community of African scholars in this area of inquiry. Yale’s support of teaching and research efforts like those achieved by the African Linguistics School will be central in achieving these goals.”
President Salovey arrived Nigeria this week, on his first visit to Africa since becoming the president of the university in 2013, to deliver on the promise of the Yale Africa Initiative, a long-term university wide commitment to enhance Yale’s ongoing bilateral engagement with African institutions and to bring African scholarship, research, and education at Yale into sharper focus. He is joining the university’s collaborators in meetings, events, tours, and other activities to build and strengthen Yale’s research and educational partnerships across the continent.
On arrival in Lagos with a delegation of Yale faculty and staff members, Salovey remarked, “In a world that is growing in complexity and becoming more interrelated, successful universities will embrace global networks and exchanges. While in Nigeria, home to the continent’s largest economy, I am looking forward to meeting with some truly extraordinary people.
“With this visit I hope to build on Yale’s robust relationships in Nigeria and other nations in Africa to strengthen education, research, and scholarship in the global community.”