Citation: Dr. Doofan BULAUN (2023). Enhancing the SDGs through Appropriate Language Use in Communication. Yobe Journal of Language, Literature and Culture (YOJOLLAC), Vol. 11, Number 1. Department of African Languages and Linguistics, Yobe State University, Damaturu, Nigeria. ISSN 2449-0660
ENHANCING THE SDGS
THROUGH APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE USE IN COMMUNICATION
By
Dr. Doofan BULAUN
Abstract
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set concrete targets and indicators for ending poverty and hunger and also achieving other goals. Many of the low-income communities in which more progress is needed live in complex language situations. Choosing the best language in which to engage with these marginalized communities is vital to achieving the SDGs. In this study, the researcher examines the importance of language as it affects the attainment of the SDGs. The study adopted a descriptive survey design; making use of questionnaires bearing the form of a four-point likert scale (but treated as nominal data) to collect data. The instrument was tested for reliability using Cronbach Alpha and the coefficient was found to be 0.72. The research questions were analyzed using marginal counts and the hypothesis was tested with a Chi-square statistic using the SPSS version 20 software. The results from the analyses of the research questions showed that 90% of the respondents agreed that language was vital for the attainment of the SDGs. The hypothesis was conducted and a positive Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient of 14.572 was significant taking the P-value of 0.05. This means there is a strong and a positive relationship between language and the attainment of the SDGs. It is also recommended that more efforts should be made by the Nigerian government and other key partners of development to put in place modalities that will enhance easy communication of the SDGs to the members of the public.
Introduction
The
Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs), adopted by all the United Nations (UN)
member states in 2015, represent the world’s universal framework for
sustainable development. The SDGs are the blueprint to achieve a better and
more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face,
including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental
degradation, peace and justice. They were drawn from the three key indices of
development: the economic growth, social inclusiveness and environmental
protection.
How
then do nations meet this international desire for sustainable development or
development? This type of development must take into consideration the most
important aspect of its implementation- the language.
The
achievement of these goals is mostly dependent on all stakeholders including:
governments, the private sector, and civil society to play their part
effectively. McWhorter (2001) asserts that, the primary means of interaction
between people is language. Stakeholders may not achieve much if they keep
ignoring the important role communication plays through mother tongues or local
languages in ensuring that these goals are achieved.
Statement of the Problem
According
to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO]
(2017) language is important because: ‘through language, people communicate,
share meaning and experience their sense of individual and community identity.
Loss of language and culture is frequently accompanied by large human and
social costs, including poverty, poor health, drug and alcohol abuse, family
violence and suicide. Recognizing the profound importance that people place on
their language is a core insight for tackling poverty and hunger.
The seventeen SDGs are broken down into 169
targets. Progress towards these targets is tracked by country-by-country
monitoring of 231 unique indicators. United Nations Statistics Division [UNSD]
(2020). However, language is not mentioned in any of them. When the SDGs were
announced, there was widespread disappointment-even ‘dismay’ as the study group
on language and the United Nations called it (Marinotti, 2017) that there was
no mention of language. The issue of the language that would be used to communicate
these goals to the vulnerable population of the society was obviously missing.
This research intends to show the role language plays in the attainment of the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and as well establish the magnitude of the
relationship that exists between the two.
Research Questions and Hypothesis:
The
following Research Questions and Hypothesis are pertinent to this research
§ What
is the effect of indigenous language on the attainment of the Sustainable
Development Goals associated with economic growth?
§ What
is the effect of indigenous language on the Sustainable Development Goals
associated with Social Inclusiveness?
§ What
is the effect of indigenous language on the Sustainable Development Goals
associated with Environmental Protection?
§ H0:
There is no statistically significant relationship between the language of
effective communication and the achievement of the SDGs
Literature Review
In
2015, the United Nations launched 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a
blueprint for international development. Also called global goals, these SDGs
are universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that
all people enjoy peace and prosperity (UNDP, 2019). SDGs provide clear
guidelines and targets for countries to adopt taking into consideration both
the global challenges and individual countries own priorities. The predecessor
global development framework, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which
ran from 2000 to 2015, were faced with a number of challenges. Reddy & Mahavidyalaya (2016, p.5),
for instance, points out that “a critical challenge encountered in the early
implementation of the MDGs as opposed to the SDGs was the initial lack of grass
root consultation and support, and most importantly, community ownership.” Yet,
as the UN (2014) argues, the achievement of the SDGs largely depends on the
decisive local action and local buy-in and ownership. Effective local buy-in
can only be attained if the SDGs are popularized sufficiently enough at the
local level. This requires an effective communication system where language is
a critical component.
The UN, language and information
dissemination
As an
institution, the UN is dedicated to the development of ‘all’ member countries
by addressing systematic inequalities that retard peace, security and
sustainable socioeconomic growth. It is an organisation that operates under an
increasingly diverse environment. For information to circulate smoothly in such
an environment, it is a requirement that language be used effectively.
As UN (2012) points out, the UN brings
together sovereign states, and at its core, it is an organization that values
communication for the purpose of collective action. Information from the UN
needs to flow to the lowest levels in ‘all’ member countries yet as an
institution, the UN maintains only six official languages; Arabic, Chinese,
English, French, Russian and Spanish. Official information is framed in these
languages before it is translated into other languages for broader
dissemination.
Translation
and interpretation services are, therefore, crucial in the work of the
organization for it to communicate issues of global concern as widely as
possible. In recognition of the significance of language and the process of
information dissemination, the UN established 63 regional information centres
called United Nations Information Centres (UNICs). Sixteen of these UNICs are
in Africa.
In most
regions of the globe, the UNICs have not fully solved the problem of
information flow. For example, for UNIC Lusaka, all the social media platforms
are maintained in English. This is what Mweri (2020) also complains about when
she laments that, despite Africa being the most linguistically diverse
continent, an indigenous African language (Kiswahili) is supported by only two
out of the sixteen African UNICs. The African continent is left at a
disadvantaged position. The alternative
is for African countries to exercise vigilance by stepping in with locally bred
language solutions to this problem because the UN, with its ever-increasing
workload and decreasing budgets, has scaled down its use and provision of
multilingual services.
From
the discussion above, it can be argued that the language problem at the UN is
caused by the UN’s not doing enough on the problem. For example, some scholars
support this line of thought by highlighting that none of the 17 SDGs is
dedicated to issues relating to language. However, language scholars also
contribute to the problem.
The Imperative for the Localization of the
SDGs
One of
the SDGs’ key point of departure from the Millennium Development Goals is the
emphasis on inclusion and equality.
At a
meeting of the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments for the SDG
agenda, the then UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon admitted that “…all
development is ultimately local. As the world strives for a more sustainable
path in the years ahead…local voices will be crucial elements in our midst….”
(Reddy & Mahavidyalaya,
2016, p. 5). Therefore, the SDGs need to be relevant and accessible to the
people who they are framed to serve.
In the
context of the SDGs, localization entails remolding the global dimensions and
aspects of the goals by replacing them with dimensions that are indigenously
relevant. This enables the local people to identify with the goals and locate
them within their socio-cultural world. This process includes translation of
the goals from the UN official languages into the people’s languages.
Commenting on the role of translation in
development, Wolff (2016), states that “…translation practices are very vital
for massive participation of the population in [the] development process.” The
success of the localization process of these SDGs is determined by the level of
participation of the community at large that it induces (Reddy & Mahavidyalaya, 2016).
Because participation cannot occur if citizens are uninformed, the UN listed
access to knowledge as one of the key indices for human development.
It is difficult to attain this knowledge if
the media and other sources of information are not within people’s reach.
Framing the SDGs in languages of the people is, therefore, a significant step
towards making SDGs genuinely local.
Localization
of the SDGs, therefore, boosts the citizens’ ability to participate in the SDGs
implementation process among other things, monitoring their country’s
performance on all indicators.
Methodology
The
descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study. The method made
use of the questionnaire for data collection. The questionnaire was subjected
to a reliability test. The choice of this design is because it elicits
information from the respondents and it focuses on the individual; their
beliefs, and opinions emanating from their knowledge on the subject matter. The
target population of the study consists of all the students from the department
of languages across the state. It was based on the above stated facts that a
sample of the population was used for the investigation to make generalization
under stated statistical conditions.
A
sample size of 120 final year students from five institutions was used for the
study. Twenty-four (24) students were selected randomly from each school for
the study. The questionnaires were responded to and 100 out of 120 were
collected for the purpose of analysis. A reliability coefficient of 0.72 was
obtained using Cranach Alpha. On the basis of high index, the instrument was
deemed reliable and suitable for the research.
Finding/Results
Research Question one: What is the
percentage effect of indigenous language on the attainment of the sustainable
goals associated with economic growth?
Table 1: Perception of respondents on the
role of language on attainment of goals associated with economic growth.
|
Language Scale N Percentage |
|
Not Important 12 12% Low Importance 19 19% Moderately Important 34 34% Very Important 35 35% |
|
Total 100
100% |
Source: Field Survey (2023)
Result
in Table 1 shows that 12% of the respondents agreed that the language of
communicating the sustainable development goals (indigenous language)
associated with economic growth was not important for the attainment of the
goals. 19% were of the opinion that language had low importance on the
attainment of the goals associated with economic growth; 34% and 35% indicated
that indigenous language had moderate and very important roles respectively to
play in the attainment of the SDGs. On the whole 88%, agreed that indigenous
language is vital for the attainment of the economic growth goals which
include: decent work and economic growth; industry, innovation and
infrastructure; sustainable cities and communities; responsible consumption and
production; affordable and clean energy; zero hunger and end to poverty.
Research Question 2: What is the percentage effect of
indigenous language on the attainment of goals associated with social
inclusiveness?
Table 2: Perception of respondents on the role of
language on attainment of goals associated with social inclusiveness.
|
Language Scale N Percentage |
|
Not Important 8
8% Low Importance 13
13% Moderately Important 37
37% Very Important 42
42% |
|
Total
100 100% |
Source: Source:
Field Survey (2023)
Result
in Table 2 shows that 8% of the respondents agreed that the language of
communicating the sustainable development goals (indigenous language)
associated with social inclusiveness was not important for the attainment of
the goals. 13% were of the opinion that language had low importance on the
attainment of the goals associated with social inclusiveness; 37% and 42%
indicated that indigenous language had moderate and very important roles
respectively, to play in the attainment of the goals associated with social
inclusiveness. In summary, 92%, agreed and 8% did not agree that indigenous
language is vital for the attainment of the sustainable development goals such
as gender equality and women empowerment; quality education, reduced inequality
within and among countries, peace, justice and robust institutions etc.
Research Question 3: What is the percentage effect of
language (indigenous) on the attainment of the sustainable development goals
associated with environmental protection?
Table 3: Perception of respondents on the role of
language on attainment of goals associated with environmental protection
|
Language Scale N Percentage |
|
Not Important
12 12% Low Importance
10 10% Moderately Important
32 32% Very Important
40 40% |
|
Total 100
100% |
Source: Field Survey (2023)
Result
in Table 3 shows that 12% of the respondents agreed that the language of
communicating the sustainable development goals (indigenous language)
associated with environmental protection was not important for the attainment
of the goals. 10% were of the opinion that language had low importance. 32% and
40% indicated that indigenous language had moderate and very important roles
respectively, to play in the attainment of the goals associated with
environmental protection. Summarily, 82%, agreed and 12% disagreed that
indigenous language is vital for the attainment of the sustainable development
goals such as climate action, life on land, life in water, clean water and
sanitation etc.
H0: There is no statistically significant relationship
between indigenous language and the attainment of the Sustainable Development
Goals.
Table 4: Testing the Null Hypothesis
|
Source Value df Asymp. Sig.(2-sided) |
|
Pearson’s Chi-square
14.572a 6 0.024 Likelihood Ratio 16.034 6 0.014 Linear by Linear Association
16.695 1 0.019 N of Valid Cases 100 |
In the table 4, the
result (χ2 =14.572, df=6, p=0.024) indicates a positive Pearson’s
correlation value of 14.572 with a probability value of 0.024 (2.4%) and degree
of freedom of 6. The higher Pearson’s correlation shows that there is a
positive relationship and the probability value of 0.024 shows that the
relationship is significant. The null hypothesis is therefore rejected, hence
there is a significant relationship between indigenous language and the
attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Discussion
The
result of this study shows that indigenous language is vital for the attainment
of the sustainable development goals including those related to poverty,
inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, justice, zero
hunger and end to poverty. It is the major medium through which a lot of human
knowledge is acquired. Obiegbu (2005) in recognition of the vital role of
language in the education process quoted Dewey by calling language, ‘the tool
of tools’ in learning and in all human experiences. Just as the sun is the
centre of the universe so is language the centre of the universe of learning.
This can only be done effectively through appropriate language use in
communication. Stakeholders may not achieve much if they
keep ignoring the important role communication plays through mother tongues or
local languages in ensuring that these goals are achieved.
Conclusion
It has
been established in this paper that the role of language in enhancing the
sustainable development goals is vital. In fact, the role of language in
society is so fundamental that it is quite doubtful whether society can exist
at all without language. Even those indicators that have 2030 targets have lost
precious time that cannot be easily recouped. Ideally, the SDGs were supposed
to be localized in 2015 before or just after their launch so that everybody
takes part in the implementation process from the very beginning.
Therefore,
there is the need to ensure that the objectives of the SDGs are made available
to the populace in their local dialects.
Recommendations
The
persons or groups responsible for the sensitization and education of the
populace on the objectives of the SDG for national development and how the
objectives can or should be achieved must and should have proficiency in
language both indigenous and the language of instruction. Also, when progress
is made with reference to the development objectives, it should also be
creatively and appropriately communicated to the citizens in a manner that is
persuasive and convincing enough so as to encourage them that their efforts
have yielded fruits.
References
Marinotti, J. P.
(2017). Language, the sustainable development goals, and vulnerable
populations. Final Report from the Study Group on Language and the United
Nations Symposium. New York, 11-12 May 2017. https://www.languageandtheun.org/symposium2017report.html#conclusions
McWhorter,
J. (2001). The power of babel: A natural
history of language. Harper Perennial Publishers.
Mweri,
J. (2020). Sustainable development goals: reaching people through their mother
tongue. Linguistics and Literature
Studies, 8(1), 14-25. http://doi.org/10.13189/lls.2020.080103
Obiegbu,
I. (2015). The English language and sustainable development in Nigeria. Open Journal of Political Science, 5, 82-86.
http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ojps.2015.52009
Reddy, M. S., & Mahavidyalaya, P. (2016).
Importance of English language in today’s World. International Journal of Academic Research, 3, 179-184.
UN
(2012). Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 27 July 2012. 66/228. The
future we want.
Wolff, E. (2016). Language and development in Africa: Perceptions, ideologies and challenges. Cambridge University Press.
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