New National Anthem: Between fatherland and motherland
As Nigeria adjusts to the fact of a brand new National Anthem, two phrases, amongst a number of others, have generated some controversy. These are ‘fatherland’ and ‘motherland’. In the anthem dropped (Arise o compatriots…), ‘fatherland’ prominently options, whereas ‘motherland’ returns with the brand new. Well, not too new as a result of it’s the nation’s earlier anthem that has been introduced again. We is not going to go into different elements of the debates, particularly the political, however we will set up the connection between the 2 nouns, ‘fatherland’ and ‘motherland’.
In the previous anthem, we now have:
To serve our fatherland
With love and energy and religion
In the present:
Nigerians all, are proud to serve
Our sovereign Motherland.
Neither father, nor mom
A giant mistake everybody ought to keep away from is trying on the two phrases actually, particularly with emphasis on ‘father’ and ‘mother’. The truth is that there isn’t a distinction of their meanings. Unlike what we now have in ‘Father’s Day’ and ‘Mother’s Day’, the place one is for males and the opposite for ladies, not solely can each be described as genderless, however in addition they merely consult with international locations particularly when adored by their nationals.
The Encyclopedia Britannica, for example, defines motherland because the nation the place you have been born or the place your loved ones got here from whereas fatherland is the nation the place you have been born or the place your loved ones got here from. Oxford Dictionary defines them (respectively) as ‘the country you were born in and that you feel a strong emotional connection with’ and ‘the country where a person, or their family, was born, especially when they feel very proud of it.’ Also in line with Collins Dictionary, the motherland is the nation during which you or your ancestors have been born and to which you continue to really feel emotionally linked, even in the event you dwell some place else. It says in regards to the fatherland: ‘If someone is very proud of the country where they or their ancestors were born, they sometimes refer to it as the fatherland.’ It is, due to this fact, clear that every one the dictionaries agree on the sameness of the meanings of the phrases.
National decisions
The above definitions point out that not like what you’ve in father-in-law and mother-in-law, the query of masculine/female consideration hardly is available in. Experts observe that whether or not a rustic is known as the fatherland or motherland, the selection belongs to it. Some international locations are, nevertheless, otherwise historically/fondly linked to the phrases. For occasion, whereas Germany is understood to be ‘the motherland’ , Russia is ‘the fatherland’. But within the case of Nigeria, that the ‘new’ anthem says it’s a motherland doesn’t imply the nation remains to be not a fatherland. Put otherwise, though mom is at all times supreme, the reference to Nigeria because the motherland shouldn’t be taken as an emblem of gender choice or superiority.
Mother’s land?
Meanwhile, we should observe the correct method of claiming or writing the phrases. Both are compound phrases, the kind that brings collectively the 2 or extra phrases joined with out the usage of a hyphen. It is within the class of crossroads, schoolchildren and headmaster. Because the expression will not be displaying possession, it additionally eliminates the apostrophe. So, it’s the motherland, not mom’s land as ‘motherland’ doesn’t imply a land or nation that belongs to moms. Otherwise, even daughters can be unnoticed of the possession! If you’re speaking a couple of parcel of land that belongs to your mom, you possibly can say ‘mother’s land’. But as a result of we imply a complete nation that belongs to everybody, the proper expression is the motherland. The similar, after all, applies to the fatherland.
Article ‘the’
Another grammatical characteristic that defines ‘fatherland’ and ‘motherland’ is that they’re usually preceded by the particular article ‘the’. Such seems to underscore the significance and collectiveness of its essence. Consider these:
Everyone is working in direction of the progress of the motherland.
As Nigerians, concern for the fatherland must be uppermost in our hearts.
A correct noun?
Both phrases are, ordinarily, widespread nouns, not correct nouns. Common nouns consult with names of basic or non-specific objects, like chair, bottle, climate, city, nation and tv, whereas correct nouns are names of particular individuals, international locations, villages, states, months, religions and so on. Common nouns usually start with small letters (until they begin sentences) whereas correct ones are capitalised. So, when ‘country’ is a typical noun, Nigeria, Ghana, France are correct nouns:
Nigeria is a giant nation.
France and Canada are two of world’s strongest nations.
I did it for the sake of the fatherland.
Put the curiosity of the motherland at coronary heart.
The query can then be requested: why does ‘motherland’ start with a capital letter within the official model of the brand new National Anthem the Federal Government releaesed by means of the NOA? Once it’s a deliberate act, and goes to be uniformly maintained, it may very well be mentioned to be a specialised utilization, a method of personifying the nation, displaying her extra love and respect, as additionally symbolised by my use of ‘her’ right here.
Tribes and tongues
The National Orientation Agency has additionally corrected a mistake some individuals have been making in the way in which they write the brand new anthem. This has to do with quantity. While such individuals wrote:
Though tribe and tongue could differ
In brotherhood, we stand
the corrected verse reads:
Though tribes and tongues could differ
In brotherhood, we stand
This is self-explanatory as a result of Nigeria is a rustic of many ethnic nationalities and languages. So, ours are tribes and tongues, not tribe and tongue.
