The invasions of the African continent by Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries on the grounds of religious, political and economic interests have not only left the continent in the rubbles of political and economic chaos but have equally altered the original languages of the continent. Before the advent of these "superior forces" (Great Britain and France), Africa had flourished in her literature, religion, politics and other spheres of human endeavors with the plurality of its language. The African perception of life, religious believes, political ideologies, literary insights and thought patterns were best represented in these African languages as initiated by the African ancestors. This fact makes the use of language imperatively pragmatic for language user's better understanding.
The historical antecedents of slave trade, religious evangelisms and the colonization of various African countries by Europe, exposed the continent (Africa) to the contemporary spread of English and French languages across the continent and the world in general. This was triggered by the basic necessity for communication among human beings irrespective of their cultural origins. As this need arose between Africans and the European missionaries and political "big guns", Africans gradually and unconsciously started adopting the use of these foreign languages at the expense of their mother tongue. Over time, the use of these foreign languages penetrated virtually all the sectors of the African world with an exceptional dominance in the fields of literature and world politics. No wonder, English language has gained global acceptance and recognition today and has become the world's second most spoken language.
The implication of relegation of African languages by these foreign languages on the African continent is an unfortunate loss of one of the paramount ingredients of the African cultural and racial identity.
