In Nigeria, the language spoken by one of the largest ethnic groups, the Igbo, is in danger of dying out - which is odd because the population is growing.
In the past this didn't worry the BBC's Nkem Ifejika, who is himself Igbo but never learned the language. However, he has changed his mind and decided to learn the language and stop mispronouncing his name. Ifejika, who was born in London explains what made him change his mind.
"When I'm in Nigeria, I say my dad is Igbo from Anambra State, and my mum is from Rivers State. I might throw in that I partly grew up in the United Kingdom.
In Britain, I say I'm Nigerian, though I often add explainers about having been educated at British schools and lived outside Nigeria since I was 12 years old.
When visiting other countries though, I identify myself as British - occasionally adding "via Nigeria", for good measure.
I speak English and French, I can hold conversations in Spanish, and Yoruba and I've formally studied Arabic and German to varying degrees. But I can't speak Igbo, a language which should be very personal to me, the tongue of my ancestors.
If you'd asked me my name 10 years ago I'd have given an Anglicised pronunciation - one I learned from my British teachers and fellow students, rather than the one I learned from my parents.
My indefatigable and proudly Igbo wife, Chikodili, rescued me when we met. "You don't even know how to pronounce your name," she'd say, half-teasing, half-scornful. And only half-correct... I did know, I just stuck as a rule to the Anglicised version.
I look back on those days with a hint of shame. But now, when I'm on air, I say my name properly, with the correct tones, and with pride. I can and do forgive other people for getting my name wrong, but I should not be mispronouncing my own name.
Igbos I come across often complain that Igbo children don't speak the language. It's a refrain I hear both in Nigeria and among the Igbo diaspora abroad. They're quick to praise Yorubas and Hausas (the other two large ethnic groups in Nigeria) for teaching their children their mother tongue.
When two Hausas meet, they always speak Hausa, and it's the same when two Yorubas meet. But when two Igbo meet, they may well speak English to one another. These anecdotes are backed up by Unesco's description of Igbo in 1995 as "endangered", a rarity for a language whose population is actually growing.
But why are Igbo people failing to pass on the language to the next generation?"
Nkem Ifejika is a broadcaster for BBC
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