ONE of the flaws in our society that the emergence of independent FM Radio stations has helped to throw into relief is how illiterate a large section of our population is when it comes to expressing one's self in our local languages. Realising how effective the use of local languages, especially Akan, is in reaching a large number of people, many of the new radio stations have adopted Akan as the main thrust of their presentations. The pity is that many radio presenters, are illiterate when it comes to expressing themselves in their mother tongue.

Taking it for granted that once they are good at speaking English, they can as well speak Akan, these presenters only end up demonstrating how illiterate they are when they virtually massacre their own mother tongue. The listeners are no better. Often when listeners phone in to make contributions to programmes, they introduce themselves in English and then state their wish to speak in Akan or any local dialect. That is when they display their illiteracy in their chosen language by making liberal incursions into the English vocabulary. To take 'Peace FM' which is the first of the new stations to adopt Akan as its main medium of presentation, as an example, we cannot help but admire presenters such as Afia Konadu, Yaw Kyere, Nana Ohene Ntow and Adwoa Yeboaa Agyei and congratulate them for their knowledge and linguistic flair in the Akan language.

On the contrary we cannot hide our disappointment with some presenters on the same station who molest listeners with illiterate Akan. That even at 'Peace FM' which is well-heeled in the use of local language one can still find the two trends, what is happening at other radio stations can only be imagined. Fact is, most people who have been through the formal school system up to the university level tend to take too many things for granted and regard their mother tongue as one easy language ignorant of the fact that our local languages are as developed and as sophisticated as any other language and therefore need to be studied to be practised effectively.