There is such a thing as Nigerian English. It is the particular variety of English spoken by Nigerians in Nigeria, and it differs significantly from standard British English. This is important because English is the most commonly used language in the world, for communications, scholarship, business, international relations and diplomacy, education, science and information technology, and entertainment. Nigerian English is not the same as Pidgin. Pidgin is not English- it sounds like it, being mostly derived from English words, but the words have been so modified and other words added, that the product rather than being an English variant, is another language entirely.
Nigerian English on the other hand is an English variant, just as is American English. It is said to have several sources, the major one being linguistic improvisation- the wholesale replacement of local language expressions with English words, which produces expressions that are understood by Nigerians but not by other English speaking people. If for instance, I said I wanted to call on David on my way to the market, one might ask what I was calling on him for. If however, I said I wanted to branch (at) David's place....even though there is no such legitimate English use of the word "branch", my meaning is unmistakable, being a modified form of the Yoruba "ya" i.e. "Mo n lo s'oja; sugbon maa ya odo David".
Another example is a greeting used for people working- "well done." It is simply a translation of "ji si ike" or "saanu da aiki" or "eku ise." Well done in English proper means either "bravo!" or well cooked food. The English do not salute workers in that manner; just as they'd be a tad perplexed if when they tripped or lost their footing, you said "sorry" to them. "Sorry?" They say something like "Be careful", "Watch it", which would be perceived in Nigeria as inconsiderate.
This illustrates the fact that many African cultures are informally relational in a large family, community based manner.
There are many unique Nigerian sociocultural thoughts that English is not well suited to. Therefore we translate or anglicize our local languages in an attempt to produce what is meant. This is why folks say that African languages are deeper than English, and that English does not have the words to express certain things. Well, that is only partly true. In matters that are truly African- a foreign language would have need of modification.
This modification is however common to all languages. An Englishman would find it difficult to to explain the parliamentary system of government, or the anatomy of the brain, or matters that are derived from English custom and lifestyle in Igbira or Hausa, because these are not original Nigerian thoughts. They were probably studied and derived in Grecio-Roman through Latin to English languages- so English has lexical and syntactic coverage of such concepts. On the other hand- a typical traditional marriage ceremony, or cultural festival will find English short.
I read somewhere that Professor Wole Soyinka's citation when he was admitted into the Royal Society of Arts, read something like "Mr. Soyinka is a prolific writer in the vernacular English of his own country", and that he did not like that. However that was fairly accurate. Chinua Achebe defended his literary contortions of English language to express uniqely Nigerian thoughts by saying "any language that has the cheek to leave its primordial shores and encroach on the territory of other people should learn to come to terms with the inevitable reality that it would be domesticated"
Nigerian English is not that which is spoken by the uneducated. It is spoken by graduates, English teachers, researchers, professors, television show presenters, newsreaders. Most of what we hear and read in the dailies, classrooms, and at the workplace is not communicated in standard British English. It takes personal effort to learn proper English, or should I say standard British English; because there is nothing wrong with domesticating a foreign language so long as we abide by the basic rules of its grammar. If the Americans are allowed to get away with things like "different than" and "on the weekend" (instead of "at the weekend"), maybe we should be proud of our "Long time!" or "Long time, no see" ("It's been quite an age") and our "Say me well to your sister" (my warm regards to your...")
I also read that when a Nigerian told his colleagues in a foreign country that he "bagged" his degree in a certain university, one of them had asked him, "Sorry, what did you say you did to your bachelor's degree?" We bag degrees here, they earn it elsewhere. They however bag whatever they catch in a hunting expedition. We also "barb" hair only here in Nigeria. Elsewhere, they have a haircut. To "barb" in English means to supply with barbed wire. Therefore barbers do not "barb" hair, except of course, in Nigeria. We also have "hot drinks" at room temperature, instead of "hard drinks", and "minerals", instead of "soft drinks", or (the American) "soda".
Another interesting word is "tout"- which is used as "hooligan" or "tough-guy". Although there is an element of boldness embodied in the meaning of the word, it does not approximate to hooliganism by any means. Rather, "Tout" and "Marketer" are similes. Therefore for instance, we have "touts" in the banks, but not our banks. Call a salesperson a tout, and fists may be employed to remind one of geography. A person cannot be 'a' mediocre', or 'a talkative' or 'a destitute'. They could however be mediocre or a-talkative-person. Those are adjectives, rather than nouns. And to say that something is outrightly wrong is outright wrong. (hope we saw that; outright is an adverb, it is not an adjective).
Words like "flash", "flashing" and "flasher" are also unique to us. The closest one might find out there, is "buzz" (but not "buzzer", which is a device that alerts you with a buzzing sound)" "You buzzed me" but not "That guy is a buzzer!" Another one is "I'm coming, I want to ease myself" Your British or American friend might not understand a word of that sentence. The "I'm coming expression" is quite common, and seems inappropriate because the speaker is usually moving away from you. "I'd be right back, I need to use the restroom" is more standard. Another example is "I've been trying your number since morning", even though the speaker started making attempts in the afternoon.
We have words which do not exist in any English dictionary, such as "watchnight", "sendforth", "naming ceremony" and "disvirgin". The closest to that last one in the dictionary is "deflower". We also say things like "Go and baff" ("Go have a bath" or the American "take a bath" or "Go bathe"), " He chooked me" (jabbed or poked). Chook is an English word, but it refers to a type of chicken or so. More examples are "godfatherism", "mannerless" instead of "ill-mannered", "letter-headed paper", instead of "letterhead", "vandalisation" instead of "vandalism" and "complimentary card" instead of "business card".
The matters of pronunciation and stress have not been broached. There are 23 different vowel sounds in English, which we tend to collapse into our six or seven! Speaking with a British accent does not equate with speaking proper English. Many English persons who do not speak standard English. One can make a fine job of properly articulating the language with a well polished Nigerian accent. [The b in subtle, climb, climber, dumb, dumbest, comb, debt, and indebtedness (indetidnis); the t in castle, the p in receipt, and the s in debris (dei-bree) are silent. The ch in chalet, sachet (sa-shey) and champagne (sham-payne) is pronounced 'sh'. Brochure is 'brow-shor', not 'bro-kio'. Excited is 'ik-sai-tid', not 'eg-zai-ted', cruel is 'kroo-ool', cause is 'koz', women is 'we-men', pizza is 'peet-sa' and bouquet is 'bu-kay']
In British English, "I would suggest" means "do it", not "think about it". "That was quite good" means it was a bit disappointing, and "that's not bad at all" means "that's very good". "Oh incidentally/by the way" refers to the primary purpose of discussion, and not some unimportant detail. "That is very interesting" means "that is clearly nonsense", not "that is impressive", just as "that's a brave proposal" means "you've lost your mind", and not "you have got courage". "With the greatest respect" means the addressed is perceived to be stupid, and "You must come for dinner", is polite speech, and does not mean you're being invited. "I have a few minor comments" means you should rewrite completely. "You want to leave now" is not a question or a suggestion. It means "leave now". Bear in mind that when Britons speak thus, it is without facially evident sarcasm or irony. They speak these with a straight face, as though the statements were to be taken literally. Alas! We know better. It is British (pseudo) politeness- (some foreign workers are taught to recognize this manner of speaking in their first few weeks in Great Britain).
In conclusion (not conclusively), it is recommended that standard British English be learnt alongside Nigerian English, as both are useful. In fact if you speak standard English in Nigeria, it is likely you will be misunderstood, misquoted, and probably frustrate others and be yourself frustrated. Almost none of us Nigerians are exempt from this variant of English, and there is no need to shy away from it, as long as grammar is respected. However, for the international scene, listening to British news stations, and reading standard English literature such as the English classics may keep us from saying something like "they have taken light", and "it is doing me like eating rice!"
Cheers
Nigerian English on the other hand is an English variant, just as is American English. It is said to have several sources, the major one being linguistic improvisation- the wholesale replacement of local language expressions with English words, which produces expressions that are understood by Nigerians but not by other English speaking people. If for instance, I said I wanted to call on David on my way to the market, one might ask what I was calling on him for. If however, I said I wanted to branch (at) David's place....even though there is no such legitimate English use of the word "branch", my meaning is unmistakable, being a modified form of the Yoruba "ya" i.e. "Mo n lo s'oja; sugbon maa ya odo David".
Another example is a greeting used for people working- "well done." It is simply a translation of "ji si ike" or "saanu da aiki" or "eku ise." Well done in English proper means either "bravo!" or well cooked food. The English do not salute workers in that manner; just as they'd be a tad perplexed if when they tripped or lost their footing, you said "sorry" to them. "Sorry?" They say something like "Be careful", "Watch it", which would be perceived in Nigeria as inconsiderate.
This illustrates the fact that many African cultures are informally relational in a large family, community based manner.
There are many unique Nigerian sociocultural thoughts that English is not well suited to. Therefore we translate or anglicize our local languages in an attempt to produce what is meant. This is why folks say that African languages are deeper than English, and that English does not have the words to express certain things. Well, that is only partly true. In matters that are truly African- a foreign language would have need of modification.
This modification is however common to all languages. An Englishman would find it difficult to to explain the parliamentary system of government, or the anatomy of the brain, or matters that are derived from English custom and lifestyle in Igbira or Hausa, because these are not original Nigerian thoughts. They were probably studied and derived in Grecio-Roman through Latin to English languages- so English has lexical and syntactic coverage of such concepts. On the other hand- a typical traditional marriage ceremony, or cultural festival will find English short.
I read somewhere that Professor Wole Soyinka's citation when he was admitted into the Royal Society of Arts, read something like "Mr. Soyinka is a prolific writer in the vernacular English of his own country", and that he did not like that. However that was fairly accurate. Chinua Achebe defended his literary contortions of English language to express uniqely Nigerian thoughts by saying "any language that has the cheek to leave its primordial shores and encroach on the territory of other people should learn to come to terms with the inevitable reality that it would be domesticated"
Nigerian English is not that which is spoken by the uneducated. It is spoken by graduates, English teachers, researchers, professors, television show presenters, newsreaders. Most of what we hear and read in the dailies, classrooms, and at the workplace is not communicated in standard British English. It takes personal effort to learn proper English, or should I say standard British English; because there is nothing wrong with domesticating a foreign language so long as we abide by the basic rules of its grammar. If the Americans are allowed to get away with things like "different than" and "on the weekend" (instead of "at the weekend"), maybe we should be proud of our "Long time!" or "Long time, no see" ("It's been quite an age") and our "Say me well to your sister" (my warm regards to your...")
I also read that when a Nigerian told his colleagues in a foreign country that he "bagged" his degree in a certain university, one of them had asked him, "Sorry, what did you say you did to your bachelor's degree?" We bag degrees here, they earn it elsewhere. They however bag whatever they catch in a hunting expedition. We also "barb" hair only here in Nigeria. Elsewhere, they have a haircut. To "barb" in English means to supply with barbed wire. Therefore barbers do not "barb" hair, except of course, in Nigeria. We also have "hot drinks" at room temperature, instead of "hard drinks", and "minerals", instead of "soft drinks", or (the American) "soda".
Another interesting word is "tout"- which is used as "hooligan" or "tough-guy". Although there is an element of boldness embodied in the meaning of the word, it does not approximate to hooliganism by any means. Rather, "Tout" and "Marketer" are similes. Therefore for instance, we have "touts" in the banks, but not our banks. Call a salesperson a tout, and fists may be employed to remind one of geography. A person cannot be 'a' mediocre', or 'a talkative' or 'a destitute'. They could however be mediocre or a-talkative-person. Those are adjectives, rather than nouns. And to say that something is outrightly wrong is outright wrong. (hope we saw that; outright is an adverb, it is not an adjective).
Words like "flash", "flashing" and "flasher" are also unique to us. The closest one might find out there, is "buzz" (but not "buzzer", which is a device that alerts you with a buzzing sound)" "You buzzed me" but not "That guy is a buzzer!" Another one is "I'm coming, I want to ease myself" Your British or American friend might not understand a word of that sentence. The "I'm coming expression" is quite common, and seems inappropriate because the speaker is usually moving away from you. "I'd be right back, I need to use the restroom" is more standard. Another example is "I've been trying your number since morning", even though the speaker started making attempts in the afternoon.
We have words which do not exist in any English dictionary, such as "watchnight", "sendforth", "naming ceremony" and "disvirgin". The closest to that last one in the dictionary is "deflower". We also say things like "Go and baff" ("Go have a bath" or the American "take a bath" or "Go bathe"), " He chooked me" (jabbed or poked). Chook is an English word, but it refers to a type of chicken or so. More examples are "godfatherism", "mannerless" instead of "ill-mannered", "letter-headed paper", instead of "letterhead", "vandalisation" instead of "vandalism" and "complimentary card" instead of "business card".
The matters of pronunciation and stress have not been broached. There are 23 different vowel sounds in English, which we tend to collapse into our six or seven! Speaking with a British accent does not equate with speaking proper English. Many English persons who do not speak standard English. One can make a fine job of properly articulating the language with a well polished Nigerian accent. [The b in subtle, climb, climber, dumb, dumbest, comb, debt, and indebtedness (indetidnis); the t in castle, the p in receipt, and the s in debris (dei-bree) are silent. The ch in chalet, sachet (sa-shey) and champagne (sham-payne) is pronounced 'sh'. Brochure is 'brow-shor', not 'bro-kio'. Excited is 'ik-sai-tid', not 'eg-zai-ted', cruel is 'kroo-ool', cause is 'koz', women is 'we-men', pizza is 'peet-sa' and bouquet is 'bu-kay']
In British English, "I would suggest" means "do it", not "think about it". "That was quite good" means it was a bit disappointing, and "that's not bad at all" means "that's very good". "Oh incidentally/by the way" refers to the primary purpose of discussion, and not some unimportant detail. "That is very interesting" means "that is clearly nonsense", not "that is impressive", just as "that's a brave proposal" means "you've lost your mind", and not "you have got courage". "With the greatest respect" means the addressed is perceived to be stupid, and "You must come for dinner", is polite speech, and does not mean you're being invited. "I have a few minor comments" means you should rewrite completely. "You want to leave now" is not a question or a suggestion. It means "leave now". Bear in mind that when Britons speak thus, it is without facially evident sarcasm or irony. They speak these with a straight face, as though the statements were to be taken literally. Alas! We know better. It is British (pseudo) politeness- (some foreign workers are taught to recognize this manner of speaking in their first few weeks in Great Britain).
In conclusion (not conclusively), it is recommended that standard British English be learnt alongside Nigerian English, as both are useful. In fact if you speak standard English in Nigeria, it is likely you will be misunderstood, misquoted, and probably frustrate others and be yourself frustrated. Almost none of us Nigerians are exempt from this variant of English, and there is no need to shy away from it, as long as grammar is respected. However, for the international scene, listening to British news stations, and reading standard English literature such as the English classics may keep us from saying something like "they have taken light", and "it is doing me like eating rice!"
Cheers
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