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10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell - Education - Nairaland

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10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by dammyjay93(m): 3:16pm On Sep 16, 2014
1. “Goodluck.”This is probably the most misspelled word in Nigeria today. The reason is obvious: it’s the first name of Nigeria’s current president, Goodluck Jonathan. But there is no word like “goodluck”--or, its other variant,badluck-- in the English language; there is only “good luck”--and "bad luck." Good luck denotes an auspicious state resulting from favorable outcomes, a stroke of luck, or an unexpected piece of good fortune. That someone would be named “Good Luck” (which has now been rendered “Goodluck” in error) is itself evidence of insufficient familiarity with the rules and idiomatic rhythm of the English language.

2. “Defination.”There is no letter “a” in the spelling of that word. Replace the “a” with an “i” to have“definItion.”Related misspelled words are“definAtely”instead of “definitely,”“definAte,” instead of “definIte,” etc.

3. “Alot.”That is not an English word. The closest resemblance to that word in the English language is the phrase “a lot.” Since no one writes “alittle,” “afew,” “abit,” etc, it is indefensible that people write “alot.” But this is a universal spelling error in the English-speaking world; it is not limited to Nigerians. Other cousins of this spelling error are“Infact”instead of “in fact” and“inspite”instead of “in spite.”

4. “Loose/lose.”Many Nigerians use the word “loose” when they actually mean to write “lose.” Loose is commonly used as an adjective to denote the state of not being tight (as in: loose clothes). Other popular uses include the sense of being casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior (as in: loose women), lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility (as in: “Goodluck Jonathan’s loose tongue”). Although “loose” can sometimes be used as a verb, “loosen” is the preferred word to express the sense of making something less tight or strict. “Lose,” on the hand, is to cease to have, or to fail to win, or suffer the loss of a person through death, etc. A safe bet is to choose to err on the side of “lose” when you want to express an action.

5. “Priviledge.”There is no “d” in the spelling of that word. It’s spelled “privilege.”

6. “Nonchallant.”It’s actually spelled with only one “l.” Unfortunately, even news reports in Nigerian newspapers habitually spell the word with double “l.” I wonder if they’ve disabled their spell check.

7. “Grammer.”There is no “e” in the word. Replace the pesky “e” with an “a” to have “grammAr.” I’ve read posts on Nigerian Internet discussion forums and on Facebook railing against “bad grammer”! Well, if you feel sufficiently concerned about bad grammar to write about it, you’d better damn well know how to spell grammar! To be fair, this misspelling isn’t exclusively Nigerian, but its regularity in popular writing in Nigeria qualifies it as a candidate for this list. The people I have a hard time forgiving are those who attend or attended secondary schools with “grammar school” as part of their names (such as my old secondary school, which is called Baptist Grammar School) but spell “grammar” with an “e.” I see that a lot on Facebook. Such people deserve to be stripped of the certificates they got from their high schools!

8. “Proffessor.”The name for the highest ranking position for a university academic (in British usage) and any full-time or part-time member of the teaching staff of a university (in American usage) is never spelled with double “f.” It’s correctly spelled “professor.” So if “proffessor” is wrong,“proff”is equally wrong. The British and Canadian colloquial abbreviation for “professor” is “prof.”

9. “Pronounciation.” Although the verb form of this word is “pronounce,” it changes to “pronunciation” when it nominalizes, that is, when it changes into a noun. Note that there is no “o” after the first “n” in the word.

10. “Emanciated.”It should correctly be spelled “emaciated.” There is no “n” in the word. This widespread spelling error in Nigerian written English is the direct result of the way we (mis)pronounce the word. An “n” sound almost always intrudes on our pronunciation of the word, much like it does in our pronunciation of “attorney,” so that most Nigerians say “antoni-general” of the federation. A related misspelling is“expantiate.”It should be “expatiate.” There is no “n” after the first “a.”

http://www.farooqkperogi.com/2011/04/top-10-words-nigerians-commonly.html

Add yours

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Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by killercute16(m): 3:20pm On Sep 16, 2014
Nice write up op.....jus learnt smtin today. FTC....idontbelieveit...really feel more than good to be here sha.......this is a sign of good things coming my way....#feeling blessed

16 Likes 1 Share

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by dammyjay93(m): 3:24pm On Sep 16, 2014
killercute16: Nice write up op.....jus learnt smtin today.
lol... I bet it's no 7 cheesy

10 Likes

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by saaedlee: 3:31pm On Sep 16, 2014
.

11 Likes 2 Shares

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by saaedlee: 3:34pm On Sep 16, 2014

1 Like 3 Shares

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by killercute16(m): 3:35pm On Sep 16, 2014
dammyjay93: lol... I bet it's no 7 cheesy
Nah...5 and 8

2 Likes

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by Champion01(m): 3:46pm On Sep 16, 2014
Harassment, embarrassment e.t.c
Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by TRADELYN: 3:51pm On Sep 16, 2014
11. 'Theirselves' instead of 'themselves.'

12. 'Begining' instead of 'Beginning.'

13. 'Recieve' instead of 'Receive.'
........ ........ .......... ..........
Experts in Research Projects, Business Plans, Sales/Marketing, etc. 0708 860 8914, tradelyn@gmail.com, www.tradelyn.com.

13 Likes 1 Share

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by Nobody: 3:54pm On Sep 16, 2014
Nairaland spelling and grammatical errors:

Incorrect word: "trend"
As in: "don't derail this trend!"
Correct word: "thread"

Incorrect word: "thread"
As in: "thread carefully"
Correct word: "tread"

Those are the ones I notice most often.

44 Likes 1 Share

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by Nobody: 4:08pm On Sep 16, 2014
Iyaf learnt today
.
.
.
But na understanding matter o.
Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by Nobody: 4:09pm On Sep 16, 2014
Ohhh this is one I HATE. Nigerians switch the words "would" and "will".

Example: I will like to visit.
Example: I would be there soon.

Will is indicative. Stating a FACT.
I will be there soon.


Would is subjunctive. Stating thoughts or beliefs, or hypothetical statements.
I would like to visit.

It makes me twitch inwardly whenever I see or hear it.

70 Likes 8 Shares

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by Janeify(f): 4:18pm On Sep 16, 2014
Nice one..

1 Like 1 Share

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by Nobody: 4:30pm On Sep 16, 2014
dammyjay93: 1. “Goodluck.”This is probably the most misspelled word in Nigeria today. The reason is obvious: it’s the first name of Nigeria’s current president, Goodluck Jonathan. But there is no word like “goodluck”--or, its other variant,badluck-- in the English language; there is only “good luck”--and "bad luck." Good luck denotes an auspicious state resulting from favorable outcomes, a stroke of luck, or an unexpected piece of good fortune. That someone would be named “Good Luck” (which has now been rendered “Goodluck” in error) is itself evidence of insufficient familiarity with the rules and idiomatic rhythm of the English language.
2. “Defination.”There is no letter “a” in the spelling of that word. Replace the “a” with an “i” to have“definItion.”Related misspelled words are“definAtely”instead of “definitely,”“definAte,” instead of “definIte,” etc.
3. “Alot.”That is not an English word. The closest resemblance to that word in the English language is the phrase “a lot.” Since no one writes “alittle,” “afew,” “abit,” etc, it is indefensible that people write “alot.” But this is a universal spelling error in the English-speaking world; it is not limited to Nigerians. Other cousins of this spelling error are“Infact”instead of “in fact” and“inspite”instead of “in spite.”
4. “Loose/lose.”Many Nigerians use the word “loose” when they actually mean to write “lose.” Loose is commonly used as an adjective to denote the state of not being tight (as in: loose clothes). Other popular uses include the sense of being casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior (as in: loose women), lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility (as in: “Goodluck Jonathan’s loose tongue”). Although “loose” can sometimes be used as a verb, “loosen” is the preferred word to express the sense of making something less tight or strict. “Lose,” on the hand, is to cease to have, or to fail to win, or suffer the loss of a person through death, etc. A safe bet is to choose to err on the side of “lose” when you want to express an action.
5. “Priviledge.”There is no “d” in the spelling of that word. It’s spelled “privilege.”
6. “Nonchallant.”It’s actually spelled with only one “l.” Unfortunately, even news reports in Nigerian newspapers habitually spell the word with double “l.” I wonder if they’ve disabled their spell check.
7. “Grammer.”There is no “e” in the word. Replace the pesky “e” with an “a” to have “grammAr.” I’ve read posts on Nigerian Internet discussion forums and on Facebook railing against “bad grammer”! Well, if you feel sufficiently concerned about bad grammar to write about it, you’d better damn well know how to spell grammar! To be fair, this misspelling isn’t exclusively Nigerian, but its regularity in popular writing in Nigeria qualifies it as a candidate for this list. The people I have a hard time forgiving are those who attend or attended secondary schools with “grammar school” as part of their names (such as my old secondary school, which is called Baptist Grammar School) but spell “grammar” with an “e.” I see that a lot on Facebook. Such people deserve to be stripped of the certificates they got from their high schools!
8. “Proffessor.”The name for the highest ranking position for a university academic (in British usage) and any full-time or part-time member of the teaching staff of a university (in American usage) is never spelled with double “f.” It’s correctly spelled “professor.” So if “proffessor” is wrong,“proff”is equally wrong. The British and Canadian colloquial abbreviation for “professor” is “prof.”
9. “Pronounciation.” Although the verb form of this word is “pronounce,” it changes to “pronunciation” when it nominalizes, that is, when it changes into a noun. Note that there is no “o” after the first “n” in the word.
10. “Emanciated.”It should correctly be spelled “emaciated.” There is no “n” in the word. This widespread spelling error in Nigerian written English is the direct result of the way we (mis)pronounce the word. An “n” sound almost always intrudes on our pronunciation of the word, much like it does in our pronunciation of “attorney,” so that most Nigerians say “antoni-general” of the federation. A related misspelling is“expantiate.”It should be “expatiate.” There is no “n” after the first “a.”
Add yours

Good job mister!

3 Likes

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by nwaobitex: 4:35pm On Sep 16, 2014
educinformative grin
Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by hatux: 4:36pm On Sep 16, 2014
The one I recently notice is some peeps using 'there' in place of 'their'... For crying out loud' they aren't the same...

12 Likes

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by Nobody: 4:58pm On Sep 16, 2014
Its another thing to write a correct spelling and its also a great deal to contruct a well grammEr grin grin

See ^^ I just did.
God help joor oyibo no be ma fada language

@op thanks tho.

4 Likes 2 Shares

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by doubleking(m): 5:08pm On Sep 16, 2014
Covenant not convenant
Recurrence not reocurrence

21 Likes

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by Roon9(m): 5:11pm On Sep 16, 2014
!
Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by GreyBlood: 5:17pm On Sep 16, 2014
"Definitely" and not "definately"
"Steer clear" and not "stay clear"

And others that misuse "no" for "know" here on Nairaland.

I'm learning also.

15 Likes

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by XketchDesigns(m): 5:19pm On Sep 16, 2014
A thread for you marieolae

2 Likes 3 Shares

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by iamsegsy(m): 5:22pm On Sep 16, 2014
NYC one!!!
we are guilty of these silly mistakes smiley


even our English teachers lipsrsealed

8 Likes

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by iamsegsy(m): 5:24pm On Sep 16, 2014
Roon9: !
wow! another incredible style of space booking grin

4 Likes

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by ZACHIE: 5:27pm On Sep 16, 2014
Nice one, OP

but erm,

Paragraphing and not jumbled

Spacing and not clustered

1 Like

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by Annais(f): 5:30pm On Sep 16, 2014
Quite in place of quiet and vice versa.

4 Likes 1 Share

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by marieolae(f): 5:34pm On Sep 16, 2014
XketchDesigns: A thread for you marieolae
alright, u need my attention, now you've got it. I hope your mind is at rest now?

2 Likes

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by Daronyk(f): 5:36pm On Sep 16, 2014
Interesting and all were full of awareness
Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by Nobody: 5:38pm On Sep 16, 2014
I think number ONE should be "I'm". Frequently represented as "Am".

Incisive post nonetheless.

33 Likes 3 Shares

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by rattlesnake(m): 5:45pm On Sep 16, 2014
OK not k

9 Likes 1 Share

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by valmunich(m): 5:49pm On Sep 16, 2014
Nice piece
Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by goodygirl1(f): 5:51pm On Sep 16, 2014
I love this....let me add this....separate....not seperate

12 Likes

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by fairheven: 5:52pm On Sep 16, 2014
U sayin,good and luck can not co-exist?Are u indirectly saying,mr.president is not good luck but,bad luck? cool Doyin Okukpe over to you

But really,I want to ask...if we have an American-English,Australian-English an Canadian-English,then why cant we have Nigerian-English? cool

63 Likes 9 Shares

Re: 10 Words Nigerians Commonly Misspell by Heycube(m): 5:52pm On Sep 16, 2014
marieolae: alright, u need my attention, now you've got it. I hope your mind is at rest now?

cheesy

2 Likes 1 Share

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