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Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria - Culture (4) - Nairaland

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Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by debosky(m): 5:25am On Sep 03, 2007
you sef go sleep soulpatrol, oga's bed must be getting cold in your absence. grin grin

For some reason I always thought u were west coast CA side, dunno why. Anyways, its good to have more canucks on board wink

Thats it for me peeps, going to hit the sack now. G'nite/We go jam later grin
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by ssRhino: 5:26am On Sep 03, 2007
ol boy, now u making me to wanna open the refrigirator and have a drink be4 i go to bed, u sure a bad influence.
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by ThiefOfHearts(f): 5:29am On Sep 03, 2007
Rather speak my yoruba jeje than pidgin to be honest.
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by soulpatrol(f): 5:30am On Sep 03, 2007
I am a citizen of the world o, my broda. the original Gulliver, er I mean Ajala travels grin anyways, have a good night y'all. to be continued tomorrow.
@debosky, what makes u think oga's bed needs warming. i be warming it all by meself o.  wink g'night y'alls! cheesy
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by ThiefOfHearts(f): 5:50am On Sep 03, 2007
After reading this thread I must say Fufu and Debo were right on track. Good job guys tongue
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by minto(m): 6:03am On Sep 03, 2007
Nigerians in my opinion are not at all backward in english language compared to people here.Years back,I was new here then I walked up to a young man at the bus stop asking if he has the idea of when the next bus arrives but all he could tell me was 'no English' I almost jumped out of my skin but now I know good Englsh is not very common here.You see, both pidgin and english has their own value it's just a matter of knowing where and when to draw the line .For instance, when I'm in a gathering that calls for speaking the real language I do but when I'm with my Naija pals speaking pidgin is a good way of unwinding, we speak it to the envy of the oyibos and I tell you they seem to like listening to us .There is this particular oyibo friend each time she come visiting, she spend time watching and listening to these episodes of 'nite of a thosand laughs'I have a couple of them and she confessed pidgin is nice to listen to.The other day she came in and ask 'wetin dey happen' my sister was like,  shocked shocked shocked shocked shocked shocked
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by na2day2(m): 6:23am On Sep 03, 2007
abeg, make u leave stori jo, make u come usa kon hear how dem dey father english, especially in the south, persin go dey give u direction, hin go say wen u reach the intersection I-35 & preston, hang left (instead of turn left). now, that one na english? by the time u listen to dem for dis side u go fear fear now. make una leave our own version of english jare, we dey we own ooo cool
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by ferdimako1: 9:59am On Sep 03, 2007
But with the rate people fail the English language in exams, I thought Pidgin Version should have been approved by now. It's just when you are too lazy that u make excuses. A married woman or man never worries about their education until they start receiving insults from their children's teachers.
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by JustGood(m): 10:08am On Sep 03, 2007
wetin una dey talk sef?
many oyinbo for Britain sef no sabi proper English grammar abi where una dey live sef.
when oyinbo man and woman tell you say 'you should of gone out', you go sabi say dem no sabi grammar. abi make you come Scotland. Everybody for Scotland go tell you say 'I have went and told them'.

una too complain about anything 9ja people do. if oyinbo do the same, na 'new style'.
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by koko777(m): 10:39am On Sep 03, 2007
This thread is very interesting, kudos to Debosky& Fufu for the classic analysis not forgetting Rhino for yours. Though we must accept the fact that English is our OFFICIAL language and accurate use of it, is very essential. Big up friends!
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by Nobody: 11:18am On Sep 03, 2007
JustGood:

wetin una dey talk sef?
many oyinbo for Britain sef no sabi proper English grammar abi where una dey live sef.
when oyinbo man and woman tell you say 'you should of gone out', you go sabi say them no sabi grammar. abi make you come Scotland. Everybody for Scotland go tell you say 'I have went and told them'.

una too complain about anything Nigeria people do. if oyinbo do the same, na 'new style'.


LOL

i have went and told them

LOLLLLLLLLL

Abeg!!! I luv pidgin english Naija style whether it the local one or its the pure WAFFI lingua its rich and unique to us. All forms of pidgin have their roots in english. Same goes for different ways of speaking english all over the world that way you can tell a yorkshire man from a scouser (liverpool)

BUT the standard english that is taught in schools of countries where english is a foreign language is common to ALL. Its here that quality has fallen in Nigeria a number of graduates can not put a sentence together whether writing it down or saying it.

Its the dearth of sound education that has caused this not pidgin english or our native language.
Most students are taught by teachers who do not know any better. Most english teachers became teachers not by choice but circumstance, educational bodies do not check of the quality of teachers teaching students from public to primary schools.

Its like the blind leading the blind.
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by redsun(m): 12:32pm On Sep 03, 2007
Even george bush can't make a complete statement in english that is suppose to be his first language without making mistakes,the leader of the suppose first world and an english descendant. We africans are just busy bothering about things that doesn't count,suppose we are the japanese and the chinese,that advance technologically and mentally in their own languages.Education sense pass education book.Common sense.
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by redsun(m): 12:38pm On Sep 03, 2007
@fufuking,yeah, imported guinness is it.Black and beautiful as ever.
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by FufuKing1(m): 12:49pm On Sep 03, 2007
redsun:

Even george bush can't make a complete statement in english that is suppose to be his first language without making mistakes,the leader of the suppose first world and an english descendant. We africans are just busy bothering about things that doesn't count,suppose we are the japanese and the chinese,that advance technologically and mentally in their own languages.Education sense pass education book.Common sense.

LOL, redsun that's not fair. George Bush is an abberation, and to be fair, almost everyone in the US makes fun of George Bush for his poor English. So it's definitely not "accepted" as the norm.
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by Nobody: 12:55pm On Sep 03, 2007
Even in our films, i really still dont understand why people still like our "NIGERIAN FILMS" after all the gunz we blow, i got one:

1. You an an idiot

2. Communi[b]th[/b]y (when pronouncing)--------for community

So now the worst of all is that even on our radio stations, they still blow Jagunz, expecially trying to use "th" for a word that as "t" e.g: i go[b]th[/b] it (i got it),
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by mac73(m): 1:02pm On Sep 03, 2007
Has anyone noticed how Nigerian journalists in the tabloid magazines(i.e city people and encomium)have evolved their own brand of english? if you are a regular reader as i am, you will notice what i'm talking bout.their english is so horrible you sometimes wonder if these guys went to school at all.then check out the lousy sets of questions they usually ask during interviews; "why are you not married?", who's the lucky man/woman?", when are you going to get married?", how do you handle women/men who are attracted to you?"

it seems all of a sudden in Nigeria, the key questions to ask in interviews is why and when and who are you getting married to?Sad thing is, this sick display of utter illiteracy is not limited to just the tabloid magazines.you find this menace too in the so-called serious newspapers and magazines.Our journalists, both print and broadcast, display such ignorance of english language, it is disheartening.
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by londoner: 1:04pm On Sep 03, 2007
Pidgin is not stopping anybody from speaking standard English, but not being taught standard English alongside it, is.
English is the official language, where for many English is still not the first language. Not withstanding that, the lack of benchmark standards within the educational system doesn't help the situation.

I must say I have met Americans who speak and write English very badly, and many people in the UK too.
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by mazia(m): 1:24pm On Sep 03, 2007
Prior too leaving the shores of NIgeria, the state of English Language in najia was deplorable, I guess it has taking a dive for the worse since then.Not trying to compare Nigeria to the USA but quite a significant number of Americans can't either express themselves properly in a formal conversation and even more alarming that they are not able to write it.

Back to topic, Yes English is our lingua franca,even though imposed but it sure has served a useful role in bridging the communication gap that existed between the myriad ethnic groups nigeria is made up of.  
Pigin english was devised by those that had a difficult time learning formal english pronounciation and grammar etc. which again has bridged the gap between those can speak it fluently and those that lack that ability [which is not negative at all,as humans are endowed with different capabilities].

What I think Debosky and FuFu Kin are after is this, Nigeria has accepted english as their official language and thus, we should expect more from nigerians in terms of their fluency in english in a conversation,at least for those that have been exposed to the four walls of education.

I think there is a very high probability that pigin english undermines the ability to speak english fluently [ an opinion ]. If some one carries out a research on that ,there might a high correlation between those two variables.

I think we need to do something about the state of speaking english fluently in naija though.It sure deserves attention. I am not saying pigin is bad, it is here to stay and will always be a great resource when you are trying to communicate with those that aren't literate [ for lack of better words ] and who do not speak your ethnic lanuage. Communication would have been terribly difficult[dare i say impossible] without it.

Is there a feasible way to improve english fluency in nigeria without obliterating pigin I hope.
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by mazia(m): 1:31pm On Sep 03, 2007
@Mac73
If what you are saying is true,then this situation is far worse than I had imagined. cry

@londoner
I agree with you that the media,radio stations in particular are the culprits promoting the excessive[without establishing boundaries  where it is not acceptable] use of pigin and could be a good reason why it is widely accepted and even a considered replacement for proper english since it is easier to learn and nearly everyone understands it.That is sheer laziness

@Emmeno
Nigerian movies  angry angryare unbelievable, I don't want to get into that,i am having a good morning and don't intend to ruin it yet.
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by londoner: 1:41pm On Sep 03, 2007
I think we are confusing things here, someone who is speaking pidgin is under no illusion that they are speaking the Queens English. The problem is actually those who mistake bad English as the Queens English.

These types and pidgin speakers are not the same thing IMO.
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by opokonwa(m): 1:52pm On Sep 03, 2007
Cade,

You call these 'the fallen standards of English language'.

I call it "Nigerians beginning to have their own unique identity"

Never in history have we become more Nigerian than now that we are gradually infusing our own languages and slangs in our street and informal conversations

How I wish they can become so acceptable to be infused in formal conversations tongue

If the Chinese, English, Germans, French, American and many more could have their own, I wonder why we try to be more oyibo than oyibo?

Omo Naija! No be small thing o!
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by redsun(m): 1:59pm On Sep 03, 2007
The problem with nigerian movies like every other thing is concept not language,of what relevance is the movie you are watching to the real world,it is more of religion and fetish practices which reflects the real backward concepts that is part of everyday life of a typical african.Apart from the above you have thieving politicians and corrupt officials and rogue traders.
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by romeo(m): 2:02pm On Sep 03, 2007
Fufu King:

Is Igbo the official language of the UK? What a stupid comparison to make.

The mind is such a terrible thing to waste.

maybe you studied English language in school, to me that is good!! but a wasted mind is one that is still a colony of Britain and they can never see something good about their people, yes English is the official language of Nigeria by law but over 80 million Nigerians use other languages on daily basis for whatever transactions they are doing. And if i was born and bred at Enugu where 90% of the people speak Igbo language and i only see England on movies, how do you expect me to be so perfect on Queens language?

MY OFFICIAL LANGUAGE IS IGBO LANGUAGE OK!!!! Mr. colonized mind
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by kilma(f): 2:24pm On Sep 03, 2007
i think i have to agree with redsun here.
the problem with the nigerian movies is not the language. because lets face it, i am sure the foreign actors make such mistakes when filming. now the problem is lack to good direction, scriptwritting, editting etc need i go on. i am sure you get my drift.
i mean how had is it to say cut and take it again. i don't think the nigerian directors fully grasp the concept of cut
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by redsun(m): 2:39pm On Sep 03, 2007
What if whiteman have invaded africa?Colo.Inferiority complex of the highest order,lack of originality and natural instint and rythms.
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by ThiefOfHearts(f): 2:54pm On Sep 03, 2007
I must say I have met Americans who speak and write English very badly, and many people in the UK too.

Keep using that as an excuse, ok?

All these lame excuses that you are people are bringing up have already been tackled by both debo and FuFu_King.

Btw, the whole "well the french, Spanish, Chinese blah blah don't speak correct English" is the DUMBEST excuse ever. Has it ever occurred to you that the reason why some of them don't speak English that well might have to do with the fact that it's not their official language? Why is that so hard for some of you to understand? Seriously?


Threads on Nairaland alone shows how horrid the state of English is in Nigeria especially coming from so called university graduates. It's depressing really,
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by mimiko(f): 3:12pm On Sep 03, 2007
hm sad
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by romeo(m): 3:21pm On Sep 03, 2007
colonized minds cry cry
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by maki(f): 4:09pm On Sep 03, 2007
sha you understand? that one really drives me crazy when i hear someone speaking good english
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by londoner: 5:52pm On Sep 03, 2007
ThiefOfHearts:

Keep using that as an excuse, ok?

All these lame excuses that you are people are bringing up have already been tackled by both debo and FuFu_King.

Its not an excuse, its an observation, one which myself and any other member is free to make here, this is an internet forum afterall. We all have opinions.
Btw, the whole "well the french, Spanish, Chinese blah blah don't speak correct English" is the DUMBEST excuse ever. Has it ever occurred to you that the reason why some of them don't speak English that well might have to do with the fact that it's not their official language? Why is that so hard for some of you to understand? Seriously?

So imagine the English people themselves not being able to speak and write their own tongue properly, without having any other language to contend with at all. Shocking isn't it?

Threads on Nairaland alone shows how horrid the state of English is in Nigeria especially coming from so called university graduates. It's depressing really,
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by ThiefOfHearts(f): 6:05pm On Sep 03, 2007
Rather have a "colonized mind" than be a disgrace to the Nigerian educational system.

Londoner, Your excuse for the "English people" is the same as one saying "well black americans don't speak well either so why should we"

Just because some BAs speak/write horribly doesnt mean I will use them as an excuse to do that same. Personally I believe I'm better than that, don't know about the rest of you though.
Re: Terrible State Of The English Language In Nigeria by FufuKing1(m): 6:07pm On Sep 03, 2007
People keep shouting about colonized minds and colonization, but Nigeria is a sovereign state.  If Nigeria no longer wants the "colonized" language as its official language, THEN GET RID OF IT. Make pidgin the official language and be on your merry way.

But if English is going to be your official language, don't shout that people who advocate the correct and proper use of the language have "colonized minds."

Naija, if you don't want to speak English, you don't have to!!

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