I am just tired of hearing people pronounce 'Ask' as 'Axe' and 'Session' as 'Section'.

Yes and Task  pronounced "Tax" . "Tax force " force is a common phrase when referring to "Task force ".

The words "Guidance" and "Guardiance" are used freely and interchanged all the time.
I don't worry at all when it is in normal informal conversations, but when an air crew announces that you wear your "max" before helping others it irritates me. The news casters on television and radio stations also talk about "tax force". I actually wrote to a particur TV station to complain - sometime ago.

Here's is another one: vendor give me 'Guidian' instead of 'Guardian' newspaper.

maclatunji:

Well, I don't really know about that. I first really noticed the 'Ask'/'Axe' debacle whilst watching the TV show 'The Debaters' . One of the judges was correcting one of the contestants (she is Igbo). I think it transcends tribe and has become a Nigerian problem. Calling 'Session' 'Section' is a national embarrassment. You don't agree? Walk into any Nigerian campus and ask them what academic session they are running and you will hear overwhelming responses of '2011/2012 SECTION.'

For those claiming Afrocentrism, this has little to do with that. It is just an unwillingness to read and learn some basics of English Language.

I know of a secondary school were there is overwhelming failure of English Language in O-Levels every year. And the teachers and students tell themselves that it is because they had a (phantom) fight with WAEC in the 80s and WAEC has vowed that students of that school will never pass English Language in its exams.

Let's face it, mediocrity is mediocrity.

my bro. U'r 100% correct about the fact dat Nigerians ignorantly uses SECTION for SESSION, me 4 one use 2 b guilty of that. The blame is on ignorance, and again tankz 4 bringing this fact 2 the notice of NLDers, i can bet my life 2 d fact dat 70% of NLDers r also guilty of this.

Nigerians sef, this one na topic?
African Americans also have same pronounciation issues,but they flaunt it as style and trust some of our silly hip hop crooners in Nigeria to adopt these 'yankee' words.

Example:
BUSINESS - BINESS
LovePeddler - HO'
APPRECIATE - APPRECIONATE

Engilsh no be our papa language,we fit pronounciation him words anyhow we like. Make Queen Eliza go call police.

publisher:

Nigerians sef, this one na topic?
African Americans also have same pronounciation issues,but they flaunt it as style and trust some of our silly hip hop crooners in Nigeria to adopt these 'yankee' words.

Example:
BUSINESS - BINESS
LovePeddler - HO'
APPRECIATE - APPRECIONATE

Engilsh no be our papa language,we fit pronounciation him words anyhow we like. Make Queen Eliza go call police.

Anybody with basic education knows that most American rappers are not-so-bright when it comes to academics. So, why should we make them our role models regarding this issue?

In addition, it is widely accepted that African immigrants are relatively well-educated in the American Black community (many Nairalanders are living-proofs of this).

Make una come give the Nigerians English classes na, make ma free, so that dem go fit pronounce the language well. Chinese and Indians never correct their own, na internet Nigerians wan do, .msheeew, on to the next topic

Posted by: musKeeto
Insert Quote
Make una come give the Nigerians English classes na, make ma free, so that dem go fit pronounce the language well. Chinese and Indians never correct their own, na internet Nigerians wan do, .msheeew, on to the next topic

LOL@bolded , true talk,no mind dem jare

awon eleyi won bad gan!

lwkmd !! I've met people working in senior positions overseas who won't pronounce the words properly,They can but they choose not to. If I understand what the person means,I just listen.
We (Africans) are an intelligent species,An average African speaks at least 2 native languages plus English.I believe with 3 languages we're good to go.
until then, this still remains as follows  

Finance pronounced as "Feenance"
Battery as "Batheery"
Tummy is "Tommy"
Tongue is "Tong"
Average is "Avaredge"

muystoy:

i had a friend in school dat i always pray he didnt engage me any public discussion because of his terrible pronounciation skills,i mostly played deaf and dump wit him especially wen its time to form 4 d chicks dem,imagine u looking all tushed up and your supposed friend mispronouncing Siasia as Shiashia,tax-task vice versa,any Sh word  starts wit S vice versa,chair-siar,name-lame etc,i cant rember all,but it wasnt funny sha

Your " writing skills " is not nearly half as good as his grammar

nagoma i dont think d word"guardiance" even exists. "guidance"and "guardian" yes but "guardiance" doesnt.

It’s funny how we struggle to keep up with international standards in our fashion, music, food, education etc. But, it ceases to be the same when it comes to the area of language.
Someone suddenly realises that English is not their mother tongue. So, why do you give birth to children and keep him/her from speaking ‘vernacular’?!

Young man,dont be silly. Fashion,music,food and education can be adapted to suit ones own culture(s),Nigerians have even adapted the english language to suit our culture,we call it pidgin english.
Listen good,just because my accent makes my 'Ask' sound like 'Axe',or as an Indian my 'Work' sounds like 'Vork' ,does that make me ignorant of the English language? The ONLY people who can pronounce English language words the way it ought be pronounced are the English themselves. If what you are advocating is that we also adopt Engish accents in order to improve our pronounciations,then just say it. Afterall no one can pronounce Yoruba words properly using an Igbo accent,it goes with all languages.

Geeeeez, some Nairalanders sha

What of nairalanders using thrend in place of thread?

Pronounciation no get problem, na when pipul don dey write as dem dey pronounce we know say trouble dey.

publisher thank you as you answer that smart intelligent guy.

^^^^^thanks jare

publisher, you too much joor, everybody dey form nigerian problem solver mscheew

As some peeps including the op have correctly mentioned, if you want to do something, do it correctly; calling 'ask' axe or 'guidance' guardiance has absolutely nothing to do with mother tongue interference or accents, but all to do with speaking correctly.  There is no excuse apart from ignorance for this; ignorance it is said, is bliss.  The same translates to the written form; even if you attempt to blame pronunciation (pronounciation for some), what excuse do you have for poorly written English? Physical/anatomical differences between Africans & the English?

Come on people, what is wrong is wrong, we need to change this attitude of 'no be my fada language' and have a mindset of being willing to learn, being willing to be corrected and going with the correction.  Excellence should be our mindset always! Btw, this applies to everything we do, no matter the language or anything else.

oyinmama:

As some peeps including the op have correctly mentioned, if you want to do something, do it correctly; calling 'ask' axe or 'guidance' guardiance has absolutely nothing to do with mother tongue interference or accents, but all to do with speaking correctly.  There is no excuse apart from ignorance for this; ignorance it is said, is bliss.  The same translates to the written form; even if you attempt to blame pronunciation (pronounciation for some), what excuse do you have for poorly written English? Physical/anatomical differences between Africans & the English?

Come on people, what is wrong is wrong, we need to change this attitude of 'no be my fada language' and have a mindset of being willing to learn, being willing to be corrected and going with the correction.  Excellence should be our mindset always! Btw, this applies to everything we do, no matter the language or anything else.

Exactly, I could not have put it better!

oyinmama:

As some peeps including the op have correctly mentioned, if you want to do something, do it correctly; calling 'ask' axe or 'guidance' guardiance has absolutely nothing to do with mother tongue interference or accents, but all to do with speaking correctly.  There is no excuse apart from ignorance for this; ignorance it is said, is bliss.  The same translates to the written form; even if you attempt to blame pronunciation (pronounciation for some), what excuse do you have for poorly written English? Physical/anatomical differences between Africans & the English?

Come on people, what is wrong is wrong, we need to change this attitude of 'no be my fada language' and have a mindset of being willing to learn, being willing to be corrected and going with the correction.  Excellence should be our mindset always! Btw, this applies to everything we do, no matter the language or anything else.

Are you serious? Have you heard the Germans speak English? or Spanish?

You're applying a right concept (seek excellence) to the wrong issue( if not pronouncing a foreign mother tongue correctly can be considered an issue). Get over it. Afterall, no be our accent appear as number 5 for one of the recent polls?

[color=#550000][/color]For your information guys, you will never see it anywhere that I have any problem with any accent. I hope you have not adapted your reading skills to the ways of your culture. That is if you’ve got one,

musKeeto:

Are you serious? Have you heard the Germans speak English? or Spanish?

You're applying a right concept (seek excellence) to the wrong issue( if not pronouncing a foreign mother tongue correctly can be considered an issue). Get over it. Afterall, no be our accent appear as number 5 for one of the recent polls?

Guy, you are confusing accent with pronunciation- they are two different things. Kofi Annan speaks with a heavy African accent but his pronunciation is quite good!

All these pipu sef na correct English Language pronunciation make we no fit develop?

No be all the ministers/commissioners/Federal and State Civil Servants with impeccable English pronunciation and accents dey steal all our money for this country?  

maclatunji:

Guy, you are confusing accent with pronunciation- they are two different things. Kofi Annan speaks with a heavy African accent but his pronunciation is quite good!

Pls, differentiate between accent and pronunciation.

Doesn't one's accent affect his pronunciation?

Afterall, not all tribes in Nigeria pronounce words the same way. I won't give examples in order to prevent an occurrence of 'tribal derailism'

i wonder y myself, i later found out that d Nigerian English is 1 of the worst amongst d English speaking african countries. no wonder sum pple wants pidgin as our national lang

sebastinta:

i wonder y myself, i later found out that d Nigerian English is 1 of the worst amongst d English speaking african countries. no wonder sum pple wants pidgin as our national lang

MAMC - Must All Mugus Comment?

^^^ Yes it's allowed.

It's on record that 50% of british people don't speak Queen's English.

The Queen has even shifted base http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/estuary/queen.htm
and Nigerian's want to kill themselves over nothing.

Americans spoke British English language but along the line pronunciation of some words changed. And, it wasn't a big deal

Still excuses in my opinion!!  Since when did it become proper to use negative societal symbols as role models & justification for wrong? Same reason for all the excuses given for the sadly ever increasing failure rate in WAEC, JAMB and other exams, so tell me, Mathematics, Geography & Physics et al aren't part of our culture yes?   There is simply no excuse of mediocrity. SMH

musKeeto:

Pls, differentiate between accent and pronunciation.

Doesn't one's accent affect his pronunciation?

Afterall, not all tribes in Nigeria pronounce words the same way. I won't give examples in order to prevent an occurrence of 'tribal derailism'

If you have to ask this question, then I understand why this argument persists!

^^^Exactly, he does not get the point.