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Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by douecho: 2:05pm On Jul 11, 2009 |
I'm sure I'm not the only one who has noticed that many Nigerians suddenly cant remember how to speak like Nigerians even if they only spent 2days abroad. Even if the accent they put on is heavily laced with their native accent, they still talk as if they were never in Nigeria? My own is, If you must spree, make it convincing enough, don't now mix thick yoruba, Igbo or bini accent with American, scottish or English! There's absolutely no way you can tell me that an accent that took you about 20years of your life to develop can suddenly disappear within a few weeks (or even a year) abroad. You don see any American wey de talk like Nigerian after 3 years in Nigeria? Or Ghanian wey de spree after 3 years in london (or even Nigeria)? |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by tunnytox(m): 2:21pm On Jul 11, 2009 |
I don't think anyone can simply lost their Nigerian accent after living abroad but the fact remains that you'll pick some few words, culture and attitudes from your host country there's no doubt about that except for some very rigid Nigerians who will never change and who will never eat anything except EBA and agege bread For instance if you live in the UK and interact with people you'll pick some of their words like hiya, init, etc you may also find it so easy to say PLEASE at all times this is not a complete change in accent but a change in pronounciation of certan words. A lot of Nigerians here in the NW England will pronounce Bolton just like the English people rather than the usual Nigerian way. However, we cannot rule out some Nigerians who might want to ''buga'' other people with their new found accent |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by mamagee3(f): 5:48pm On Jul 11, 2009 |
Should this be an issue?. |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by kok(m): 6:15pm On Jul 11, 2009 |
Its inferiority complex! they just want to feel among. |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by douecho: 8:06pm On Jul 11, 2009 |
mama-gee: When you listen to someone with a thick accent struggling to spree for long enough, you'll know its an issue. |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by iice(f): 3:58am On Jul 12, 2009 |
douecho: Free your mind ~ I have friends who are not nigerians and who have never been to nigeria but they speak with Nigerian accent and speak pidgin complete with intonation and exclamation eh?! heh!? If you heard them from behind a door, you wouldn't know that they are not nigerians. douecho: There is an old thread about this somewhere. . .got it https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-54330.0.html It's a couple of things really, sometimes people want to be understood by other people who don't understand our accent. Sometimes it's trying to fit in. . .sometimes it's their impression that they've become janded not local I get amused, when someone speaks it to me, knowing full well that I am Nigerian as he/she is. Or has trouble speaking it, and all i hear is Rrrr all over the place or mispronouncing words. . . |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by Nobody: 4:01am On Jul 12, 2009 |
? |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by bluespice(f): 4:04am On Jul 12, 2009 |
iice: we shouldnt forget tho that with MTV n ish readily accesible to nigerians for a number of years watching movies and ish and going to a foreign school can also help with the accent ish some folks just pick up accents easily i guess |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by ikeyman00(m): 11:21am On Jul 12, 2009 |
cuz they are all fake imgaine see some naija in UK actin like they are some ghetto affro-america nigga nigaa chill, u know what am sayin, to they are all fake now bomb shell drop once more what about the nigerians in nigeria eg on radio fm, oh god cant stand that ait nko, that lady that i used to watch on Nigeria stock exchange damn we get wahala ooooo, na true obama talk walahi |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by sexyLeamon(f): 11:24am On Jul 12, 2009 |
tunnytox:well said |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by manmustwac(m): 11:30am On Jul 12, 2009 |
tunnytox:My mother and many of my uncles and aunties have been in the U K for over 40 years and still haven't lost thier accent. Its mostly to do with the current generation they come back to nigeria trying to impress the babes and thier friends with thier yankee dressing, money and fake british or yankee accents which to me sounds irritating and annoying. |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by manmustwac(m): 11:32am On Jul 12, 2009 |
Even one of my ex babes was telling me to speak funi in front of her school friends just to impress them |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by udeycraze1(m): 11:32am On Jul 12, 2009 |
ikeyman00: wethin home boy talk? |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by solitex: 11:19am On Jun 22, 2010 |
to feel among. |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by harakiri(m): 12:39pm On Jun 22, 2010 |
@Post Human beings like most animals on earth, are adaptive creatures and adjusting to the environment you find yourself is NOT a bad thing! The problem is with people like most of these posters who are no better than the people they are talking about. Let me give you an example.I went to very good private schools as a kid and most of the people i grew up with where from "above average" families.We were all taught by the best teachers, some of them traveled out of the country during holidays and so on.Our English was impeccable and not the usual-easy-to-recognize guttural Nigerian accent.When i finished secondary school, i opted out to study engineering in the eastern part of the country and my first year socializing there was not cool at all.Whenever i tried having a conversation with someone, most assumed i was either "forming" or just being pompous. It was so bad that i had to "localize" my accent a bit and most times, i preferred to talk in pidgin.Even till now, i still speak in pidgin when socializing with people except during informal discussions.It's that bad. At the long run, i found out that the problem is not me but the inferior complexes of others. For goodness sake, how can you leave the shores of Nigeria and go to the US or Europe and not adjust? Some of you here have been out of the country for years.Is your accent still the same? DEFINITELY NOT! You had to adjust to fit in and that's NOT |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by harakiri(m): 12:44pm On Jun 22, 2010 |
@Post Human beings like most animals on earth, are adaptive creatures and adjusting to the environment you find yourself is NOT a bad thing! The problem is with people like most of these posters who are no better than the people they are talking about. Let me give you an example.I went to very good private schools as a kid and most of the people i grew up with where from "above average" families.We were all taught by the best teachers, some of the kids traveled out of the country during holidays and so on.Our English was impeccable and not the usual-easy-to-recognize guttural Nigerian accent.When i finished secondary school, i opted out to study engineering in the eastern part of the country and my first year socializing there was not cool at all.Whenever i tried having a conversation with someone, most assumed i was either "forming" or just being pompous. It was so bad that i had to "localize" my accent a bit and most times, i preferred to communicate in pidgin.Even till now, i still speak pidgin when socializing with people except during informal discussions.It's that bad. At the long run, i found out that the problem is not me but the inferior complexes of others. For goodness sake, how can you leave the shores of Nigeria and go to the US or Europe and not adjust? Some of you here have been out of the country for years.Is your accent still the same? DEFINITELY NOT! You had to adjust to fit in and that's[b] NOT[/b] a bad thing! I'm pretty sure you would feel offended if someone referred to you as someone who "forms".It's really annoying but i've long learnt to brush off such low lifes with a wave of hand.They ain't worth the time. |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by Fhemmmy: 2:04pm On Jun 22, 2010 |
There are some that you are bound to pick up . . . cos after some time you have ben trying to pronounce some things and no one outside of your household could understand what you are saying, you will learn to say it the way people around you says it . . . It is not about style or acting up, it is just about communication, cos how do u communicate when no one understand what you saying. Though, i do understand that some does it to the extreme, i have seen a Nigerian man with tribal marks on the train once, and our of respect, tried to great him in Yoruba, and he responded - Pardon Me, i just ran, cos he must surely be kolo, even his pardon me had some "oyo language" accent to it. |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by Nobody: 2:10pm On Jun 22, 2010 |
inferiority complex!!!! |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by Nobody: 2:33pm On Jun 22, 2010 |
Can't be bothered. If you want to talk alien talk, go ahead. I'm not sensitive over such irrelevant things like picking who's fake or not because of ordinary accent, tschewwwww, shiorrr. |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by Koolstan(m): 2:38pm On Jun 22, 2010 |
Methink some speak through the nose just to belong. |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by Fhemmmy: 1:10am On Jun 23, 2010 |
Koolstan: Some do to communicate |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by manmustwac(m): 12:16pm On Jun 23, 2010 |
when i hear nija guys at work trying to fake english accents it sounds so annoying and irritating. |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by tolutara: 5:07pm On Jun 23, 2010 |
The part I have a problem with when you are with friends and both Naija, You are trying to level up but the are faking an accent with you, Irritating. |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by rubi(f): 5:35pm On Jun 23, 2010 |
Do in Rome as the Romans do |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by sophy09: 9:41pm On Jun 23, 2010 |
I tire with this fake accent palaver. The annoying thing is that they speak both the British and American accent together mixed with nija. Can't we be real for once, at least i have never heard a French man trying to fake his accent or a South African. |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by tpiah: 10:09pm On Jun 23, 2010 |
well, you have a choice of making yourself understood versus having people eye you as if you're speaking gibberish. little things like pronouncing every syllable in "P.A.R.T.Y" as opposed to simply saying "parry" makes a lot of difference between someone wondering if you're constipated, or understanding what you're trying to say. seriously though, some may be faking it but not all are. people develop accents (to your nigerian ear) after leaving nigeria because, well, they're out of nigeria. Never mind the fact that to most non-naijas listening to them, the nigerian accent is often still there. |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by debosky(m): 10:12pm On Jun 23, 2010 |
Depends on the motive - some just want to 'fit in' in their new environment, while some are just making fools of themselves. There is nothing wrong with 'adopting' a manner of speaking similar to where you live - if it helps you to be understood better. The hard bit is when some try too hard and end up being even more difficult to understand than when they spoke with their basic accent. |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by OAM4J: 4:06am On Jun 24, 2010 |
debosky: Exactly Debo. |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by Gifo(m): 5:06pm On Jun 25, 2010 |
As per the Poster's question,I think its just to blend with the environment; you know you have to speak in a manner as done by those around you, otherwise you'll be odd. But not when you're no longer in that environment, except you've spent quite a number of years that it has indeed become a part of you. Over a decade working with expatriates; my wife says anytime I talk with them on phone or physically my accent changes, that is I speak like them. Well, I think it's just automatic switch for better communication. I come right back afterwards. Bottomline is that you must definitely be influenced by the environment and people you interract with. But extreme cases like the poster raised would definitely be for small-times. lol |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by Yorubah(m): 11:54am On Jun 26, 2010 |
All na fake life. Mostly in speaking Britico or Yankee English, Chai na wa ooo for Nigerians oooo and all na foul English. I begggy |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by redsky1: 12:37pm On Jun 26, 2010 |
its complex, i have a proper British accent having grown up there and lived there for most of my 30 years on this earth however, i find that living in Nigeria i have to change my accent to be more "local" cos apparently people no dey hear wettin i talk, i feel too big, i dey talk for my nose and no be cos i dey London i go blow phonei for people (yes the few silly comments i hear at times) its pure complex cos they all seem to understand the English on CNN and co. but Nigerians make me laugh especially the ones in the UK tying to speak with American accents and have never even seen the lights of an American airport. Or the worse are the ones who have never left the shores of Nigeria and have the most fake accents in the world but still pronounce three as tree, |
Re: Why Do Many Nigerians Develop Accents Few Months After Leaving Nigeria? by Yorubah(m): 1:03pm On Jun 26, 2010 |
@Redsky1, U funny and wright, 9ja way get 6 months visa dey speak Britico pass person way them born for there, LOL |
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