₦airaland Forum

you want us to know you are good at English better you .what ever they are saying we understand. isn't that the purpose of communication?

As for me hee, ba turenchi.

SaintRobs:
10 Most Annoying Nigerian Media English Expressions
By Farooq A. Kperogi

Contemporary Nigerian media English, for the most part, derives from a fetid repertoire of aggravatingly stereotyped and error-ridden phraseology. I have isolated 10 recurrent ones that particularly grate on my nerves.

While some of the expressions I have highlighted below are outright grammatically incorrect, others are grammatically correct but either laughably outdated or hopelessly clichéd. Either way, they all need to be dumped like “the verbal refuse” that they are. The numbering of the expressions is entirely arbitrary; it doesn’t indicate a hierarchical ordering of their egregiousness.

1.“Remains deposited at the mortuary.” This is almost the standard expression in Nigerian media English to say that a dead body has been delivered at the mortuary. There are two problems with this expression. First, the word “remains” is too formal for a news story. “Corpse” and “dead body” are the more usual words. And “deposit” is a singularly quaint verb to associate with death, especially in popular usage.

There are three principal senses of the word “deposit” in conversational English. The first and most popular is to put money or other valuables in a bank account. The second sense is to put, fix, force or implant something, as in “deposit a bullet in the table.” And the third sense is to situate something, that is, to put something somewhere firmly, as in “deposit the suitcase on the bench.” It’s unclear how this expression sprang in Nigerian media English, but it makes me sick to my stomach.

2.“Hear him,” or “in his words:” These are not strictly grammatically incorrect expressions; they are just ugly, inappropriate and superfluous verbiages. The convention in journalistic writing globally is to quote a source and acknowledge attribution by writing “(s)he said” at the end of a sentence. Example: “I hope Yar’adua lives long enough to save us from a potentially destructive constitutional crisis,” he said.

Now, when Nigerian newspaper journalists write “hear him,” they are not only being superfluous; they are also being unfaithful to the medium in which they write. We don’t literally “hear” people in print; we read them. And to write “in his words” while at the same time inserting quotation marks to those words is redundant. It is precisely because you’re quoting your source “in his words” that the sentence is in quotation marks. It’s, of course, appropriate to write “in his words” in broadcast scripts since they are meant to be read out.

3.“As at the time of filing this report:” Well, the correct expression, which is actually a fixed prepositional phrase, is “AS OF,” not “as at.” So, that sentence should read: “As of the time of filing this report.” This solecism has sadly percolated deep into the conventions of Nigerian English in general.

4.“Men of the underworld”: This expression has lost currency in other parts of the English-speaking world. But my gripe with it is that it’s a hackneyed, flyblown cliché that evinces the intellectual laziness of Nigerian journalists. Why not simply write “criminals”?


To be continued...

Seen it all attitude. Such irritating behavior.

U no go fit swim pass fish nw..abi

we can never speak nor surpass d british cos na dem get thier lang

luchy34:
best reply ever on nairaland. a million likes for you bro, I just wonder why some of us are So obsessed with English language and yet what has It contributed to our standard of living compared to china that can't even speak good English?.........
How many of them English peps can even speak either ibo, Yoruba, Or Hausa.... talkless of writing It.

How many of your physics, biology. Chemistry etc text books were written in Igbo Yoruba or Efik? More likely the first language you heard when you arrived on this earth was English. English is Nigeria lingual franca.

Emeca:
u are d one who shuld to look up d meaning of d word. Having english as our lingua franca was for strategic reasons not as a justification for our existence. I see no reason why we should be devoted to it when our native languages (yoruba, igbo, etc) are in decline.

The reason for English being the Nigerian Lingua franca changes the meaning of the term?

Colonized Mentality

ps:
Buy 'Your' Space here....omoniles

.....can i buy something that is already mine...colonized minds enlighten me

This is the kind of content I expect to read on Nairaland and not Tonto dikeh, tiwa savage or denrele did this or that

kandiikane:
You won't get a formal job in England if you go for an interview and say," wahgwan blud, Wass gwaning today, just came to get a job init"

''I passed out from NYSC last year'' will be tolerated.

AllNaijaBlogger:


Fredo, don't mind all these grammar nazis.

Some of them haven't even been to the UK or USA but they will be claiming what they don't know.

You can imagine the joker claiming that we should change the same way American English changes.

What he doesn't know is that Nigerian English is also new English. American English existed before 1960.

Furthermore, English changes in different countries differently.

"Isn't it" in slang form in UK is "innit"
"isn't it" in slang form in USA is "aint it"

exactly

SaintRobs:
10 Most Annoying Nigerian Media English Expressions
By Farooq A. Kperogi

Contemporary Nigerian media English, for the most part, derives from a fetid repertoire of aggravatingly stereotyped and error-ridden phraseology. I have isolated 10 recurrent ones that particularly grate on my nerves.

While some of the expressions I have highlighted below are outright grammatically incorrect, others are grammatically correct but either laughably outdated or hopelessly clichéd. Either way, they all need to be dumped like “the verbal refuse” that they are. The numbering of the expressions is entirely arbitrary; it doesn’t indicate a hierarchical ordering of their egregiousness.

1.“Remains deposited at the mortuary.” This is almost the standard expression in Nigerian media English to say that a dead body has been delivered at the mortuary. There are two problems with this expression. First, the word “remains” is too formal for a news story. “Corpse” and “dead body” are the more usual words. And “deposit” is a singularly quaint verb to associate with death, especially in popular usage.

There are three principal senses of the word “deposit” in conversational English. The first and most popular is to put money or other valuables in a bank account. The second sense is to put, fix, force or implant something, as in “deposit a bullet in the table.” And the third sense is to situate something, that is, to put something somewhere firmly, as in “deposit the suitcase on the bench.” It’s unclear how this expression sprang in Nigerian media English, but it makes me sick to my stomach.

2.“Hear him,” or “in his words:” These are not strictly grammatically incorrect expressions; they are just ugly, inappropriate and superfluous verbiages. The convention in journalistic writing globally is to quote a source and acknowledge attribution by writing “(s)he said” at the end of a sentence. Example: “I hope Yar’adua lives long enough to save us from a potentially destructive constitutional crisis,” he said.

Now, when Nigerian newspaper journalists write “hear him,” they are not only being superfluous; they are also being unfaithful to the medium in which they write. We don’t literally “hear” people in print; we read them. And to write “in his words” while at the same time inserting quotation marks to those words is redundant. It is precisely because you’re quoting your source “in his words” that the sentence is in quotation marks. It’s, of course, appropriate to write “in his words” in broadcast scripts since they are meant to be read out.

3.“As at the time of filing this report:” Well, the correct expression, which is actually a fixed prepositional phrase, is “AS OF,” not “as at.” So, that sentence should read: “As of the time of filing this report.” This solecism has sadly percolated deep into the conventions of Nigerian English in general.

4.“Men of the underworld”: This expression has lost currency in other parts of the English-speaking world. But my gripe with it is that it’s a hackneyed, flyblown cliché that evinces the intellectual laziness of Nigerian journalists. Why not simply write “criminals”?


To be continued...

You a promoter of your majesty, the Queen. When the queen can speak Yoruba, Igbo or Ibibio, Hausa language well, then you can lecture us on proper english. Ask the American, they speak bad english, but lead the world in everything. Aftel all, language is for communication, if you can understand me, then I have communicated well to you. Why dont u promote our african language. Colo mentality.

Reading through the thoughts of the OP as expressed on this thread, I can only deduce these things ;that the OP is at best a combative listener,that he is a language analyst who is not doing a great job at defining his status, and that he is a good Nigerian with a desire for improvements in Nigerian journalism and world outlook.
While it would be grossly inappropriate to crucify him for his efforts, and dismiss his thoughts as irrelevant to the Nigerian society and it's use of language, it would be equally inappropriate to praise him for services rendered. He has expressed his thoughts, and we should be grateful some people are still thinking (considering Nigerian politicians).
A lecturer at the department of English in my alma mater once said this ; you have nothing to teach the English about English, so you can not be important trying to. The only thing you can teach them is what isn't their's.

Largas:
Fredo. Examiner go fail you if you write that shiiit for WAEC or NECO ooo.
You made nice points though.

and you made nice points yourself

So.......why d complain?

ellalina:
In a related development

this phrase is grammatically correct but the error is in it usage.
the word development is generically a positive word so you cannot use it to explain something negative.

eg you can't say : 3 students were shot dead during a protest.in a related development, 5 student were also killed during a political rally.
you can not also say developing a cancer or brain tumor etc. instead why don't you just say similar event etc

2: BUT CANNOT BE FOLLOWED WITH A POSITIVE STATEMENT .

but signifies negativity or something opposite of a pleasant experience.

e.g they were involved in a ghastly motor accident but they are fine.
a correct expression would be.

they survived the accident but they they sustained injuries.

pls note that this is just my opinion and understanding

I disagree with you.

For the first, 'development' is not necessarily positive. Have you heard of 'developing story'? Developing stories are ironically usually (though not necessarily) negative

As for the second, in fact, the opposite of what you said is the correct thing. But is meant to mean what join the first phrase with what is not obvious or what is the natural flow of occurrence.

For example, you wrote: They had an accident but they are fine. This is correct. When one has an accident, the ordinary, almost natural thing to follow is that "you are not fine (as a result of the accident)". But when it does not follow the ordinary consequence, you use "but" to connect the phrases, "but they are fine".

This is my own opinion too, formed through observation of usage over time, not something I sat down and learnt in any English grammar class. But I think it has more likelihood of being correct than your explanations up there.

Jarus:
I disagree with you.

For the first, 'development' is not necessarily positive. Have you heard of 'developing story'? Developing stories are ironically usually (though not necessarily) negative

As for the second, in fact, the opposite of what you said is the correct thing. But is meant to mean what join the first phrase with what is not obvious or what is the natural flow of occurrence.

For example, you wrote: They had an accident but they are fine. This is correct. When one has an accident, the ordinary, almost natural thing to follow is that "you are not fine (as a result of the accident)". But when it does not follow the ordinary consequence, you use "but" to connect the phrases, "but they are fine".

This is my own opinion too, formed through observation of usage over time, not something I sat down and learnt in any English grammar class. But I think it has more likelihood of being correct than your explanations up there.

No it's not your opinion, "but" and "development" don't have any default connotation.

Jarus:
I disagree with you.

For the first, 'development' is not necessarily positive. Have you heard of 'developing story'? Developing stories are ironically usually (though not necessarily) negative

As for the second, in fact, the opposite of what you said is the correct thing. But is meant to mean what join the first phrase with what is not obvious or what is the natural flow of occurrence.

For example, you wrote: They had an accident but they are fine. This is correct. When one has an accident, the ordinary, almost natural thing to follow is that "you are not fine (as a result of the accident)". But when it does not follow the ordinary consequence, you use "but" to connect the phrases, "but they are fine".

This is my own opinion too, formed through observation of usage over time, not something I sat down and learnt in any English grammar class. But I think it has more likelihood of being correct than your explanations up there.

yea u have a strong point.

@Ellalina..."but cannot be followed by a positive statement". The baby fell out of the second floor window but suffered no injury after landing on an abandoned mattress. Hmmmm....do I have a sharp point?

Nigerians and their "stronghead". They never want to do things the proper way. See excuses, chai!

lagcity:
Nigerians and their "stronghead". They never want to do things the proper way. See excuses, chai!

I tire o

Most English words are not necessarily what they are meant to express with one word meaning different things, they are all lies. And that is the key reason why the colonised that takes it seriously for its face value remains fundamentally foolish and confused like you muderfuckers..

Fellow,your correction is right,i had been noticing these grammatical errors in their daily reportage.

Their problem is not the slave language,but complete lack of common sense that makes them collect brown envelopes from perpetrators for news cover up. I.e,tb Joshua and the massacre in synagogue that has been totally swept under the carpet at this point in time.

Oyinbo taught us nonsense and funny enough we still realized till this day,that is why we are living like tutored chimps and always at the mercy if the elements,including oyinbo himself.

redsun:
Their problem is not the slave language,but complete lack of common sense that makes them collect brown envelopes from perpetrators for news cover up. I.e,tb Joshua and the massacre in synagogue that has been totally swept under the carpet at this point in time.

Oyinbo taught us nonsense and funny enough we still realized till this day,that is why we are living like tutored chimps and always at the mercy if the elements,including oyinbo himself.

What kind of nonsense are you likening this subject to? Using every avenue to continue painting someone black whom you have never met - such is the attitude of people that start wars around the world. Hold your horses and find out facts before using terminology like 'massacre' and 'perpetrators'. Are you suggesting that someone deliberately killed those 116 people? Better watch your mouth and get your facts straight.

"Grammar Nazism at its finest"...he said as at the time of filing this report...

Achutebe:
What kind of nonsense are you likening this subject to? Using every avenue to continue painting someone black whom you have never met - such is the attitude of people that start wars around the world. Hold your horses and find out facts before using terminology like 'massacre' and 'perpetrators'. Are you suggesting that someone deliberately killed those 116 people? Better watch your mouth and get your facts straight.

It is obvious Africans have done something very wrong,hence the abject backwardness and delusion. They are living in a distorted reality that is highly disrupted and dysfunctional.

fr3do:
Nigeria is a compilation of numerous ethnic nations, we were united to form one country and english is the official language, we have all fallen to it to communicate with one another. pidgin is even there for quicker and more convenient communication.

Communication is what language is all about, Nigerians are getting information explicitly that is what is important, not some guidelines from Britian.
English in Britian has been changing since time immemorial, english in medival times is different from english now.
If english can change in Britian why cant it change in Nigeria?



how does this deviation help your argument or counter mine? Drop your points and stop asking yeye questions.

We have not even gotten to anywhere and here you are misspelling.
English no be by force abeg, abi na bcas somebody just try blow one small grammar without even knowing the place his suppose to put an inverted commas.
As for you, is not MEDIVAL but MEDIEVAL. You can consult you Dictionary for more verification.

Sorry to use words like this while corrections.
I sincerely apologize but no one is above mistakes cause we learn from our mistakes. Thanks as you corporate.

JoelFelix:
We have not even gotten to anywhere and here you are misspelling.
English no be by force abeg, abi na bcas somebody just try blow one small grammar without even knowing the place his suppose to put an inverted commas.
As for you, is not MEDIVAL but MEDIEVAL. You can consult you Dictionary for more verification.

Sorry to use words like this while corrections.
I sincerely apologize but no one is above mistakes cause we learn from our mistakes. Thanks as you corporate.

is that all?
I'm kind of disappointed that you didnt endorse or oppose any of the ideas I put there but just resulted to pointing out mispellings.
Thanks anyway.

Nigerian Englishes

fr3do:
is that all?
I'm kind of disappointed that you didnt endorse or oppose any of the ideas I put there but just resulted to pointing out mispellings.
Thanks anyway.

You are welcome my MAN