Many people speak English as
their first language. It is one of the most commonly spoken languages in the
world.
Nigerians are very good at a
number of things and one of them is inventing their own version of English
which has become popular overtime.
Some of the words and phrases
we use often cannot be found in the dictionary. Some are words you picked up
from others and they have become quite a norm.
It is not only the uneducated
folks that are guilty of using these wrong words as the very educated Nigerians
also use the English language inappropriately.
Below are words Nigerians use
that don’t exist in the English dictionary.
1. Go-slow: When Nigerians say
go-slow, they mean congested traffic, which is wrong. The meaning of go-slow in
the English dictionary is, a form of industrial action in which work or
progress is deliberately delayed or slowed down.
2. Disvirgin: This word is
used on a daily basis by many Nigerians when they intend to say a woman has
lost her virginity. There is no word like disvirgin. The correct word to use is
deflower. Disvirgin simply does not exist.
3. Trafficate: Nigerians use
the word to describe a situation where a driver indicates to other drivers that
he/she wants to take a turn. It is used so often, that it has started to sound
like proper English.
4. Flashing: Every Nigerian
knows “flashing” to mean when someone calls your mobile phone and cuts off
before you answer. The word ‘flash’ is so common among Nigerians and its used
at least once daily by many. Flash has different meanings but none has anything
to do with a phone call. The word doesn’t exist in that sense in English.
5. Installmentally: Don’t be
tempted to use the word ‘installmentally’. Though it sounds correct, it isn’t.
There is no such word in the English dictionary as it exists only in the
Nigerian edition of English language. The correct thing to say is ‘in
installments’.
6. Opportuned: What exists in
English dictionaries is ‘opportune,’ without ‘d’ at the end. Opportune means
‘timely’ or ‘well-time, especially convenient or appropriate for a particular
action or event. Opportuned is only common in Nigerian English.
7. Cunny: This is a word which
Nigerians use to describe someone that is being deceitful or crafty. The right
word is cunning not cunny.
8. Next tomorrow: Most
Nigerians generally use “next tomorrow” but there is not such word as next
tomorrow. Instead you should say, “a day after tomorrow."
9. Packer: Nigerians probably
got the word from pack. The right word is dustpan. Since dustpan packs dirt,
Nigerians like to call it packer.
10. Pepperish: It is common to
hear Nigerians describe a meal that has too much pepper in it as pepperish. The
proper word should be ‘peppery’. No native English speaker uses the word
pepperish” to describe the burning sensation we feel from eating pepper.
Which of these words are you
guilty of?
Not too late to learn
something new,I learnt too.. you can add other mistakes below
lolz.. now I know,,!
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