
Addition and career/business implication
Also the word โPresentlyโ has two meanings. The first meaning is โVery soonโ. This has the symbol โBrEโ (British English) against it. The second meaning is โNowโ which has the symbol โAmEโ (American English) against it. This means it is wrong to use โPresentlyโ to mean โNowโ in British English. Rather, we use โAt presentโ or โCurrentlyโ in British English. If you tell your British customer or prospect that you โpresentlyโ have some needed products in stock, you have lost business because you are ignorantly telling him or her that you will have the products very soon.
Wrong redeployment of meanings
This is another feature of Nigerian English. It is about misinterpreting the original meanings of the existing words of English Language. Examples of words that have their meanings wrongly redeployed in Nigeria are โDo-or-dieโ, โToutโ, โDowryโ, โMineralsโ, etc. โDo-or-dieโ is a positive idiom that means โStrong determinationโ (check a dictionary). โToutโ means โMarketerโ or โCanvasserโ not โHooliganโ. โDowryโ basically refers to the money and other property that a bride gives to the bride-groom not money that a bridegroom pays on the bride as wrongly used in Nigeria.
We wrongly use โMineralsโ for โSoft drinksโ; โHot drinksโ for โHard drinksโ; โMachineโ for โMotorcycleโ. We have also wrongly created the word โSend-forthโ in place of the correct version โSend-offโ; โDrainagesโ in place of the correct one โDrainsโ. Most Nigerian speakers of English wrongly say โSend-forthโ instead of โSend-offโ, probably because the adverbial particle/preposition โoffโ is considered negative. I wonder why we have not changed jamb โcut-offโ mark to โcut-forthโ mark!
Similarly we use โDo-or-dieโ negatively probably because of the negative word โDieโ.
Explanation
โLongman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishโ defines โSend-offโ as โa party or other occasion when people meet to say โgoodbyeโ to someone who is leavingโ. The dictionary thus gives this example, โThe department gave Tom a send-off he wonโt forget!โ In this sense and context, โSend-offโ is used as a noun and has a positive meaning. It is different from the negative usage as a verb in the expression, โThe referee is likely to send off the player for dangerous tacklesโ.
It is bad English to say โDonโt throw refuse inside drainagesโ. The plural word โDrainsโ is the correct version. โDrainageโ refers to โthe process by which water or liquid waste is drained from an areaโ. โDrainageโ is also an uncountable noun and cannot be used in the plural form. โDrainโ refers to a pipe or any channel that carries away dirty water or liquid waste. See this example from โOxford Advanced Learnerโs Dictionaryโ, International Studentโs Edition: โWe had to call in the plumber to unblock the drain.โ
Justification of wrong connotation
Proponents of Nigerian English are always quick to justify errors of wrong redeployment of meanings by claiming they are connotative meanings. Connotative meanings refer to meanings that are not dictionary meanings or denotative meanings. Usage of words like โDo-or-Dieโ, โToutโ, โDowryโ, etc., differently from the dictionary meanings does not count for standard connotative meanings but errors of wrong redeployment of meanings arising out of ignorance. We cannot hide under wrong connotative meanings to continue to justify errors in Nigeria.
Some justify these errors by saying it is communication that matters. This does not mean we should now sacrifice linguistic correctness on the altar of communication. It is like saying as a man, if your little child calls you โMummyโ, you should not correct him or her but just continue to answer so long you know it is you the father that he or she is referring to.
Reinforcement
Many Nigerians even argue that โDo-or-dieโ, a positive idiom that correctly means โStrong determinationโ, has assumed a negative connotation in Nigeria since former President Olusegun Obasanjo used it during electioneering. I want to say it was (and is) because many Nigerians did not understand the actual meaning before Obasanjo used it. After all, a northern governor (name withheld) mistook the noun phrase โMineral resourcesโ for โSoft drinksโ in the 1980s in Nigeria. Why has the phrase โMineral resourcesโ not had the connotative meaning of โSoft drinksโ in Nigeria since then? It is simply because we understood (and understand) it was (and is) an error.
Standard connotative meanings
Standard connotative meanings are based on pure peculiar cultural experiences that are not covered in the dictionary, not errors of wrong redeployment of meanings like โDo-or-dieโ, โToutโ, โDowryโ, โMineralsโ, etc., common in Nigeria. For instance, a word like โWomanโ culturally has different connotative meanings peculiar to different cultures in Nigeria, which are not covered in the dictionary. In a war context, for instance, if the word โWomanโ is used for a man, it has the connotative meaning of cowardice. If the word โWomanโ is used for a man in a cooking context, it has connotative meaning of commendation in our cultures in Nigeria. If drinking of alcohol is involved and you refer to a man as a woman, then connotatively, you are saying he lacks capacity for alcohol intake or is easily intoxicated. These are standard and acceptable connotative meanings. We should stop committing blunders and claiming wrong connotative meanings.
Overgeneralisation of rules of English
Overgeneralisation of rules of English is another feature of Nigerian English. This is making us to commit errors daily. For instance, because the verb โRealiseโ has the noun โRealisationโ, we often overgeneralise the rule by wrongly thinking the noun from the verb โVandaliseโ is โVandalisationโ instead of the correct noun โVandalismโ. Also because we have the idiomatic expression โThe best/worst is yet to comeโ, we overgeneralise this idiom when we are using โYetโ with โToโ-infinitive verbs in other situations. We wrongly say โI am yet to go thereโ instead of โI have yet to go thereโ.
We also say โShe is yet to go thereโ instead of โShe has yet to go thereโ. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English illustrates thus, โI have yet to hear Rayโs version of what happenedโ and โThe bank has yet to respond to our letterโ. Note that when a main verb like โHearโ or โRespondโ is not involved, it is not used this way. So it is correct to say โHe is not yet aroundโ, because โAroundโ is not a verb. (To be continued)
GOKE ILESANMI, Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants of Nigeria and International Certified Management Consultant is Managing Consultant/CEO of Gokmar Communication Consulting, International Platinum Columnist, Professional Public Speaker/MC, Communication Specialist, Motivational Speaker and Career Management Coach. He is also a Book Reviewer, Biographer and Editorial Consultant.
Email: gokeiles2010@gmail.com