Nigeria was colonized by the British – likewise Ghana, but sometimes I wonder why Nigerians confidently speak bad English without any whit of shame and also feel disgraced why Ghanaians speak good English but timidly as though a soldier is holding a gun at them to speak.
In the case of Nigerians, the most common word we are all aware they ‘murder’ is the pronunciation of the word DOCTOR. Per the English Lexicon, doctor should be pronounced ‘dŊktә’ but Nigerians, have for only God knows the number of years they started speaking English, always pronounce Doctor wrongly as ‘dŊkt כ:’
Don’t Nigerians do Oral English literature in their higher educational institutions? Or don’t they pay attention to the English (when they speak) regarding the correct manner in which the English words are supposed to be pronounced? Or better still don’t they watch CNN, BBC or Hollywood movies?
But having a Nigerian partner and having also watched a lot of Nigerian movies, I’ve come to realize the reason and concluded that: Nigerians confidently speak fluent but bad English whilst Ghanaians timidly speak good English but not fluent. The reason is simple! Very simple!
On the Ghanaian part, Ghanaians generally love to impress the next person when speaking English –which I consider as a sign of INFERIORITY COMPLEX anyway. The Ghanaian would do all he or she can to speak with a Western phonation.
Due to that, when most Ghanaians are speaking English, they are not fluent, because there’s always pressure on the speakers mind to organize his or her thought, tune into a so-believed-sweet-tone, and delivery. So at the end of the day, the speaker stutters and lacks clarity in the message conveyed. Confidence is also mostly a challenge with most Ghanaians when it comes to communication!
However, Nigerians largely don’t have that attitude of impressing the next person when speaking English. When a Nigerian is speaking English, you can clearly see the fellow is flowing with ease and is focused on conveying a message – not to tune accent into something else to prove any point! No matter how highly educated a Nigerian is, he/she speaks English with their thick local accent. Their confidence (which sometimes comes out as arrogance) is top-drawer!
Consider a TV news bulletin which is a voice pop for instance – if a Ghanaian is interviewed, you would hear the fellow speak good English but fluency is almost zilch. The fellow will stutter through. Sometimes I feel ashamed as a Ghanaian watching such voice pops!
Due to that, I don’t feel comfortable watching a TV voice pop news bulletin involving Ghanaians – and I mean the semi-literates and the literates! But in TV voice pop news bulletins involving Nigerians, the interviewees speak the English language with confidence and clarity. Though they spoil most of the English words, I admire their sense of confidence and clarity.
Maybe my little advice to my Nigerian brothers and sisters is that, the fact that one speaks with his or her local or native accent, does not mean one should pronounce words of a foreign language wrongly at all time. Yes ACCENT affects PRONOUNCIATIONS but the two are independent!
At the end of the day, one understands what you (Nigerians) say – which is the basic injunction in communication (ability to hear and understand) but the words in the language must also be mentioned right. Can Nigerians change this English-language-treason? Well, in all the above, there is exceptions but mind you, I’m stating the rule and not the exception.
I tease my partner everyday due to the way she ‘murder’s the Queen’s language and she too mocks me for speaking English one-by-one like a class one pupil reciting poem on stage. We laugh slap happily at each other. That is the beauty of language. But in case you don’t agree, you may share a though. Until then…MOTWUM!!
Nigerians speak “Nigerian English” its non pretentious and spoken OUR way, besides English is not our first language. Last time i checked the first black nobel laureate of African origin was Wole Soyinka. The late Chinua Achebe has sold 10 million books of things fall apart and the same book’s been translated to over 40 languages…How many accolades has say “DAKTEH” instead of DOORKTOR got you lot?
But Wole Soyinka, although Nigerian, doesn’t speak ‘Nigerian English’. Neither did the late Chinua Achebe. These are/were learned men. Had they written, spoken and thought like those who say ‘DOORKTOR’ instead of doctor, they would not have achieved the success you are pointing to.
This is so true, & I have actually debated on the exact topic with a friend b4
Stupid article. We should be developing our local languages not english.who cares whether one speaks good English or not? It’s not our native tongue. The British had a sphere of influence on China and colonized India(,Pakistan and bangledesh before they split)but these countries use their local language and do not worry about english
I stay in Nigeria and I think these are the reasons.
1. Nigerians speak English(whether pure or pidgin) everyday. This is because of the diversity(250+ tribes with 3 main) and intermarriages and the cosmopolitan nature of most big Nigerian cities.
2. The media and entertainment industry need English to cut across all the parts of Nigeria. This promotes public discourse in English.
3. High level of education – it is rare to find a family without a university graduate in Nigeria. Masters degree classes are even getting as filled as undergraduate classes now. This is unlike Ghana where a JHS graduate feels he has completed school.
4. Wide use of Twi in Ghana media and entertainment. This results in infrequent use o fEnglish by most Ghanaians. And you cant be fluent in a language you don’t use regularly even if you speak t correctly.
Many people talk about how we should develop our local languages and stuff but are we really doing that or just promoting Twi? People mention China and India but forget those countries have populatios of over 1 billion each and can do whatever they wish and still be relevant globally. Their are very nice programs on Multi TV my friends may want to watch but can’t because they are in Twi. Compare this to Nigerian programs watched across Africa.
There may be other factors but these few are what I can readily remember.
God Bless you my Broda, Ghanaian feel they are the best when it comes to English but I tell you I live in Ghana and I find out even 70% of Ghanaian are primitives. Just image what a topic? Nigeria’s can trade move across the Globe without been intimidated. 90% of Ghanaian can’t speak English bad or good because they try to adopt the local Language Twi which foreigners can speak non understand why they can’t compare their self with Nigeria’s in anyway your Twi language is just like one small tribe from Nigeria and you want all African’s to understand or speak it sorry for them that is why they can’t sell across your boarder. From TV news to program even they are trying to translation Mexican soap opera to Twi how weird and foolish. That is why Ghanaian find it difficult to communicate in English check their hip-hop just imagine how Sarkodie won get money pass Wizkid? Why?
Twi remains in Ghana it Dies in Ghana. Check your home movie Actor’s and Actress those that made it must reach NAIJA 1st.
GOD BLESS NIGERIA THE GIANT OF AFRICA.
Ghanaian like it or not they will never be like us!!!!
What a stupid article. SLAVERY MENTALITY. ADOPTING ONES LANGUAGE AS YOUR OWN. YOU AND YOUR PARTNER ARE ALL SLAVES MENTALLY. THE CHINESE PREMIER WILL ALWAYS HAVE AN INTELRETER WITH HIM ABROAD. RESPECT YOUR OWN LANGUAGE. NO MATTER HOW GOOD ENGLIGH YOU SPEAK. YOU ARE STILL BLACK AFRICAN, THEY SEE YOU AS MONKEY
Cut the crap. Have you tried to use any of the Ghanaians languages to program a computer? How about conducting international transaction? Have you tried to book even a plane ticket using Ghanaian language? Show me a Ghanaian language scanner or barcode readers. Show me a system outside Ghana where Ghanaian language has any value. Yes the Chinese premier has an interpreter because he needs it to conduct international business. He cannot speak any of the major languages well. That’s why he needs an interpreter. It’s not because he’s proud of his language. Are you suggesting we use Ghanaian language interpreters? To whom would they talk to? Do world leaders understand any Ghanaian language. Your ‘love your language’ is admirable but stupid considering Ghana produces nothing in the world, how can its language be of value anywhere else except in Ghana. What in essence you are saying is Ghanaians should not interact with the outside world because the outside world doesn’t speak Ghanaian languages. Adopting other peoples language is not a slavish mentality. Especially when they are an economic and cultural powerhouse. Unless you are in a kente cloth with oheneba slippers as we speak, you are wearing another cultures clothing. I noticed you didn’t type your posting in Dagati, twi, ewe or fante. You used English. Why is that? Are you a slave? Speaking other peoples opens up your neural pathways. It helps you think in other dimensions. Try it sometime. Try Italian of French.
Did you think abotu language development?
These languages were developed over time.
i think that we as africans are not making an effort to write, speak or learn our languages.
What is the government doing?
There is nothing wrong speaking another language but not to the detriment of our own.
By the way: How many Italian and French worry about their accents?
Who should develop our languages? How old are the languages in Ghana? And for what purpose? The government can’t even provide simple water and there are lakes in Ghana, and you want it to develop the various Ghanaian language and make it international? What type of weed are you smoking? Newflash, our languages are already backwards and are not fit for the modern times. Try and see if you can translate ‘cognitive dissonance’ into any of our languages. You can’t because our languages are backward. Speaking it or not will not save Ghana. In fact not speaking it at all will help remove the troubles that goes with the various languages. Italians and French worry about their accents when speaking other languages. That is because accents in some languages are important. In some cases it can be the difference between being shaved and being saved. If you are an Hausa or Dagati. Or ‘fork’ and ‘fuck’. A Nigerian says ‘give me a fuck’ when he means give me a fork. Because he pronounces fork as fuk.
“i think that we as africans are not making an effort to write, speak or learn our languages”.
That’s because there is no value in learning them. There is no such thing as the cosmos, singularity, wormhole, universe, quantum, atom, architecture, plenary and the list goes on in our languages. If you live the modern age you should use a language that advance your existence. Why go for languages that a limiting. What is microwave in Fanti or twi or GA? I don’t mean the machine. I mean the spectrum.
Are we less creative that we cant invent a word for microwave?
Yes. If it doesn’t exist in your vocabulary it means it doesn’t exist in your spectrum of things to consider as utility. The lack of creativity in many fields by Africans stems from the lack of knowledge of theories, data and the general dynamics of how the world works. These theories and data therefore don’t exist in our local languages and so cannot be called upon by those who rely only on the local language as a means of communication and exchange of ideas.
It’s amazing how some peeps make their conclusions bcos there isn’t a literal translation microwave it makes our local languages useless?
that is called facing facts
so what if Ghanians speak good but not fluent English? you should know English is an international language. that is why even if Nigerians cant speak it properly they try to speak in a way people can at least get what they want to say. there is nothing wrong with speaking good but not fluent English.who ever wrote this article perhaps have not heard the old adage that you don’t use your left hand to point to the direction of your fatherland. yea perhaps you hate being a Ghanaian, but the negative articles about Ghana is becoming too much and trust me its like you don’t have anything better for your readers and it really sucks..
It’s highly unlikely he is a Ghanaian all these characters posing as Ghanaians.To begin with,your write up isn’t correct everybody knows Ghanaians are very fluent in English.nigerians simply hv a unique way of speaking English it doesn’t make it necessarily bad.they use literal translation a lot when u listen to them speak.instead of Study hard in school they will rather say face or tackle your studies .
If you want Ghanaian language like twi to go that far, why don’t you start by doing your articles in twi, then you can also translate to English. at least that would be a good step taken, or what do you say you hypocrate that go to the end of the river to dirty it and come back to ask who did it. should i translate this for you in twi. listen… Anoma Kokonekone a )k) etife k0fon nsuo na waba anaafo ebebisa s3 waen na )fono? thats an act of Hypocracy. So like the way Ghanaians are hypocrate as you wrote in some of your articles, you are the number hypocrate.
Well most nigerians can speak English because most of them speak pidgin English. So this puts them at an advantage over ghana because some people do not even speak a word of English. Ghanaians are not really confident when it comes to things like this. Am surprised because apparently English is the first language of Ghana. I thought it was twi.
Hahahaha you burst my head dear….same here oo…I aso thought it was Gha….lol
You are a fool for writing this nonsense…please next time you want to talk rubbish about any country, end it in yours and don’t ever try to include Nigeria.what’s the meaning of this insult?. You that so claim your country speaks better!! have you ever heard the white speak the way you Ghanaians speak before?. Well I don’t want to spend my time replying someone who knows nothing but claim to. Your country is not even listed among hundred English speaking countries in world and here you are comparing yourself with your mother. Well I SMELL jealousy. For your mind der ooo u don write something…..if you want to promote your country do it better, start by helping your fellow Ghanaians who can’t even speak their so claim correct English and not Nigeria that has gone far.
Now I see why Ghana will continue to remain copy cat. You guyz can’t even promote what you have, your music you either copy us or Jamicans, your rotten English only heaven knows the country you are coping because it’s definitely not Britain, your hair style Jamicans and that is why you people look so dirty because you can’t even maintain what you are coping. What can you guyz be proud of that it is yours? Olodo learn to reason before you write okay? ..E.P a.k.a Enemy of progress