Culled this off somewhere, thought it substantial and decided to bring it on here. Check.....


It’s become extremely difficult to identify a Nigerian from his or her accent these days. We are now sounding more American and British than the Americans and Britons themselves. When you listen to radio and voice in some TV commercials and radio jingles these days, you hardly hear the ‘Nigerian accent’ we grew up to know, and I begin to ask how we got here. Is this western influence? Did over half of our population suddenly travel abroad overnight to acquire an accent?


As I begin to ask questions, let me take a look at the people closest to me. Two of my uncles studied in the United States. Not just first degree but master’s degree as well. One of them even had a Ph.D and lived there for over 20 years before returning to Nigeria; none of them has an American accent. One of my maternal uncles and another aunt have been living in the UK ever since I can remember. When they came visiting some years back, none of them had a British accent. And so does my uncle that has lived in Australia for about 20 years.
I can go on and on about so many others. So it beats me hollow when a Nigerian travels to the United States for two months and returns with an American accent or when a Nigerian goes for her master’s degree in the UK and starts talking through her nose when she returns. It’s even so bad now, that some people accompany someone who is travelling overseas to the international airport and comes back home with an accent!

I can understand that some people were born and raised there and it has become part of their system and way of life. But one thing I have discovered is that those that travelled there don’t lose their Nigerian tongue completely. When I was in New York, I stayed in Manhattan with my cousin who had been living in the United States since he was 8 years old. He is about 30 now. He has a flat mate that is also a Nigerian who went there to school and has been living there.

I observed that they had this strong black American accent when they speak on the phone or have a conversation with their American friends, but whenever we were having a chat in the house, they always returned to their Nigerian accent. Even when he visits Nigeria, He speaks in his Nigerian accent even though he can speak like an American very well and not those fake and undone accents I get to hear on radio. I have observed closely those ‘returnees’ that have lost their Nigerian accent really haven’t. Once in a while, when you have a conversation with them, it slips out in some words or sentences and they return to their other accent. But will you blame them? Speaking in an American or British accent is now a status symbol. We admire and respect anything that has a resemblance to America or England. We see them as superior and since as they enjoy that position they would want to remain there.

I have worked in the entertainment and media industry for over 10 years and trust me, I have seen a lot. Most of our on-air personalities now have a foreign accent. There was even a radio station in Lagos that wouldn’t even want to hire you if you had a Nigerian accent. Our voice over artists who grew up in Ibadan can’t even pronounce “Adeola Odeku Street’ anymore the way we will know that it’s a street on Victoria Island and not Los Angeles. Some of them cannot even pronounce their own name very well. This is sad. I grew up listening to Tokunbo Ajayi, Cyril Stober and Ruth Benemesia Opia deliver news casting in a way that made you admire them for their professionalism. All that is gone. A young girl once worked as a newscaster in a TV station in Lagos and I heard that because she had a foreign accent, she got lots of privileges and I know this for a fact because it’s my industry and I have friends in every media house. She got holidays oversees and other perks that others who had been working there could not dream of.

Of course she left after a while and we hardly see her anymore but this is our reality. Though I thought she was a good newscaster. I also know a certain media house on cable TV where they all speak through their noses and form cliques amongst themselves. You are valued according to your accent. So everyone wants to belong, whether you grew up there, or you only visited for two weeks, or you went there for your master’s degree; all join, just dey blow foneh dey go. That’s the only way you can be seen as a sophisticated babe or big boy. I remember one time when one of them referred to those of us with Nigerian accent as ‘locals’. Na wa oh!

These led some of my friends in a certain radio station in Lagos to start what they call the LAFA Awards. LAFA stands for Locally Acquired Foreign Accent. It was done to expose on air personalities on radio that never lived outside the country and have a foreign accent. I had a good laugh as they called out the winners and I can’t wait for the next LAFA awards.

I would also like to ask; I know a lot of white people who have lived in Nigeria for so many years. Some of them were even born here, especially the Lebanese. But how come they don’t have a Nigerian accent? Why is it the other way round?


I think Nigerians should be comfortable with speaking with their Nigerian accent. CNN recently ranked the different accents in the world according to how sexy they sounded and Surprise! Surprise! The disdained Nigerian accent was ranked 5th. It ranked even higher than the American and British accents. I don’t think you need a foreign accent to have a high self-esteem. The people we admire here in Nigeria for their success and all they have achieved did all they did without an American accent and still have a high place in our society. The likes of Aliko Dangote, Mike Adenuga and Femi Otedola don’t have one.

Even in our entertainment industry, Tuface, P square, Wizkid and Asa don’t have foreign accent. Likewise Nneka, D’Banj and Don Jazzy that have lived abroad don’t have it not to talk of Davido who was born abroad. We should learn to embrace the way we speak and be proud of it just like the Americans and the British would never change their accent for anyone.

Nigerians forming since 1915

It's a trend. Will cool off when it fades

daresma93:
Nigerians forming since 1915

LOL[size=8pt][/size]

barackohandso:
It's a trend. Will cool off when it fades

You think there'll come a time when naija people will stop copying foreign accents and settle for ours. Twill only happen when the electronic media ceases to exist. So...er ahdonthinkso#

Meggy007:


You think there'll come a time when naija people will stop copying foreign accents and settle for ours. Twill only happen when the electronic media ceases to exist. So...er ahdonthinkso#

Yeah they will when they realize that it doesn't pay, doesn't feed them and adds no value to their lives.

LOL! Even ice prince sef that grew up in the village has an accent.

People retain their accent however, for some day to day words and normal day to day conversation, you might observe their accents is tuned to their location. One of the reasons for this I will say is that the people in the community you move with use those day to day words to an extent that it rings in your brain and unconsciously often times, you get to pronounce the words that way. I have a friend who when he speaks with an American you might conclude he was born and bred there in the states however, in our circle of friends, he speaks in our own clearer accent at least to our ears.

I'm trying to change my accent . .nigeria doesn't have an accent,instead (igbo,yoruba and hausa) are d accents we have,if a yoruba man and an igbo man are reading thesame sentence,it'l b very easy for you to know their tribe . . D main reason i want to change my accent to a neutral one

still no audio clips.

barackohandso:


Yeah they will when they realize that it doesn't pay, doesn't feed them and adds no value to their lives.

Lol. But it does pay bills....for those in the media house. It sure does.

GboyegaD:
People retain their accent however, for some day to day words and normal day to day conversation, you might observe their accents is tuned to their location. One of the reasons for this I will say is that the people in the community you move with use those day to day words to an extent that it rings in your brain and unconsciously often times, you get to pronounce the words that way. I have a friend who when he speaks with an American you might conclude he was born and bred there in the states however, in our circle of friends, he speaks in our own clearer accent at least to our ears.

Yea well your friends own is understandable. He switches where there's a need for it. Not those who do so when begins to twist their tongue at all times whether them sabi or not, in and out of 'circles'. I know plenty.

mesoade:
I'm trying to change my accent . .nigeria doesn't have an accent,instead (igbo,yoruba and hausa) are d accents we have,if a yoruba man and an igbo man are reading thesame sentence,it'l b very easy for you to know their tribe . . D main reason i want to change my accent to a neutral one

'Neutral' being the operative word here.

Meggy007:



Lol. But it does pay bills....for those in the media house. It sure does.

Well you're right though, but it's only a few of them

But no matter how fake an accent is, the natural users of the accent will differentiate. Foreigners love to hear the Nigerian accent from nigerians (educated ones though), it sounds cool and sexy











So do you have a foreign accent?

Meggy007:


Yea well your friends own is understandable. He switches where there's a need for it. Not those who do so when begins to twist their tongue at all times whether them sabi or not, in and out of 'circles'. I know plenty.

Well, people have a right to what they want to. Don't let their forming oye whatsoever bother you.

GboyegaD:


Well, people have a right to what they want to. Don't let their forming oye whatsoever bother you.

Yea. Doesn't bother me anyways. Merely stating they're over doing it and their instability at it sucks.

barackohandso:


Well you're right though, but it's only a few of them

But no matter how fake an accent is, the natural users of the accent will differentiate. Foreigners love to hear the Nigerian accent from nigerians (educated ones though), it sounds cool and sexy











So do you have a foreign accent?

LOL. Nah. I'm a mass communication graduate though. I wasn't taught any accent, I was taught to speak articulately. And I do!

Meggy007:



LOL. Nah. I'm a mass communication graduate though. I wasn't taught any accent, I was taught to speak articulately. And I do!

Good to know. I like that word "articulately"
Speak any other language?

barackohandso:


Good to know. I like that word "articulately"
Speak any other language?

Ibo-70%, yoruba-10%, french-4%. .

You?

barackohandso:

But no matter how fake an accent is, the natural users of the accent will differentiate. Foreigners love to hear the Nigerian accent from nigerians (educated ones though), it sounds cool and sexy

LoL you're certainly right. The Nigerians who attempt such only end up making a mockery of themselves. Where I work, a large percentage of our clients are foreigners, you need to see how Nigerians switch between various (contrasting) accents during a convo.
Infact, a Greek lady once asked me if there was an explanation for it; we both laughed it off. Nigerians, funny beings..

Meggy007:



Ibo-70%, yoruba-10%, french-4%. .

You?

You speak french? Wow! I feel intimidated to say mine now…lol

Well mine is English, yoruba and pidgin





































You go teach me french oh

pryd:


LoL you're certainly right. The Nigerians who attempt such only end up making a mockery of themselves. Where I work, a large percentage of our clients are foreigners, you need to see how Nigerians switch between various (contrasting) accents during a convo.
Infact, a Greek lady once asked me if there was an explanation for it; we both laughed it off. Nigerians, funny beings..

Lol. I can only imagine. Some foreigners even wish they could speak our languages with our accent

I really admire nigerians who have spend many years abroad and still maintain their originality

barackohandso:


You speak french? Wow! I feel intimidated to say mine now…lol

Well mine is English, yoruba and pidgin


You go teach me french oh

Teach you french eh? Hehe. I wish. I speak pidgin of course. And yoruba, oh my I looooove this language plenty. Doing my best to get it but it just won't enter her big'ed. Chai, chai, chai -----------. (Fill in the blank space)

barackohandso:


Lol. I can only imagine. Some foreigners even wish they could speak our languages with our accent

I really admire nigerians who have spend many years abroad and still maintain their originality

You can say that again*

Meggy007:
Yea. Doesn't bother me anyways. Merely stating they're over doing it and their instability at it sucks.

But we have no control over the choice of adults you know. They might not even be aware you are bothered so, why bother yourself?

GboyegaD:


But we have no control over the choice of adults you know. They might not even be aware you are bothered so, why bother yourself?

LOL. Dude. Haba. Why you so bothered that I'm borthered about people who probably don't know I'm bothered about them fa. What are you. The bother police?

Meggy007:


LOL. Dude. Haba. Why you so bothered that I'm borthered about people who probably don't know I'm bothered about them fa. What are you. The bother police?

I am who you call me as that is your opinion of me.

Meggy007:



Teach you french eh? Hehe. I wish. I speak pidgin of course. And yoruba, oh my I looooove this language plenty. Doing my best to get it but it just won't enter her big'ed. Chai, chai, chai -----------. (Fill in the blank space)

Yeah teach me french. That'd be cool

Ehn fill in what? I've learnt that GEJ is a nairalander and that there's a way a handle's IP can be traced. So I can't fill that space, just tell me yourself

no b lie...

barackohandso:


Yeah teach me french. That'd be cool

Ehn fill in what? I've learnt that GEJ is a nairalander and that there's a way a handle's IP can be traced. So I can't fill that space, just tell me yourself

LWKM.....he's a member now eh. Good for him....and seun as well...I guess. So I'm not saying either

Meggy007:



LWKM.....he's a member now eh. Good for him....and seun as well...I guess. So I'm not saying either

Lol. Say it na, or are you scared?
Oh yeah GEJ and his P.A. are nairalanders