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Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by Babaelemu: 7:54pm On May 10, 2018 |
fluentinfor:I was bombard and seen as a barstard when I mentioned many nigerians don't speak good English. This is even not about accent. We just don't pronounce some words correctly and it has nothing to with our roll of tongue. I want to believe this is how Pidgin English came about. Nigerian English just sound so funny out of all the English speaking nations in the world (that's the result of our educational system and since independence we've been doing our own thing in a wrong direction). I won't expect you to agree if you're not in a country where their official language is English. 1 Like |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by Nobody: 3:07am On May 11, 2018 |
fluentinfor:Yes you have made some great points. I was initially trying to answer the OP's question...and focus on the "accent" part. I, then, delved into the "grammatical" portion. But you are correct...poor grammar can make the accent less-than-appealing. My dad's English is nearly flawless (and he even corrects me at times)....it's just his pronunciation of some words in which I "attempt" to correct him....but to no avail...lol. That never works with him..... I also realize that it may just be a cultural thing that causes him to pronounce some words the way he does. For example, he says "pizza" (with the actual "z" sound)...but Americans pronounce it as "peetsa"...more so with the "s'" sound. My dad will say, "There's the letter "z' in the word...so I'm gonna pronounce it with the "z" sound!" I do think he's had trouble pronouncing the "th" sound...though he's gotten so much better. But for instance, he'll sound like he's saying "teef" instead of "thief"....with the emphasis on "th" as in the word "the". I have tried to help him pronounce the "th" sound in the word.....so he's gotten so much better. His accent isn't even as thick as many I've heard. He even jokes and says he sounds American now... But I quickly let him know that he does not...his accent is here to stay. 2 Likes |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by Nobody: 9:45am On May 11, 2018 |
Mobilia: Hahahaha! "th" torments 99.9% Nigerians. Seriously, I do not get it why it is so difficult. Yeah! The right adjective to describe people with strange ways of voicing certain sounds is people with "thick accent". You are so right. ![]() Yea...pizza is a strange word to most Nigerians. Over 98% do not eat it; hence, I do not expect them to know how to pronounce it properly. ![]() In addition, Nigerians do not know when to omit sounds in some words. For example they pronounce "debt" as it is written. But they are suppose to omit "b" sound. Even you correct them, they will argue and tell you that they are right. I always laugh over it. And the strange thing is that most of them get intimidated with someone with a good flow of English. And many of them take advantage of it. If you find yourself in a Nigerian market, please shut your mouth. Do not talk. I learned the bitter way. I had to be told to not speak in market; else, price would increase 20 times the normal in just one second after hearing me talk in those days. Thenafter, I sat down and I had to learn the Nigerian way of speaking it. Pidgin English sounds were easier for me to grab. But when I am out of the country, I switch to what my audience will not say eh, what, repeat. Lol There is no need to correct anyone. If any of them finds opportunities crashing because of his/her thick accent while he is in another continent, no one will tell him/her to learn how to pronouce words clearly, to learn sounds that should omitted, to not say "z", when it is "s", to say "her" and not "ha", to say "thought" and not "taught", to know which syllable to stress and which not to, and to know how to make the the language flow flawlessly instead of using very "thick" sounds very often especially when debating. 3 Likes |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by Nobody: 10:11am On May 11, 2018 |
Babaelemu: You make me laugh. Lol Well, I advise you to love every kind of accent you hear. I am happy you are aware that some people have difficulties voicing out some sounds. Well, you still need to upgrade yourself too. You may still have to fix certain things. Even in the US, people still go for accent reduction. I have a friend who used to speak ghetto black English. I spoke to him after he moved from NY to SD, and I noticed he had dropped some styles of his. Lol. My brother, have you noticed that top black rappers speak lesser gabbages than the street husslers? Cos they speak more to different people, and they do not like people saying eh, what, repeat. Even there are different accents in the UK. The first time I heard a thick Scotish accent, I was like...what the heck are you talking guy? Finally, I agree with you. I have gone through the Nigerian "Use of English" syllabus. I think more emphasis should be laid on good grammar. WAEC, NECO candidates who do not know tenses very well (if you want to know, just test them. Ask the difference between present simple and past simple, most test takers do not know. Even most newspapers writers do not know how to use past perfect. Again, 99% Nigerians do know know how to use the "if conditional" sentences. When should I say: " if + present simple, or if + past simple, or if + past perfect" ![]() 1 Like |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by Nobody: 10:17am On May 11, 2018 |
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Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by Nobody: 10:18am On May 11, 2018 |
Richard Quest, the CNN "quest means business" anchor. I advise readers to check him out. Listen to him well. I was watching one of his nice, mind blowing interviews, and one of the ladies he was discussing with had to confess that she finds it too hard to understand him. ![]() 3 Likes |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by Nobody: 1:14pm On May 13, 2018 |
fluentinfor: I so love this! We (my siblings) have a ball with my dad going back and forth with him on pronunciations and accents... He doesn't back down though...he fights until the end...lol! He always says that Americans don't know English....lol. I just wanted to mention the following common words...and their pronunciations Nigerians vs. Americans. Military Nigerians-(miliTREE) Americans- (mili-tar-ee) Interested Nigerians- (IntRESTing) Americans- (In-ter-est-ing) Exactly Nigerians- (ehZATlee) Americans- (exacKlee) Particular Nigerians-(partiCOOla) Americans-(partiquler) My favorites are the following: Any words ending in "ER" are pronounced as ending in "A" for Nigerians Examples: Suger= SUGA, Butter=BUTTA, Disaster=DISASTA, Timer=TIMA, Feather=FEATHA, Lover= LOVA I constantly ask my dad why he won't pronounce the "ER" as in "her".... I love it though! Different accents are what makes the world go 'round! 2 Likes |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by Nobody: 2:44pm On May 13, 2018 |
Mobilia: ![]() Very interesting examples. And Nigerians are beginning to write like they pronounce. Eg. Father - they say and write Fada. Yeah. Different accents make the world go round. I agree. 2 Likes |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by yemiosinbajo: 7:13pm On May 21, 2018 |
Babaelemu: Bro, trust me, this is just about you. Since I came to the United States here, people have been asking me where I learned English from. Recently, I made a speech in my Public Speaking class, and someone walked up to me after the class to say, "I like your voice and the way you speak." In the peer evaluations, two of my classmates made excellent comments about my accent. I went for a job interview, and after everything was over, the interviewers started asking questions about my English. This has been a very common occurrence for me here. Meanwhile, take away the accent and I can assure you that Americans do not speak better English at all. 3 Likes |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by yemiosinbajo: 7:16pm On May 21, 2018 |
clitlicker: Thing is, Americans do not even speak better English. Yemi Osinbajo's English is way better than Donald Trump's. Since I came to the US, I have not met anyone (even among university professors) who speak better English than Wole Soyinka. Not even anywhere close. The accent of these Americans is what makes people think that they speak really good English, but that is not true at all. 4 Likes |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by yemiosinbajo: 7:19pm On May 21, 2018 |
Babaelemu: Just say, "they laugh at yours," because no one has ever laughed at mine. Instead, they commend me for the way I speak. 2 Likes |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by Taofeekdboy(m): 8:09pm On May 21, 2018 |
yemiosinbajo:please let’s just leave the guy, I told him check himself not to speak up for us. I told him where I went for interview, my interviewer told me that he like my English and I got the job because of my good communication with my interviewer. Forget the accent, we speak correct English.Kalas 3 Likes |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by dibozijr: 9:32pm On May 21, 2018 |
Babaelemu:Very true bro, i sometimes find it hard to understand naijas when speaking or writing,you have your own version of english |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by stubbornman(m): 11:20pm On May 21, 2018 |
Babaelemu: Some of you just be talking nonsense ...your mate wey dey Yankee dey feel our English even though eh no pure, You wey go common S/A dey make mouth like say dem speak English pass us , Inferiority complex Kee you there ..... When you don carry your frustrated intonation go spoil our show.... why dem no go beef us PREEK HOLE 2 Likes |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by stubbornman(m): 11:37pm On May 21, 2018 |
Babaelemu: You call this bullshit you just wrote " Improved English" ![]() Who the heck was your teacher ![]() You're just busy using your " cut and join English " to insult people who are way exposed than you are.....don't you think you're the one who is "Stubborn" as you always scream. perhaps your goat head and dead brain cells translates your trashy and battered English/accent into something nice for your inferior consumption..... If you cannot argue intelligently next time go to Facebook or somewhere else. PRINCE OF ZULU KINGDOM!! 1 Like 1 Share |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by lordOM(m): 12:58am On May 22, 2018 |
I can only speak for Nigerians in UK.Honestly,they are good with English. If you want to go deaf,talk with a Pakistani/Indian that just arrived UK. 2 Likes |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by Nobody: 1:05am On May 22, 2018 |
lordOM: I am so wrong for laughing at this.....but I do understand what you mean. The accent is very thick at times.... |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by Nobody: 8:13pm On May 22, 2018 |
As a Nigerian American, I find the Nigerian accent interesting. Those ehs" and "ohs" and "nas" that Nigerians make especially at the end of words or sentences jell really well with the language while producing a unique sound that could pass for an ear candy. Eg; if I catch you eh... A foreigner might have a hard time understanding Nigerians when they use those ehs and ohs, just like it took me a while to understand what my former colleague meant by "if I was in the mood eh" the eh blended with "mood" that it sounded like "moodeh" but now I know better lol...should I also not talk about how Nigerians pronounce the letters in every world? Might sound a bit mechanical but I LIKE IT. As for whether Nigerians speak good English or not, well, the Nigerians that I worked alongside with while I lived in Nigeria few years ago spoke very good English. I guess it's becos they all went to good schools, however I cannot say the same about the majority of the population whose English aren't on the same pedestal with that of Native speakers 3 Likes |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by mutico20(m): 11:01pm On May 22, 2018 |
@babaelemu please I need palm wine please help me get original palm wine....I am original Yoruba please I can't sleep since yesterday I really want to drink emu please..as your name implied it show you are palm wine seller please.[color=#000099][/color] |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by Nobody: 1:34am On May 23, 2018 |
iRyan: Yes sir...those sounds you listed are hilarious! I love it! My dad has never used those words at the ends of his sentences....but I've heard that on all of the Nigerian movies that I've seen! I love it too...so unique. I was so excited cause the other day I heard my dad say "maltreatment"...which I've seen countless times here on N.L. He also continuously uses the following (colorful and descriptive) words: Useless Bloody fool Trash Nonsense No conscience... Sorry folks ![]() But it's the Nigerian way...lol. Nigerian American you say? So either you were born in Nigeria (but moved to the U.S. very early) OR Both of your parents are Nigerian but you were born in the U.S. Am I correct? Do you mind me asking? |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by Nobody: 5:07pm On May 23, 2018 |
Mobilia:born in the U.S to Nigerian parents. I never met my biological parents though... ![]() |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by Nobody: 12:33am On May 24, 2018 |
iRyan: Ok...thanks for answering. |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by drakeli: 1:52am On May 24, 2018 |
Babaelemu:First of all, Americans don’t speak good English. They break a lot of grammatical rules speaking their English. Yes they are fluent with good ascent. But good English? No. I hear them speak and I would be like...what? It don’t matter. Instead of it doesn’t matter. That’s the way Americans speak. So many bad English like that. I need it bad. Instead of “badly “. Is that good English? Too many to count. 2 Likes |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by Nobody: 4:53am On May 24, 2018 |
papulzil: Drop your WhatsApp contact. |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by Nobody: 12:26am On May 25, 2018 |
drakeli: Why do you think that is? Perhaps you can teach them proper English.... ![]() |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by yemiosinbajo: 1:45am On May 25, 2018 |
Mobilia: The guy is right. I have heard a lot of blunders from many of them since I got here. The accent is just their shield; tell them to put their words in writing and you'll see for yourself. If you need proper English, listen to the British.. 3 Likes |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by Nobody: 2:10am On May 25, 2018 |
yemiosinbajo: Lol....sir I know.... English major here (and I fumble on some mechanics as well).... Yes, many of them have challenges....but I hope you aren't discriminating against them because of that. Well perhaps you should help them too.. P.S. Thanks for the advice...my dad repeatedly tells me the same thing ![]() |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by Nobody: 2:24am On May 25, 2018 |
drakeli: In my opinion, I think its rare for most native speakers of any language to speak grammatically correct in normal conversation. For instance when I was learning Spanish, I was taught to speak Grammatically correct but then learned native spanish speakers dont speak like that. I speak grammatically correct english majority of the time but switch it on and off when I choose to. Meaning I speak proper English professionally and when Im out but when Im with close family and friends I speak how I wish to. |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by chokey419(m): 5:31am On May 25, 2018 |
Well I recently read somewhere that the Nigerian accent is one of the top 10 sexiest languages in the world. But do these foreigners understand us from personal experience a big phat no. Sometimes I speak and they tell me wow you speak good English and I’m like that’s my country’s official language. These peeps don change my name for me sef. Lol. |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by Emmyk(m): 6:11pm On May 25, 2018 |
chukxie:I was about asking the same. ![]() |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by Emmyk(m): 6:45pm On May 25, 2018 |
fluentinfor:Lol. Where did you get all these statistics you've been dishing out in your posts? 99% of this, 98%. I'm a Yoruba man and I pronounce 'house' correctly. Lol. ![]() You are only generalising, I believe it all boils down to one's educational background and your family/environment. Going to good schools also help reduce mother-tongue interference as well as fluency when speaking. |
Re: To Non-Nigerians; Is The "Nigerian Accent" appealing? by BossLaifay(f): 7:08pm On May 25, 2018 |
Babaelemu:I beg to differ. I worked (professionally) in England for a couple of years and never heard one person ask me "what??" or struggle with my accent or diction. |
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