It has 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.

My wife schooled in the UK for her master’s degree and does not have an atom of British accent when she speaks. Her elder sister schooled for 2 years in the United States and doesn’t have an American accent either. My wife’s half brother and sister are half-caste because their mum is a white English woman. They schooled in the UK to master’s degree level and lived there for a while as well and they don’t have a British accent (though a few words can’t escape her). 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.

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?

white Nigerian with Nigerian accent:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONS8yDx4C3I

Damn! Who taught you summary in high school


@topic

The accent faking is just much and it's more with radio presenters, I just feel like smacking them from the set each time

I think some emulate the american British accent..and some don't.

if they wanna change it, they can..but if they don't want, then they can't..its a choice.

some grow up with British accents like me they master it either from schooling there or attending a school with British curriculums

my pry school, we used British curriculum plus our phonetics teaching etc, that makes him or her get a British accent.

don't knw about america

The thing is now too much. You cant even have your normal accent and dream of working in a radio station.

They want to hear the one you will actually work harder to hear.

That is why I listen to Wazobia fm more often than others because I have no difficulty whatsoever associating with them.

They should leave matter for mathias abeg.

EroticAngelina:
I think some emulate the american British accent..and some don't.

if they wanna change it, they can..but if they don't want, then they can't..its a choice.

some grow up with British accents like me they master it either from schooling there or attending a school with British curriculums

my pry school, we used British curriculum plus our phonetics teaching etc, that makes him or her get a British accent.

don't knw about america

Thrash.....All Nigerian educational system, syllabus or curriculum is tailored after the British model..whether private or public school from primary to university

shedraq1:


Thrash.....All Nigerian educational system, syllabus or curriculum is tailored after the British model..whether private or public school from primary to university

hey! its not trash! they all follow, but do they practice it? NO

if u actually practice real British English in ur phonetics, u will have at least small trace of British accent in ur voice. u probably went to a public school

and they start it as early as nursery school OK
that's y u c some nigerians speaking like the ghanians. its not fake(tho majority are big fakes) its the way they were taught to speak and pronounce words go and read more about it and see how the system works, not to come here and start typing what u knw nothing abt.. not cool

Wad da fak are ya writing dat much?
Don't you pity people? Gosh

Nice article! I enjoyed reading it!

Some people don't have enough love for their tradition or culture. That's why I consider Nigeria a huge joke of an African country from time to time. I mean how could you abandon your culture completely to sound more American or British? Who does that? Out of all our West African neighbours, we are the only ones doing that nonsense. I'm proud of my Naija culture though and proud of my tradition.

OP, Thanks for giving us your life And family history. You should have also mentioned when you naturalized as an American or a British citizen.

Back to the topic.
What's all the fuss about accent?
There is No hard And fast rule anywhere that a person must speak a language in a certain way because he is from a particular country . People can decide to pick up new accents or drop the old ones they acquired in the past. People can also decide to learn new accents And be using them interchangeably with the previous ones they acquired.
As for me, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. As long you are communicating with your audience, you're covered. After all, a person's nationality must not be known through his accent.

And (I stand to be corrected), I don't think there is anything like Nigerian accent because the way an Hausa man speaks English is so different from the way an Igbo or Yoruba man speaks it. Let alone other ethnic groups.

And for those mentioning culture And pride about culture, I wonder when English language became part of your culture. So what has a "Nigerian accent" got to do with culture? Do tell.

samuelson06:
Wad da fak are ya writing dat much?
Don't you pity people? Gosh

Blackberry pinging,facebook and twitter short spellings have finished your life, that is why you cannot read and comprehend a short article like this....How can you pass WAEC,SSCE,GCE and NECO..Do you think these exam bodies recognise pinging and short spellings

nobilis:
OP, Thanks for giving us your life And family history. You should have also mentioned when you naturalized as an American or a British citizen.

Back to the topic.
What's all the fuss about accent?
There is No hard And fast rule anywhere that a person must speak a language in a certain way because he is from a particular country . People can decide to pick up new accents or drop the old ones they acquired in the past. People can also to learn new accents And be using them interchangeably with the previous ones they acquired.
As for me, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. As long you are communicating with your audience, you're covered. After all, a person's nationality must not be known through his accent.

And (I stand to be corrected), I don't think there is anything like Nigerian accent because the way an Hausa man speaks English is so different from the way an Igbo or Yoruba man speaks it. Let alone other ethnic groups.

And for those mentioning culture And pride about culture, I wonder when English language became part of your culture. So what has a "Nigerian accent" got to do with culture? Do tell.

the bolded means being a COPYCAT while speaking with your Natural Nigerian accent( wether, Igbo,Yoruba, Hausa, Efik, Ibibio, Ijaw, Nupe etc) means you are ORIGINAL

bestads:


the bolded means being a COPYCAT while speaking with your Natural Nigerian accent( wether, Igbo,Yoruba, Hausa, Efik, Ibibio, Ijaw, Nupe etc) means you are ORIGINAL

Lol. This guy sef. You won't kill me with laughter. I rest my case. You've made your point, though

instead of them to care more about speaking good english

na waooo

nobilis:
OP, Thanks for giving us your life And family history. You should have also mentioned when you naturalized as an American or a British citizen.

Back to the topic.
What's all the fuss about accent?
There is No hard And fast rule anywhere that a person must speak a language in a certain way because he is from a particular country . People can decide to pick up new accents or drop the old ones they acquired in the past. People can also to learn new accents And be using them interchangeably with the previous ones they acquired.
As for me, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. As long you are communicating with your audience, you're covered. After all, a person's nationality must not be known through his accent.

And (I stand to be corrected), I don't think there is anything like Nigerian accent because the way an Hausa man speaks English is so different from the way an Igbo or Yoruba man speaks it. Let alone other ethnic groups.

And for those mentioning culture And pride about culture, I wonder when English language became part of your culture. So what has a "Nigerian accent" got to do with culture? Do tell.

Couldn't have said it better. I appreciate the OP's concern tho but its a matter of choice. I don't see anything wrong with it..as long as the message is passed and understood.

bestads:


Blackberry pinging,facebook and twitter short spellings have finished your life, that is why you cannot read and comprehend a short article like this....How can you pass WAEC,SSCE,GCE and NECO..Do you think these exam bodies recognise pinging and short spellings

Hahaha
Negro, ama graduate o
So u STFU

Creamish:


Couldn't have said it better. I appreciate the OP's concern tho but its a matter of choice. I don't see anything wrong with it..as long as the message is passed and understood.

Faking a foreign accent means being a COPYCAT while speaking with your Natural Nigerian accent( wether, Igbo,Yoruba, Hausa, Efik, Ibibio, Ijaw, Nupe etc) means you are ORIGINAL

bestads:


Faking a foreign accent means being a COPYCAT while speaking with your Natural Nigerian accent( wether, Igbo,Yoruba, Hausa, Efik, Ibibio, Ijaw, Nupe etc) means you are ORIGINAL

Ur opinion.

Lol, english sef, no be we get am

Creamish:


Ur opinion.

Must we copy everything from UK,USA, etc

interesting

bestads:


Must we copy everything from UK,USA, etc

Which kind talk be dis na?
The language that you're talking about, didn't you copy it from the UK?
Is English your mothertongue?
So it's commendable to copy the language without copying the accent?
Why not develop your own language to the point that they can come and copy your language.
SMH

Why are nairalanders so hung up on accents?

Is this an inferiority complex?

Or some kind of fixation?

Imagine someone listing all their family members who "have lived abroad for 20 years and have no abroad accent". This is the height of joblessness, have you no life.

tdayof:
interesting

what is interesting

tpia6:
Why are nairalanders so hung up on accents?

Is this an inferiority complex?

Or some kind of fixation?

Imagine someone listing all their family members who "have lived abroad for 20 years and have no abroad accent". This is the height of joblessness, have you no life.

my reply to the bolded....If you were jobful and if you had a life you would not be posting on nairaland by 7am....

bestads:


what is interesting

article/post/writeup etcccccccc

I don't give a dime about it

Exjoker:
I don't give a dime about it

U don come again oohh, bros the correct word na damn not dime

---I dont give a damn

I GARRA write something down.

But first of all, WORRA you talking 'bout??

tpia6:
Why are nairalanders so hung up on accents?

Is this an inferiority complex?

Or some kind of fixation?

Imagine someone listing all their family members who "have lived abroad for 20 years and have no abroad accent". This is the height of joblessness, have you no life.

why won't he be hung on accents, what kind of advanced neo colonialism and adverse identity misplacement is the inability of a Nigeria Yoruba/Igbo presenter to pronounce an indigenous name, but she/he can pronounce tsoltoy and dsytovesky
Who is fooling who

Shedraq1 tell them oo


SFTG