Working with people in an organization usually requires a lot of tact. Today, a colleague of mine at the Head Office sent a nasty mail carefully couched in polite terms to make it seem non threatning. I sent a response back using carefully worded thoughts which was aimed at hitting below the belt. Sometimes, I just can’t stand the unnecessary superiority exhibition that goes on within the workplace. Honestly, it’s infuriating. This brings me to another careful observation that I have made within the workplace. Have you noticed how a lot of people have thrown caution to the wind and casually express themselves in improper use of the English Language?
Granted it is not our mother tongue but, it is useful in terms of business and social communications since we live in a country with 251 diverse tribes. How else can we express ourselves better? We are not like the South Africans who were able to develop a new language (i.e. Afrikaans) for their larger populace in order to ease communication amongst indigenous and caucasian South Africans. While our lowering educational standards can be one of the reasons, I am of the firm opinion that we require a continous individual development program for better use of the English Language. Oftentimes, I shudder when listening to the radio during one of these call back programmes. I cannot help cringing when someone expresses themselves improperly while trying to air their opinions. I would have loved to state some of the way and manners in which Nigerian express themselves poorly but time will not permit me today. I guess ‘Jenifa’ is a good example that I can think of right away. So, I ask…..what’s going on?
TonyA said
If you ask me, I’ll say our VALUE SYSTEM as a society is responsible. Gone are the days when education was given a high value by the society at large. Among the young ones now, it is difficult to find someone whose ambition is to be a scholar! It is common to hear youngster saying “na grammar we go chop”. Our society has made MONEY and FAME the ultimate GOAL for youngster to crave for.
As the adults struggle to make QUICK MONEY either through POLITICS, MUSIC or SPORT, the younger ones are learning fast. So, nobody is thinking of how to come out of the university with 1st Class honor. They are in a hurry to make money and get famous using the best shortcut available.
Nice to know that someone feels that this situation is not right for our society. Even though many will still ask you, “na grammar we go chop”
January said
Tony, I completely agree with what you have stated concerning our ‘Value System’. It’s saddening to note that today’s youngsters barely know how to express themselves properly without making grammartical errors. It’s a system that has to change or else our youths will not be able to compete on a global scale.
F said
i’m glad you share my opinion on our sorry state of english. whenever i complain people often said well we have our own way of speaking and that even the english themselves don’t all speak the language correctly. granted that’s true there are people in certain positions, particularly the media, who can’t afford to take the quality of their medium lightly. i particularly stopped listen to conventional english radio stations in nigeria because they equated ‘good english’ with ‘foreign accents’. i only listened to wazobia knowing they weren’t trying to be someone/something they’re not.
like Tony pointed out, our value system needs a serious appraisal.
January said
Ha F, the media also is responsible for this great rot. Did you ever have the opportunity to listen to 90.9 Top FM before going back to the U.K? Well if you didn’t, I really wouldn’t balme you. There’s this OAP – Tosin Bucknor..she’s quite good when it comes to innovate programmes that are relevant to today’s youths. However, where I draw the line with this particular young lady is her use of the English language. Expressions such as ” the line has cut” instead of ” we lost the connection”; “Gbogbo Bigs Kids, Gbogbo Bigs Boys & Girls” “yelsz” instead of “Yes” (if you’ve watched Jenifa, you’ll understand what i’m trying to pass across here). Every morning is a typical re-run of the “Jenifa”personality and i’m wondering when she’s going to put an end to it. It’s realy terrible and when she’s in that state, she goes on for minutes and hours that I just switch over to Star FM 101.5.
F said
that’s disgusting… thank God i was spared the misery of listening to such a person. what the heck is yelsz??? things like that drive me crazy almost to the point of smashing my radio. maybe she thinks she’s being cute… it’s sad to imagine there are people out there looking up to her. i’ve written nigerian newspapers in the past and lambasted their use of english. for instance their unrelenting use of the phrase ‘dividends of democracy’… i once read it almost ten times in one particular paper. imagine that!