{"id":2579,"date":"2015-03-06T15:04:11","date_gmt":"2015-03-06T14:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buzznigeria.com\/?p=2579"},"modified":"2021-12-01T13:48:14","modified_gmt":"2021-12-01T12:48:14","slug":"15-wrong-words-and-phrases-commonly-used-by-nigerians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buzznigeria.com\/15-wrong-words-and-phrases-commonly-used-by-nigerians\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Nonexistent Words and Phrases Commonly Used by Nigerians"},"content":{"rendered":"

New English, Modern English, International English, South African English, Australian English, Indian English are some of the designations used to describe the new varieties of English\u00a0burgeoning\u00a0all over the\u00a0world.<\/p>\n

These new \u201cEnglishes\u201d are the result of the global spread of English that began with British colonialism during the nineteenth century.<\/p>\n

However, two kinds of English language are recognized in the world today \u2013 The British English and the American English. Nigeria, being colonized by Britain is supposed to speak the British English by default. But today we have found \u2018our own way\u2019 of communicating among ourselves with almost total disregard for the rules of the language.<\/p>\n

Some even boast about it, calling it the \u201cNigerian English.\u201d \u00a0Below is a list of some wrong words and phrases commonly used by Nigerians which were\u00a0imported into the English language and are not (and will never be) recognized internationally. This distinction is important for mutual intelligibility in international communication in English.<\/p>\n

1. Complimentary Card:<\/strong>\u00a0This is what we call a \u201cbusiness card.\u201d\u00a0This phrase is very senseless because the word \u201ccomplimentary\u201d simply means \u201cfree,\u201d (example: \u201cthe artiste gave me a complimentary copy of his new CD\u201d). So a \u201ccomplimentary card\u201d will simply mean a \u201cfree card\u201d and therefore has nothing\u00a0that\u00a0denotes business or work. Rather than say “complimentary card,” make use of the term “business card” or “contact card.”<\/p>\n

2. Upliftment:<\/strong>\u00a0This is a word so common among the Nigerian populace.\u00a0 We use it to mean \u201cimprovement.\u201d We invented it as a forward-formation from \u201cuplift.\u201d But in Standard English, \u201cuplift\u201d is both a verb and a noun. For instance, we say, \u201cmy foundation will ensure the moral upliftment of the society,\u201d but it should actually be, \u201cmy foundation will ensure the moral uplift of the society.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Working Experience (as used in CVs):\u00a0<\/strong>This is another phrase from which I don\u2019t know where it was imported from. So many Nigerian graduates prepare their CVs with the phrase \u201cWorking experience\u201d when it should actually read, \u201cWork experience.\u201d Maybe ‘the experience’ in question is actually a human that is working, pooh!<\/em><\/p>\n

4. Disvirgin<\/b>:<\/strong> This word is used on a daily basis across all sectors of Nigerian society when they intend to say that a woman has lost her virginity or that they are using something for the first time. The correct word to use, however, is deflower, because \u201cdisvirgin\u201d is not even a word.<\/p>\n

Don’t Miss:<\/strong>\u00a010 Correct English Words Misused By Nigerians<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

5. Cross-carpeting:<\/strong> Ask a Nigerian politician or political analyst about a politician who has dumped his political party for another party, usually a rival party and the first word you are surely going to hear from his mouth is \u201ccross-carpeting\u201d. The right words to use when describing this scenario are \u201ccrossing the floor,\u201d \u201cparty switching,\u201d and \u201cdefection\u201d and not \u201ccross-carpeting.\u201d Sadly, our learned political analysts are guilty of using this wrong term repeatedly.<\/p>\n

see more non-existent words Nigerians have invented on the next page<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0Yesteryears:\u00a0<\/strong>This old-fashioned word, which is sometimes used for literary effects, has no plural in Standard English. It remains \u201cyesteryear\u201d whether it is used in a singular or plural context.<\/p>\n

\"startrekanimated.com\"<\/a><\/p>\n

7. Plumpy:<\/strong>\u00a0Nigerians really have a way with words. The word \u201cplumpy\u201d in used in Nigeria to describe someone who is plump or slightly fat. It was gotten from the combination of the words \u201cplump\u201d and \u201cchubby.\u201d The correct expression is \u201cplump.\u201d<\/p>\n

8. Installmentally:<\/strong> This word is a favorite of many Nigerians especially, between traders and customers but, sadly, it simply does not exist in any standard dictionary. It is used to denote a bit-by-bit payment for items and commodities. The correct rendition of the word is \u201cin installments\u201d or \u201cby installments.\u201d<\/p>\n

9. Cunny:<\/strong>\u00a0This is a word which Nigerians use to describe someone that is being deceitful or crafty but it is not a word in Standard English. The correct term to use is \u201ccunning\u201d and not \u201ccunny.\u201d<\/p>\n

10. Outrightly:\u00a0<\/strong>In Standard English, this word is an adjective and not an adverb, and as such, it does not take the \u201c-ly\u201d form in the sense of \u201cbeautifully,\u201d \u201cutterly,\u201d etc. And I think someone should tell Nigerians this.<\/p>\n

11. On\/Off the light:\u00a0<\/strong>Still, on the confusion of parts of speech, we sometimes use expressions like \u201coff the light,\u201d \u201con the light,\u201d etc as if \u201coff\u201d and \u201con\u201d were verbs. How dare you say that? (I can almost hear someone say that) But \u201cPut\/switch off\/on the light\u201d is the preferred alternatives in Standard English.<\/p>\n

\"concentrate42b.wordpress.com\"<\/a><\/p>\n

12. Wash a negative:<\/strong>\u00a0This phrase is common among photographers in Nigeria. \u201cDevelop a film\u201d is the preferred way to say this. Films, (photographs and videos) are \u201cdeveloped\u201d not \u201cwashed.\u201d<\/p>\n

13. Wake-keeping:<\/strong> \u201cWake-keeping\u201d exists only in the imagination of a few English speakers. As a matter of fact, there is no such thing as \u201cwake-keeping or \u201cwake-keep.\u201d The correct word is \u201cwake.\u201d Both \u201cwake-keeping\u201d and \u201cwake-keep\u201d are ungrammatical.<\/p>\n

14. Barbing Salon: <\/strong>In Standard English, the term \u201cbarb\u201d refers to the pointed part of a particular type of wire. It is also used metaphorically to refer to an aggressive remark directed at a person. The use of the phrase \u201cbarbing salon\u201d to refer to the place where people go to have a haircut doesn’t make any sense especially outside the shores of this country. \u201cHair salon\u201d is the preferred term for it. The word, \u201cbarb\u201d does not mean “to cut the hair”, therefore, there is no such thing as, “I went to barb my hair.” You should rather say, “I went to have my hair cut”.<\/p>\n

15. Wrong Words And Phrases Commonly Used By Nigerians Include:<\/h2>\n

Luxurious bus-\u00a0<\/strong>Luxury bus<\/p>\n

Of recent –\u00a0<\/strong>Recently or Of late<\/p>\n

Plate-number –<\/strong>\u00a0Number-plate<\/p>\n

Hot drink –<\/strong>\u00a0Hard drink or Strong drink<\/p>\n

Air-conditioner –\u00a0<\/strong>Air-condition<\/p>\n

Mannerless –<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Ill-mannered<\/p>\n

Rentage –\u00a0<\/strong>Rent<\/p>\n

Vandalisation –\u00a0<\/strong>Vandalism<\/p>\n

Letter-Headed Paper –\u00a0<\/strong>Letterhead<\/p>\n

Insultive –<\/strong>\u00a0Insulting<\/p>\n

Over-speeding –<\/strong>\u00a0Full speed or Speeding<\/p>\n

Instead of halting between opinions of what use is right or wrong, refer to a good dictionary for clarity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New English, Modern English, International English, South African English, Australian English, Indian English are some of the designations used to describe the new varieties of English\u00a0burgeoning\u00a0all over the\u00a0world. These new \u201cEnglishes\u201d are the result of the global spread of English that began with British colonialism during the nineteenth century. However, two kinds of English language […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":3125,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[325],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n15 Wrong Words and Phrases Commonly Used by Nigerians<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The English language has been modified a lot to birth several words that serve the purpose of giving convenience to the speaker or speakers of that form of language. But most times, this is wrong. Here are wrong words and phrases commonly used by Nigerians.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/buzznigeria.com\/15-wrong-words-and-phrases-commonly-used-by-nigerians\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Nwadinobi Ugochukwu\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/buzznigeria.com\/15-wrong-words-and-phrases-commonly-used-by-nigerians\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/buzznigeria.com\/15-wrong-words-and-phrases-commonly-used-by-nigerians\/\",\"name\":\"15 Wrong Words and Phrases Commonly Used by Nigerians\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/buzznigeria.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-03-06T14:04:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-12-01T12:48:14+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/buzznigeria.com\/#\/schema\/person\/34cc6a2361848f355633c7e7f8a49fda\"},\"description\":\"The English language has been modified a lot to birth several words that serve the purpose of giving convenience to the speaker or speakers of that form of language. 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