'NIGERIAN ENGLISH VERSUS STANDARD ENGLISH' BY ADELEYE.

English is one of the most indispensable languages in the global market.  It is a  language that has speakers in almost every part  of the world. And, as fact as  the language has made itself available in majority part of world's society  to serve as either native language, second language or foreign language, it has ultimately created  rooms for varieties among its speakers according to their different geographical locations. Apparently,  variation of language mostly occurs when  a group of speakers of a particular language leave and occupy a new domain with a view to  establishing new or mixing up with existing speech community. In Nigeria, for example, the English that has not become part and parcel of our daily communication was as a result of British colonial movement into our  territory. The English then was the  language used  to  formulate and implement   policies before we eventually gained independent. By extension, even after the colonial rule,  English has been adopted as  the official language and also a medium of instruction in all elementary schools, technical colleges and ter​tia​ry institutions  across the country.

Admittedly, like any other language,  English has   different  dialects . And, each of the dialect varies according to the conventional rules of the grammar adopted  by the group of its speakers. In other words, since English is the most nativised language , all the  new Englishes   are also linguistically acceptable in their own forms and structures .  However, in order to maintain logical sanity in English,  there are rules and conventions that characterise global acceptance of one's spoken and written English. This standard variety , besides the different varieties, is what that is acknowledged globally .   So, if any speaker of English  wants to engage with global audience, standard British English or standard American English is most welcome to achieve global intelligibility. 

In this connection, this treatise  will  rigorously highlight some expressions that are  only peculiar to Nigerian users and also proffer their standard alternatives.  I must clarify that the expression "what is good for goose is good for gander" is exclusively Nigerian English. In global view,  such idiomatic expression is appropriately rendered as " what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander". In the same vein, when something hindrances the advancement of a society or an organisation ,such thing is "an obstacle in the wheel of progress" , contrary to what most educated Nigerians would utter;  " a cog in the wheel of progress". Along the same lines, you should also desist from saying " James is jumping from frying pan to fire" when interacting with native speakers of English. By correction, what you ought to  say  is " James is jumping out from fry pan into fire". My hope , henceforth, is that when you want to praise or show admiration to  your mate who has just done  commendable  task,   you  say ;  "  more power to his/ her elbow"  not,  " more grease to his/ her elbow". 

Moving forward,  I must also inform my ardernt Nigerian reader that someone who is below your age is your "younger brother/sister"; not your " junior brother/ sister" . It is still important for me to let you know that to be a " lanky  person" means  to be ungracefully thin. Therefore, it is advisable you stop describing a huge and chubby person with adjective such as "lanky" . Going on, anyone who does not want to jeopardise his/her competence  before global audience must take the notice that to say "I have searched every nook and corner for the  wristwatch" is faulty. Instead, one should say : " I have searched every nook and cranny for the wristwatch". It is onus on me to reemphasize here that electrical force is measured by volts. Therefore, anytime you have " low  or  high voltage, never say you have" low or high current"

It is somewhat worrying to see how English has been bastardised by majority learners of English in this country. To be precise , what most of us usually deploy to heat water or to produce hot water is "boiler"  or " water heater" not " boiling ring" as some of us would erroneously say. I know that taking " hot drinks " can damage one's body system later than soon. However, lexiconically, alcoholic drinks are "hard drinks" not " hot drinks".  As students, we should be respectful to one another because one may look younger and still not be your  " equal".  Being your mate or being your equal? . The former is our Nigerian variety of English, while the latter has global recognition. 

Let me also steer it clear that it is inappropriate to call a serving youth corps member a " corper" . Lexically, a member of serving youth is "a corps member".

To this very end, I will simply round off by delivering that while it is correct to say "beggars have no choice " here in Nigeria, it is not standard as " beggars cannot be choosers" in global view. 

ADELEYE DAMILARE.