A number of #NigerianEnglish words made it into the Oxford English Dictionary for the first time today.
The majority of these new additions are either borrowings from Nigerian languages, or unique Nigerian coinages that have only begun to be used in English in the second half of the twentieth century, mostly in the 1970s and 1980s.
Now, #NigerianEnglish is trending as Nigerians have gone to twitter to express their feelings over the development.
You will surely laugh when you go through some of these reacts from Nigerians:
Mama Put, put to bed in a tokunbo Benz beside a danfo near a cafeteria; ?? no be gbagaun oooo, neither is it just a Nigerian English but Correct pa…?? We global ?? pic.twitter.com/QchqhsWfb3
— PatrioticNigerian (@Patriotic9ja) January 21, 2020
Please don’t try to correct me when I pronounce the newly added Nigerian English, motor we not hit us ooo, it is my language.. pic.twitter.com/M5vfNywUn8
— Kiss_me_wahab? (@TripleA120) January 21, 2020
So, trafficate, senior brother, etc will continue to be valid and authentic expressions of Nigerian English, whether or not they make it into the OED.
As always, what needs updating is our own educational syllabus in Nigeria and our English language teaching curriculum.
— Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún (@kolatubosun) January 21, 2020
“Mad ooh” should be in the Nigerian English too because these my pictures are Mad ooh. ?? pic.twitter.com/iApBxJPpuW
— UNCLE_C. H. R. I. S ?? (@Williams_Chriz) January 21, 2020
Nigerian English wey enter dictionary.
We Global Mhen!…#Everythingispossible pic.twitter.com/HSIj81GDBO
— O’ baby (@Obabykpankan) January 21, 2020
Dear “vernacular prefects”, collecting N10 back then in school… Danfo, okada, and mama put has been added to your dictionary, as Nigerian English . Can I have my money back now, with interest please?
— I’m ≠ Am, You’re ≠ Your (@billy_ope) January 21, 2020
Oxford added “mama put” “chop” “okada” & “gist” to their dictionary.
But them go still fail us if we use for IELTS?
Nigerian English indeed.
— UG (@UgwunnaEjikem) January 21, 2020
Now that Nigerian English is getting attention and recognition from Oxford Dictionary maybe you should just embrace your Nigerian accent and stop all this Your Egba-British accent.
— SMACK OF ALL SEASONZ (@Smackpitarz) January 21, 2020
Nigerian English should have been a language on its own.
— ?Venda man ? (@MukomaJuniya) January 20, 2020
Job advertisement: we need individuals who can speak more than 3 different languages
My CV : languages:
British English
American English
Australian English
Ghanaian English
Nigerian English— ŠHËRŁØÇK ŠTRÆÑGĒ著稱 (@wagyimi_dodo) January 16, 2020
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