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| Photo Credit : @mylesigwe |
These past couple of weeks have seen me out and about more often that before. I’m beginning to grasp the importance of networking especially in the blogging and fashion world so in the spirit of that and moving the ministry forward, I try to put myself out there.
Although I tend to get exhausted with the whole charade after a short while, its been a bit rewarding I must say.
One of the things that particularly exhausts me is the altered accent that is casually thrown around.
I was telling my friend the other day of how I become increasingly aware of my Nigerian accent when I go to these events because everywhere I turn, there’s someone speaking in an accent that I can’t even decipher.
Sorry, what??
My days!
Its like everyone has an acquired slurr to their speech these days but then you know what? I don’t blame them half. Nigerians tend to take you more seriously when your words sounds like they are coming from your nose which I think is ridiculous and just shows the level of our self confidence.
Its also this thing with blending in and being accepted. When you stop feeling the need to be accepted and get comfortable in your skin, thats really when you “have arrived” tbh
Shout out to the real ones out there like Yagazie Emezi! Met her recently and I was AMAZED by how down to earth she was. The accent too was unflawed igbo nigerian accent. Haha. I was too proud
PREACH!! I can't start calling names on here before they beat me, but it is incredibly ridiculous how much Nigerians struggle to speak 'phone' nowadays. Eez not by force Ahh! I totally agree with you, we should always be comfortable in our skin, in who we are. Not everyday 'innit innit' sometimes 'bawo ni' 'kedu' Nigerian OAPs ehn… the worstttt.
This epidemic can be attributed to the large number of IJGB OAPs and media personalities that we have decided to focus on. For some, it is a case of keeping up with the Joneses. For others, it is an aspirational something. If you must copy fone, copy Adichie or Wole Soyinka's own. Most of them can't even string correct sentences together. Just there disgracing their university degrees while sounding like they have hot cocoyam in their mouths.
You know,sometimes without meaning to, I feel like I automatically sound like them whenever we are conversing. I do try to stick to my regular accent, but I feel myself unconsciously slipping into that foreign tone. And it's bad because I suck at faking accents, so if it's not in my head and I actually sound that foreign way sometimes, i should work harder on sticking to my accent…
True talk. Everyone is so busy, polishing other accents, they forget their own.
I only use the Indian accent when I'm messing around with people, cos it's just so hilarious.
Divadiari.blogspot.com
Loool this is sooo true
I like when people have good diction tho' I hate when they're talking like they're singing a song lool
I think you've got to know when to put on an accent and when to drop it. living in the UK, Nigeria, Australia and the States means that my accent is very polarized. However I choose to speak a certain way especially at work, during presentations or at meetings. However when I am with my Nigerian crowd, I drop all of that.
Es x x
Recently Nigerian accent was listed as the 5th sexiest,if people knw this they won't feel the need to belong, am soo sticking to my Nigerian accent,I cnt stress
Sigh. Especially wit OAPs
Accent or not, if you can speak, you can speak. If you can't, the accent won't cover your flaws, it will show how wanna be you are. When people spend a week in UK, they come back with an accent. My own is speak what you know biko.
No truer words; that 'polished Nigerian accent' is really beautiful & usually tells me the person is confident & well educated.
But I think some people also acquire foreign accents from living in foreign places for a long time. Of course, after a certain age your accent shouldn't really change anymore (according to my psychologist friend) BUT there'll be influences here and there if you live somewhere for years. This doesn't count for the ones going for masters or a few months, lol.
xxx
Preeeeeach!
I love a nice sexy British accent and the only reason I'm still watching Sons of Anarchy is to hear that sexy Irish accent of Chibs'! But then again those accents belong to them. I'm Nigerian and I live here and I love our Nigerian accent. You can enunciate your words correctly and still sound distinctly Nigerian. There are some words I usually don't bother to speak correctly as I was taught because I love the Nigerianness. I like to hear the SHUN (where it should be shn) for instance, with the -sion and -tion ending words, but for public speaking I'd honour my teachers and say it the right way. You can speak well without faking an accent.
Our media people, OAPs and on TV. I love them but it seems like everybody has an accent. Well, most! And my own concern is the calibre of accents people take on. Before, it was limited to general British & American accents.
The girl who does the Shop Naija show on Ebony Life's own annoys me. I don't know where that vintage accent is from, but I know that I'd never hear it in a Hollywood flick except she's supposed to be a bartender or manicurist or something. Tops tops as a Real Housewife of Some County. So it's amazing to me why she can't speak properly just for 30 minutes.
If you go to a place in old age, it is a conscious effort to pick up the accent. No problem. If somebody speaks that way to you, feel free to give it back to them. But it's not that hard to speak like a Nigerian on default, and speak properly.
I'm Igbo and I do not have an "Igbo accent" but I cannot fault someone who does. When we accept our own English, "accent jokes" will stop being funny.
Now that my rant is over, shout out to the people who do speak properly, without any unnecessary affectations. Like N6 and Ebuka.
Omg thank you! I thought it was just me. One time in secondary school we actually had classes for the American accent. I never understood it! They just said English is the "white man's" language so we should speak it like the white man; and that Nigeria accents are meant for Nigerian languages. Lol. I'm like what???
And I totally LOVE Yagazie…her Nigerian accent has an added cuteness sha. Lol
Girl!!! Me I'm tired. 14 years in America and people who went there on vacay sound more American than I do. I can't shout.
http://berrydakara.blogspot.com
Well said dear…. And Chioma said what I had in mind
If your grammar is poor, the accent will only expose you sef
Our media personalities are so so guilty of this ehn
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Watched a video about this recently… I totally agree. Nigerian accent is really amazing, just learn how to pronounce properly and be audible and you're good to go, no need to bite your tongue trying to fake it.
I've actually always wanted to learn the british accent. I'd never fake it though!
I'd rather work on polishing my Nigerian accent
Love this post!
Lmao at this article.
My dear friend went to Ukraine and acquired an AMERICAN accent immediately. But I shall be quiet.
Amen to the polished Nigerian accent. That's a person to be admired. Of course there are those who were away at a very young age and can't help their accents.
For the fakes, please note that after a certain (young) age your accent is pretty much set in stone.
I say we should pour cold water on them while they're asleep and press record.
Lol, cold water will induce an exclamation in their God-given accents.
This had me in stitches 🙂
But for real though, speaking properly in one's natural accent always pleases me, it takes considerably less effort too. One can only imagine the amount of mind training required to maintain an acquired accent!
Uhm… i'm a huge advocate of "mind ur own business ". Why do we always see the need to tell people how to be? Is copying whites wrong or is it just the speech? Coz last I checked, blogging is not a nigerian concept.
I don't mean to sound weird but I have a slight accent and it's solely because I watched allot of cartoons n foreign movies as a kid. I get weird looks when peeps hear me for the first time and i'm like, must we all be igbotic or have th "h factor" in our speech to be Nigerian?
The only thing I will consider weird is speaking our native dialect with an accent…
Check this, copy their technology, copy their dressing, copy their educational and political system heck, copy their complexion(bleach!) buh leave their accent… ehm… hypocritical if you ask me… 4get these lines, live and let live…
hahaaa…i work and dine with them; to imagine they consider it an achievement.
Foreign accents on people who haven't lived abroad long enough to acquire one are always silly. Forever and ever. This is mostly why I don't listen to the radio. Too many annoying accents everywhere
It irks me when people try and put on accents – they usually sound foolish becomes they swing in and out of accents and you spend half your time trying decipher what they are saying? My only advice to those people who constantly swing in-between accents is – whatever country you spent the majority of your former years in please stick with that accent coz its the real you!
OMG!! Spoke about this a while back.
When I came to Nigeria, everyone I spoke to had a funny accent when they spoke to me. Mostly flawwed american and brit accents that sometimes got lost in their diction. Sigh. I tire. Very few had naija accents. I love the authentic Nigerian accent. People need to be real.
On the flip side though, I find that accents get you faster and sometime better service. As an expat in Naija, from friend's experiences, I can attest to better service because of difference. Pity- but it is what we have become.
This adaeze odurukwe is an O.P yarner.lmao! No atom of sense in ur comment tho.such a dead babe!
Lol. Harsh but true