Nigerian English

The official language of Nigeria is English, with most folks also knowing at least one tribal or other language. However, Nigerian English isn't always the same as American or even British English, which makes communication harder than it may first seem.

For example, I heard an entire sermon about seeking messy. King David and Apostle Paul sought messy and we should pray for messy and I was just lost trying to figure out why being messy was a good thing. Finally it occured to me that he meant MERCY, which put a whole new light on the subject.

Other pronuciation differences:
shell EN jez (challenges)
in NAW sheh (in a nutshell)
you ROPE ian (European)
pah REE luss (perilous)

I also noticed some grammatical differences. During praise and worship time (when the white guests of honor were seated at the front of the room and I kept sneaking peeks back to see what kind of movements and shouting I was supposed to be doing), we sang "I puts my faith in him." Another time, a speaker reported about a sizeable Templeton Foundation grant that he received and noted that "We clap hand and jubilated." Once, an impassioned speaker rhetorically asked the audience, "No be so?" and they shouted "Be so!"

I also found new meanings for words: snap (a picture), dash (a free gift), mineral (pop or soda). And some British words: queue (form a line), loo (high-class word for toilet or bathroom), boot (trunk of a car).

To get someone's attention across the room (remember, no one shouts here): SSSSSTTT!

I love that English is such a flexible and forgiving language. :)