A Dictionary of Nigerian English Usage illustrates the variety of English used in Nigeria thereby allowing Nigerians and foreigners alike to recognise and learn Nigerian English and gain more in-dept understanding of the state of the variety. The entries have been selected on the basis of frequency of usage in written texts and speech and for their cultural and historical importance. The dictionary contains a detailed introduction which explains the features of Nigerian English, the history of English in Nigeria and research techniques and methodology.
This dictionary illustrates the variety of English in Nigeria so allowing Nigerians and foreigners alike to recognise and learn the varieties of English peculiar to Nigerian usage and gain a more in- depth understanding of the state of Nigerian English (NE). The some 1600 entries have been selected on the basis of frequency of usage in written texts and speech and for their cultural and historical importance. Many words are borrowed from the many Nigerian languages; others are English words of phrases which have acquired new meanings in Nigeria. Some words and phrases which are not NE but pertain to Nigerian discourse have also been included - e.g. ECOMOG, austerity measure, alhaji; along with colloquialisms, slang and vulgarisms. The author prefaces the dictionary with a discursive introduction providing an overview of the features of standard NE; the history of English in Nigeria and trade and missionary relations; NE under the colonial administration; the linguistic situation in Nigeria; and notes on research techniques and methodology.
Although the past few decades have witnessed growing interest in varieties of English around the world, no study of the Nigerian variety intended for the international market has yet been published. Making use of well-known paradigms, the book will relate Nigerian English, as a ‘Second Language’ variety, to other World Englishes. Its chief overall concern, however, is to provide a detailed descriptive account of the variety, seeking to show what is distinctive about it and also, in this perspective, distinguishing between more educated and less educated usage. After giving a sociolinguistic profile of Nigeria, where English today enjoys a more prominent role than ever before, it will examine in turn the phonology, morpho-syntax, and lexico-semantics of Nigerian English, with samples of written texts from the eighteenth century to the present. It will also give a comprehensive summary of academic research carried out in the field over the past fifty years. In this way the book will provide an introduction to the subject for the benefit of scholars and students in universities in many countries, and will serve as a useful companion to other books in De Gruyter Mouton's Dialects of English series.
This up-to-date volume, the first Hausa-English dictionary published in a quarter of a century, is written with language learners and practical users in mind. With over 10,000 entries, it primarily covers Standard Nigerian Hausa but also includes numerous forms from Niger and other dialect areas of Nigeria. The dictionary includes new Hausa terminology for products, events, and activities of the modern world. Its definitions show the use of Hausa words in context, and particular attention is paid to idioms, figurative meanings, and special usages. As a guide to pronunciation, headwords and illustrative sentences are fully marked for tone and vowel length. The book adopts a unique approach to the presentation of verb forms that clarifies lexical relationships and their correct usage.
This book initiates the process of codification of a postcolonial variety of English, namely Cameroon English. It focuses on the present-day lexicon of this non-native variety of English. English has been in use in this territory for a long period of time and over the years, it has developed some characteristic lexical features which have not as yet been described fully. Previous researchers have been regarding linguistic innovations as cases of lexical errors or Cameroonisms; as a result, teachers and language purists have been discouraging their usage. Today, it is obvious that these innovations have come to stay; they are specific to Cameroon and therefore constitute Cameroon's contribution to the development of world language English. The book is divided into two parts. Part One gives background information on Cameroon (physical and human geography, economy and geopolitics), the language situation in Cameroon (ancestral and vehicular languages, major lingua francas and official languages) and the linguistic features of English in Cameroon (phonology, grammar and lexicology). Part Two describes the research design (textual material, method of data collection and informants) and provides a lexicographic description (spelling, word formative process, definition) of characteristic Cameroon English lexemes.
"Hausa students and Hausaphiles now have an English-Hausa dictionary that is readily available, attractively produced and quite attractively priced, and more comprehensive than any English-based dictionary for an African language...A magnificent accomplishment that promises to serve a wide variety of purposes. It establishes both precedent and an excellent model that one hopes will be followed for other less commonly taught languages." -William R. Leben, Modern Language Journal This is a modern comprehensive dictionary designed specifically for English-speaking users who wish to acquire communicative fluency in Hausa, West Africa's most important and most widely spoken language.The dictionary contains a broad selection of words that the average person is likely to need in speaking and writing Hausa for everyday use. Included are common technical terms drawn from a range of fields, as well as generally accepted borrowings from English and French. The entries are divided into meaning groups and grammatical categories, marked clearly by semantic and usage indicators to help the user distinguish between the various meanings. Numerous phrases, sentences, and common idiomatic expressions illustrate conversational usage and provide culturally informative contexts. The easy to read typography marks lexical and grammatical distinctions of tone and vowel length for every Hausa word in the dictionary. The introduction provides concise information on various points of Hausa grammar. Useful appendixes include pronoun paradigms, pronunciation guides to Hausa place names and personal names, an index of Nigerian and international organizations, and a description of the currencies of Nigeria and Niger. An English-Hausa Dictionary will be an invaluable guide for students, research scholars, translators, and people with educational business, or governmental ties in West Africa who are interested in learning the language and culture of one of that area's most dynamic societies. It will be equally useful to non-Hausa speaking Africans who want to learn Hausa. In general, the innovative design features of this book will set a new standard for pedagogically oriented reference works of African languages. "A valuable resource for scholars and students of linguistic and African languages and literature...It is highly recommended for use in academic and research libraries. Newman and her editorial staff deserve to be congratulated." -Felix Eme Unaeze, American Reference Books Annual
A Dictionary of Varieties of English presents a comprehensive listing of the distinctive dialects and forms of English spoken throughout the contemporary world. Provides an invaluable introduction and guide to current research trends in the field Includes definitions both for the varieties of English and regions they feature, and for terms and concepts derived from a linguistic analysis of these varieties Explores important research issues including the transportation of dialects of English, the rise of ‘New Englishes’, sociolinguistic investigations of various English-speaking locales, and the study of language contact and change. Reflects our increased awareness of global forms of English, and the advances made in the study of varieties of the language in recent decades Creates an invaluable, informative resource for students and scholars alike, spanning the rich and diverse linguistic varieties of the most widely accepted language of international communication
The most original and authoritative voice of today's English lexicography presents a fully revised new edition of his beloved usage dictionary When Bryan Garner published the first edition of A Dictionary of Modern American Usage in 1999, the book quickly became one of the most influential style guides ever written for the English language. After four previous editions and over twenty years, our language has evolved in many ways, and the powerful tool of big data has revolutionized lexicography. This extensively revised new edition fully captures these changes, featuring a thousand new entries and over two hundred replacement entries, thoroughly updated usage data and ratios on word frequency based on the Google Ngram Viewer, a more balanced coverage of World Englishes, not just American and British, and the inclusion of gender-neutral language. However, one thing has not changed: in no sense is this a regular dictionary but a masterpiece of lexicography written with wit and personality by one of the preeminent authorities on the English language. To put it in David Foster Wallace's words, Garner's discussion of rhetoric and style still borders on genius. From the (lost) battle between self-deprecating and self-depreciating to the misuse of it's for its, from the variant spelling patty-cake taking over pat-a-cake in American English to the singular uses of they, Garner explains the nuances of grammar and vocabulary and the linguistic blunders to which modern writers and speakers are prone, whether in word choice, syntax, phrasing, punctuation, or pronunciation. His empirical approach liberates English from two extremes: from the purists who maintain that split infinitives and sentence-ending prepositions are malfeasances and from the linguistic relativists who believe that whatever people say or write must necessarily be accepted. The purpose of Garner's dictionary is to help writers, editors, and speakers use the language effectively. And it does so in a playful and persuasive way that will help you sound grammatical but relaxed, refined but natural, correct but unpedantic.
