Nigerian English

E301953

Nigerian English is the variety of the English language spoken in Nigeria, characterized by distinctive vocabulary, pronunciation, and influences from local Nigerian languages.

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All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Nigerian English canonical 19

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf dialect of English
variety of English
basedOn British English
countryOfUse Nigeria
developedFrom English introduced during British colonial rule in Nigeria
hasFeature code-switching with local languages
distinctive discourse markers
distinctive intonation patterns
distinctive pronunciation
distinctive use of prepositions
distinctive use of progressive aspect
distinctive vocabulary
loanwords from Nigerian languages
non-rhoticity in many speakers
semantic shift of English words
simplified vowel contrasts compared to British English
use of reduplication for emphasis
influencedBy Hausa
surface form: Hausa language

Igbo language
Nigerian Pidgin
Yoruba language
other Nigerian languages
languageBranch Germanic languages
languageFamily Indo-European language family
surface form: Indo-European languages
languageSubbranch West Germanic languages
region West Africa
status official language variety of Nigeria
timePeriod 20th century to present
typicalExpression How far? (informal greeting)
I am coming (often meaning I will be back soon)
I am on seat (meaning I am present at work)
I will flash you (meaning I will call and hang up)
You are welcome (used to mean welcome, not response to thanks)
off the light (meaning turn off the light)
typicalWord abeg (meaning please)
chop (meaning eat or spend freely)
dash (meaning give freely or tip)
gist (meaning chat or gossip)
go-slow (meaning traffic jam)
na (emphatic particle)
oga (meaning boss or superior)
toasting (meaning romantic wooing)
trek (meaning walk a long distance)
wahala (meaning trouble or problem)
usedIn business in Nigeria
education in Nigeria
government in Nigeria
media in Nigeria
writingSystem Latin alphabet

Referenced by (19)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Jagaban languageContext Nigerian English
Nigerian Arabic usedAlongside Nigerian English
Modern English hasVariety Nigerian English
Central Nigeria linguaFranca Nigerian English
Goemai usedAlongside Nigerian English
Abraka languageSpoken Nigerian English
Oleh hasLanguage Nigerian English
Uvwie hasLanguage Nigerian English
Lafiaji neighborhood languageUsed Nigerian English
Shitta languageUsed Nigerian English
Lawanson languageSpoken Nigerian English
Orile languageSpoken Nigerian English
Rumuokurusi languageUsed Nigerian English
Gyel dialect isSpokenAlongside Nigerian English
Lagos Mainland language Nigerian English
Igboland commonLinguaFranca Nigerian English
Emohua primaryLanguageSpoken Nigerian English