People communicate with one another all over the world in their day-to -day activities. In the place of work or offices, markets, churches, schools, mosques, inside public transportations and many more.
In all those places mentioned, language is what is employed for effective interaction wherever one finds himself.
Nigeria’s official language is English language and a host of other languages known as local dialects accompanied the English language. Apart from these local dialects, Africans, especially Nigerians make use of slangs for interaction.
Slangs are common among the literates and half literates including the peasants, market men and women. Slangs are used nowadays among the undergraduates in our tertiary institutions as well.
What then is a slang? According to the New Lexicon Webster’s Dictionary of the English Language(Deluxe Encyclopedic Edition), ”Slang is a conventional language that is peculiar to a group , profession or social class”. Slang is currently a widely used and understood language , consisting of new meanings ”attributed to existing words or wholly new words , generally accepted lying outside Standard polite usage.
It should be noted here, that slangs though conventionally used in Nigeria, are unacceptable words or phrases ,(not for academic purposes) but as a means of communication for the fun of it or to help those who cannot speak good English but need to communicate in his or her environment.
It is therefore an opportunity for somebody who has not seen the four walls of an elementary school where the use of English language begins, to learn and know how to acquire the use of slangs for communication, for economic purposes or interaction in his or her environment.
Find below some common slangs in Nigeria society:
1. Acada- This means reading, tutorials, academic work
2.Afamaco- Jobs done without any charges or reward
3.African Time -A departure from the normal scheduled time(coming too late to functions)
4.Baby(babe)- A young girl(used by young men for girlfriends)
5.Backyard- Buttock , especially of women -(She has a good backyard)
6.Big gun- Big man, also big man- with top influence in the society.
7 Bone to bone- At a party where only males are present.
8. Broke- Not to have money in pocket
9 Broken English -another name for pidgin (English) spoken in some West African Countries.
10.Bukka-Where cheap foods are sold, also ‘mama-put’.
11.Chick – Pretty girl.
12 Cockroach-Students who read far into the night; same as ‘bookworm’.
13-Congo-Meat- Boiled or fried snail
14. Cross-no-gutter- Extremely tight skirt of a female dress
15.Die the matter- bring an argument or matter to a close
16 Face-me – I -face- You-Two rows of rooms face one another.
17.F.O. C. Free of Charge, without payment, as food served in a social gathering.
18 Footreon- trekking instead of going by a car (Citroën) ;also ‘footwagen’
19. Go Slow- walking or driving slowly owing to a traffic jam.
20.Jambite-A male student newly admitted to University through JAMB; Jambito, jambess, jambress for female