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’Rite It Right
Analysis of Writing Errors In Nigerian Mass Media
The book you are about to read,’ Rite it Right is concerned with how the Nigerian media use, or more accurately, how they misuse, the English Language. The author looks at the print and broadcast media and finds numerous examples of writing errors. He has set out to analyze these errors, their types, origins and consequences. With a grammarian’s thoroughness and quest for correct usage, the severity of a practiced editor, the attention to details of a fastidious sub-editor and the lucidity of a communication scholar, the author documents and dissects ‘live’ examples of errors, from the word level to the sentence level from various named media. The result of his effort is highly illuminating, and quite entertaining.
English is the official language of Nigeria. It is the language in which the Nigerian Constitution is written and debated. It is the formal language of Nigerian public life. The executive, the legislature and the judiciary normally conduct their business in English, as do institutions of public administration, education and finance.
The reasons for this situation are embedded in the colonial history of Nigeria and in the policies and practices of the post-independence period.
English is the language of the Nigerian elite. In fact, mastery of the English language is a defining attribute of elite status, since it correlates with other social markers such as post-secondary or professional education, a good job and the comfortable income that comes with it. So, acquiring a mastery of English is one of the goals of those aspiring to elite status. How is such mastery acquired?
In the period up to the late nineteen fifties, the answer to this question may have been somewhat clear: spend a few years at a ‘good’ post-primary institution. Up to the late seventies, the answer had probably become: finishing from a ‘good’ secondary school. Most Nigerians of that epoch would probably agree about which schools belonged to that category, and could reel off their names. In the period since then, the answer may have shifted to become: attendance at a ‘private’ primary school followed by secondary education at the same type of institution. The bottom line to these answers is the quality of teaching and the exposure of learners to examples of correct usage.
While contact with the English language in Nigeria has expanded, in line with the expansion of primary, secondary and tertiary educational institutions, mastery of the language is no longer perceived as automatically a by-product of schooling. In fact, there is much public concern about the quality of written and spoken English in Nigeria. It is said that the command of English displayed by even graduates of Nigerian tertiary institutions leaves much to be desired. But perhaps that should not come as a surprise, since not much language learning seems to happen after the secondary level, except for those who go on to tertiary-level courses that emphasize self-expression skills. But even there, the quality of teaching may not produce the required level of competence in English.
English is a major language of the Nigerian media. The most influential newspapers and magazines are in English; and radio and television programs in that language command a lot of attention. That is why the most prestigious and the best-paying media jobs are for English-language journalism and broadcasting.
Of course, Nigeria is a multilingual nation, with over two hundred and fifty ethnic languages spoken all over the country. Quite a few of them are written, and are used in the media; but none has the widespread power and prestige of English.
The book you are about to read,’ Rite it Right is concerned with how the Nigerian media use, or more accurately, how they misuse, the English Language. The author looks at the print and broadcast media and finds numerous examples of writing errors. He has set out to analyze these errors, their types, origins and consequences. With a grammarian’s thoroughness and quest for correct usage, the severity of a practiced editor, the attention to detail of a fastidious sub-editor and the lucidity of a communication scholar, the author documents and dissects ‘live’ examples of errors, from the word level to the sentence level from various named media. The result of his effort is highly illuminating, and quite entertaining.
The book has retained the light-hearted and almost jovial style of the original newspaper and magazine columns that are collected and reprinted here. But this is not to say that the author treats the language errors lightly. On the contrary, he comes down rather heavily on them, exposes them for what they are and shows the way out of error, to more idiomatic and grammatical writing.
The writers of the cited examples and their fellow travelers, of whom there must be quite a substantial number in the Nigerian media, will probably just have a good laugh at themselves, as they see their foibles pinpointed so expertly. They may become somewhat embarrassed perhaps, but hopefully, not ashamed, to learn the technical terms for some of the errors that they have committed in their past writing lives. The author avoids name-calling, though he raps journalists or ‘media practitioners’ on the knuckles, for various errors of omission or commission, including the ‘blunder’ of not being able to spell their own names correctly! His prescriptions are sharp and clear as he proceeds to right each wrong by showing how to rite it right!!
‘Rite it Right demonstrates that some writers in the Nigerian media, and they may well be the majority, have a shaky grasp of the English language and conventional ways of writing it. The author is concerned about the effects of such errors on readers, especially discerning ones. He is worried that the errors can reduce the credibility of the media and even lead to their being ridiculed. My worry is that undiscerning readers may think that anything in print sets a standard to be emulated! What this book says about the level of writing in the Nigerian media should worry editors and publishers, as well as journalists and their unions. As for the media training institutions, this book makes one wonder if they are not part of the problem. In any case, it is clear they have a Herculean task ahead.
The typology of errors and the fact that they are repeated and that they occur in different media suggest that there is some system behind them. Why is it that the Nigerian media writers make these errors? Is it because they did not have an opportunity to learn correct usage? Is it because they are inexperienced? Is it because they are careless, or ignorant or lazy? Is it because they are trying to innovate, to create a Nigerian style, with Nigerian usage?
The author has not taken up these questions, which I find to be of considerable interest. Perhaps he has wisely decided against doing so, as they could have easily distracted him from the major focus on the errors themselves. This is probably not the book for tackling such questions. However, with his obvious interest in ensuring a drastic reduction in the types and quantum of errors in Nigerian media writing, the author may wish to look into the ‘deep structure’ of these errors. That could be his next book. If he approaches it with the same incisive expertise and enthusiasm that is evident in ‘Rite it Right, we will be presented with another engaging and informative exposé of some of the current imponderables of English usage, or perhaps abusage, in Nigerian media.
Alfred E Opubor, PhD
Professor of Mass Communication
August 2006
Soft Cover $20 (N2,500)
Hard Cover $25
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