NaijaPositive.com

admin · Site Admin Joined: 25 May 2007 Posts: 5404

Hi all,

Quite an interesting topic!

Not too long ago, CNN carried a study that showed how disadvantaged those with African names are when vying for employment, other studies have shown Africans pay more when looking for mortgage or motor financing.

First I must tell you that African-acceptance has really come a long way.

In retrospect, what intrigues me most about my experience is that there seem to be two standards for name cceptance/interest. One, for those who are 'in the system' another for those 'outside the system'.

When you are in the system - whether it is at your place of work, club, community, school, high-achieving sport (Hakeem Olajuwon) your traditional name suddenly generates a lot of positive interest, admiration and right-pronunciation.

Attempt to make an application for almost anything to someone you don't know, and suddenly you're 'outside the system'. Truly, irrespective of your achievements or status you'll most likely be stung by the 'lazy tongue syndrome'.

For all the times I have appeared on Network News in Canada, the Newspaper, TV reporter would meet with me in advance and ask me how exactly my last name 'Okwuobi' is pronounced. They'd ask me to write it with the accents. This got me thinking. I'd tell them, if you want to pronounce it with an English intonation your say/write O'kwu-obi. With a French-try O´kwuo´bi. They got it first time!

The problem may seem to be that since in the old days Africans could only pronounce their names without writing it, when they learned to write the English never bothered to teach them how to add accents to their written names - and all the Kings horses (em...graduates) and all the Kings men (em...elites)could never put .....together again.

Living in French speaking Quebec has taught me that you can accent any word to assist the person pronouncing it such that there would not be fear of errors. It is the SI unit for accents & intonations - and it works!

Perhaps as things begin to evolve in this respect in Africa, and they (Africans) begin to apply this thinking then it could further bridge the perceived or real race divide.

Cheers,
Ike Okwuobi
<ok...@yahoo.com>

admin · Site Admin Joined: 25 May 2007 Posts: 5404

For those with poetic minds... I also got this response

As is was for Rumplestilskin
so it is for Ogunbamidele
For Czechoslovakia was baptized Chec
Rushmanikov given Rush
Oturugbeke became Michael
Quasimodo the Hunch back

Any words with heavy syllables are called "ethnic"
When laden with money they become "exotic"
When given power it is "Honorable"
when crossing national borders it's "suspect"

As beards are now synonymous (synonym) with Terrorists
(not to be misconstrued with the word terror)
Dashiki is any colorful African flowing top
Leftist is not about which hand you use
and Ignorance generally describes any one (from a country) that bombs before thinking.

From music we get P.Y.T
Movies give us M.I.B
Cars we ride are S.U.V
Government we got F.D.R
Idiagbon brought in W.A.I
World bank sneaks in S.A.P
Iraq (war) is giving us R.P.G

ABC now means the beginning
XYZ means every other thing
NIG, GRB, LAX, ENG, USA, RUS, ETC

Lazy tongue, lazy mind, just plain lazy.

All i can say is QED (Quad Erat Demonstradum)

Peace

(oh, thats for stay in peace, good by for now, XYZ, etc)

From: kan.....@juno.com

admin · Site Admin Joined: 25 May 2007 Posts: 5404

Wonderfully enlightening thread, cxsm. We have addressed some of this issues before, but you bring a new light to it with all these reactions.

So, where do the reactions come from? Do you have something published someplace that generates them? Want to share? I wouldn't mind a PM.

I laughed my ribs into a creak!

Sola
11/09/03

admin · Site Admin Joined: 25 May 2007 Posts: 5404

Hi Sola,
You wouldn't want to know the recipe for the cookies now, would you? They just might not taste as good. In all seriousness though, I'd posted the same peices on some Naija websites and those are where the feedback come from, with requested permision from the responders to post.

Sometimes when humans roll together they tend to think, feel and react alike, and sometimes a dose of outsiders (aliens) can spark up other flavours and liven things up, breaking up any predictability.

The responses had me rolling also, especially the one from Chu or was it Chuk, or CHOOKAdidi

I wonder whether anyone has been so traumatized by the butchering of their name, (or maybe they were taunted so much)that they've had to undergo counselling?

Just a thought.

Cxsm
11th Nov.'03
_________________
May we be strengthened with the ability, willingness and capabilities to be good ambassadors of Nigeria contributing to its uplifting, rather than its detriment. - Cxsm

admin · Site Admin Joined: 25 May 2007 Posts: 5404

Here's a good response that will always come in handy.

'I may have an accent', but not only do 'you also', but 'I also have the ability have to speak more than one language', do you?

Cxsm
22nd Dec. '03
_________________
May we be strengthened with the ability, willingness and capabilities to be good ambassadors of Nigeria contributing to its uplifting, rather than its detriment. - Cxsm

admin · Site Admin Joined: 25 May 2007 Posts: 5404

Dear Folks,

Thanks for your responses and advices so far. As hilarious and embarassing some of the experiences for you and others have been, it is obvious this is an existing problem that has never been brought to the forefront, but has a lasting impact for those on the receiving end of the lazy-tongue.

Bringing the issue to people's awareness, not only reveals that it can indeed be traumatic for some, especially those of younger ages, who may not be mature enough to defend themselves, but it is disrespecting to those whose names are butchered daily, especially those who may be in prominent positions whom their receiving guests do not care enough to learn how to pronounce their names before presenting them to the public at large.

Many thanks for the advices you've given as to how to handle this sometimes very akward disposition. Education is the key and I believe if more people continue to educate others as to how to properly pronounce their names instead of taking the easy way out by substituting names that are convenient for those who feel every name should be English, then maybe people would begin to be more tolerant and respecting of humans that are different from them.

I believe most people have the capability to learn, if you impress the importance of the subject matter on them, so if it takes 3 attempts to get your co-workers, lecturers, pressmen etc. to properly pronounce your name, the better you will be for it.

So my fellow netters, regardless of whether you're African, German or Asian, always take a minute to correct those lazy-tongues out there. Everyone can't be Steve, John or Mary. Your name is your identity, it's what makes you unique and sets you apart, it's your identity with which you can create your own history and be proud of it.

Like Chukwuweta said [It has also helped instill in me an increased sense of pride in my culture and indeed in myself as a unique individual.] What more can one ask for?

Thanks.
Cxsm
25th Dec. '03
_________________
May we be strengthened with the ability, willingness and capabilities to be good ambassadors of Nigeria contributing to its uplifting, rather than its detriment. - Cxsm

admin · Site Admin Joined: 25 May 2007 Posts: 5404

Re: Lazy-Tongue

Well, I can begin by telling you that "schwarzenegger" is not Jewish but German. You are confusing the Jewish European language "Yiddish" which is derived from German with German itself. I do not think Arnold Scharzenegger is Jewish; quite the contrary several people have accused him of being an anti-Jewish German.

There is alot to be said against Arnold Scharzenegger as a candidate for Governor of California which has nothing to do with Nigeria and I wish you would confine yourself to that.

Frances
11/1/03

admin · Site Admin Joined: 25 May 2007 Posts: 5404

Re: Lazy-Tongue

Frances,

I'm wondering how this discussion shifted to one on Arnold Schwarzenegger the Governor elect. The write-up has nothing to do with him, and the fact that a last name which he happens to bear was used as an example does not in anyway infer a discussion regarding him.

I know for a fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger is not Jewish (having watched some of his movies and as a participant in the recent elections to cite a few examples of my knowledge of who he is) and since the discussion was not about him, the fact about his being Jewish or not is irrelevant.

The discussion was about a tongue and in this particular case a lazy one. When reference was made to the 'name' Schwarzenegger it was to express a point that sometimes people not from a region from where they conclude names are more complex than your regular John or Peter, sometimes selectively decide which names they are 'willing' and 'able' to pronounce.

The statement by citing examples of 2 names 'Schwarzenegger', and 'Kwrazcholvoliski does not in any way suggest that they are polish names. The statement mentioned them as one of the many names which could be Polish, Jewish or from any of the countries in the Eastern Europe region, which there was no need to mention. It would therefore be quite erroneous for you to infer that my suggestion was that everyone from Eastern Europe or its environs is Jewish, hence your attempt to educate me that Arnold Schwarzenegger to whom NO reference was made is not Jewish.

Please reread as it states [For instance it (the tongue) [can] be American with no Jewish, Polish or other Eastern European ties, yet find NO difficulty in pronouncing 'Schwarzenegger', 'Kwrazcholvoliski, etc., ...][/green]

People feel free to give their children names they like regardless of whether such names have any affiliation with their country of origin, so it would be presumptuous to assume that every person named Schwarzenegger is German or of German origin. [color=red]Had I cited the name 'Obasanjo' as an example would that suggest that the discussion was about the similarly named President of Nigeria? I would hope not.

The piece was not meant to incite a political discussion of which I have no present interest, but was simply about human nature and it this particular instance, one of the choices humans make about using a particular body part, the tongue.

Nigerians like many other foreigners, both black and white have at times been victims of the lazy-tongue as described (even amongst our own citizens), so there is NO need for confinement. If you did not understand the issue of discussion, you could simply have stated so, and I could have elaborated to a level which you or any other readers also amiss may understand; but to make assumptions and conclusions and then issue undue advice based on misunderstanding of the issue of discussion is presumptuous.

The expectation was that those who have experienced the lazy-tongue could share their experiences and thus advise those who may either presently be in similar situations, or those who stand to be exposed to it in the future; so they may be well informed and equipped should they be in similar dispositions.

Cxsm
4th nov. '03
_________________
May we be strengthened with the ability, willingness and capabilities to be good ambassadors of Nigeria contributing to its uplifting, rather than its detriment. - Cxsm

admin · Site Admin Joined: 25 May 2007 Posts: 5404

Re: [naija-women] Re: Lazy-Tongue

The lazy-tongue phenomenon is not endemic to any one group; even some Nigerians have lazy tongues concerning some of their own Nigerian names.

Ogunsu
11/4/03

admin · Site Admin Joined: 25 May 2007 Posts: 5404