Before I turned 14, I spoke English with a thick Anambra accent.
Yes and I never even left Nigeria. Those who have listened to my podcasts would ask
How did you overcome it?
I was shamed. I was mocked. I always sounded hilarious. Although I am not from Onitsha, my Igbo sounded a bit like Onitsha Igbo (I like their igbo well)
I had three major issues. I couldn't pronounce 'r', 'ch' and 'dz' for (jug). I would always substitute them with 'l', 'sh' and 'z' as in genre.
The first public disgrace happened to me in church when I had to pray for the leaders (ndi na achi achi) and because I couldn't pronounce 'ch', I substituted it with 'sh' and ended up with (ndi na ashi ashi) which means 'liars' in Enugu igbo dialect. The whole church chuckled through the prayer.
I was 9 . I was embarrassed.
The moment I was in Jss1 and we had to read intensive English, I still hadn't overcome my speech defect. I became the butt of joke for the class.
I couldn't even call my sister's name correctly because it starts with 'ch'.
Then, I met Umunna Emeka, the boy who knew every word in Michael West dictionary. I was stunned. I loved everything about him and I wanted know all he knows.
I picked my father's Oxford dictionary and began browsing through it daily. I wasn't sure what I was looking for😃.
In Jss 2, a male English teacher introduced us to Oral English, the consonant aspect of it. This was where my salvation began.
I immediately realised that for me to pronounce 'ch', I'd have to position my mouth as if I wanted to pronounce 't' sound, then I'd pronounce (t-sh).
It worked for me. I kept practicing it till I overcame it.
I overcame the 'l' factor when I was 14. It was during the long vacation after JSSCE. I kicked off with 'Parent Trap' starring Lindsay Lohan. She was 11 in that film. She played two roles of twin sisters who lived with their divorced parents. One in Napa, California with American accent and the other in London with British accent.
It was through the film that I understood the basic differences between British and American English.
My siblings hate seeing films with me😂. I would be with the remote rewinding the film to get a particular expression, a new word or a pronunciation I never knew before.
Much later, I fell in love with CNN and BBC. I had a jotter where every new word, was documented. In my Ss1, I was already au fait with transcription. So, if I heard a word from CNN, I would transcribe the way I heard it. My dear, I always got thrilled to know that I was correct.
I knew American English well because it was easier and fun. Besides all the talk shows on TV were being hosted by Americans.
Rachel Ray, Oprah Winfrey, doctor Phil, Larry King and Tyra Banks. They all helped me to transform at that critical point in my life.
I always copy their statements and make them mine. Actually, I still do that till today, but I consciously seek for things with British content.
No one knew how much I had changed till I was in SS2. We were forced to speak only English in my school. That was when my classmates knew that I had changed😂. Many of them couldn't remember the days they laughed at me for having Anambra accent.
Well, if you want to know how I know so much about English words and their dynamics, here it is.
I have studied words in the dictionary from A to Z.
I can't even tell how that happened. It also doesn't mean that all these words are imprinted in my memory. No.
I still learn new words till today and their usages in different contexts.
It took me a year to address my speech defect as a kid. When I conquered, I didn't quit. I kept on learning.
I am really happy that I had speech defect as a kid. If I spoke well like a normal educated Nigerian child would, I wouldn't have been bothered about learning the complexities of English language.
And if I met someone like me who knew the complexities and would always write about it, I would read them and be amazed at how I still didn't know English 😃
If you have a struggle now, when you face it squarely and finally defeat it, you would emerge looking or knowing better than those who never struggled..
Try all I have mentioned. Don't discourage yourself. I had passed my formative years when I picked the two accents.
I SYSTEMATICALLY learnt how to speak properly.
When I see someone who 'forms' the accent, I always know😂. Their stress patterns are always wrong. They may sound impressive to some people, but if you hire such persons to educate you , you will end up with that 'hilarious ' stress pattern and people would immediately say you are forming.
Learn English systematically and you will always sound how you want.
Today's post is so long😁, but then, I need to inspire people who want to learn.
I love to see you prosper.
Toodles
#KingIfey.
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