Thread by @KathleenNdongmo

African parlance....

'Tis a beautifully distinct thing to hear.

There are ways we speak that no one else speaks. Whether it's in pidgin, English, French, our dialects... It's unique.

Here are some examples.

[Thread]

This will be fun so reply with more examples. 😀😁😂

A: I lost the pregnancy.
B: You mean you didn't have the baby?!

A: Dem don kill some thief man for road dey!
B: E die????!

A: Morning oooo!
B: You don wukop?

These are typically snippets of conversations between Caneroonians. 🇨🇲🇨🇲🇨🇲

I once went to a shop to buy hair extensions in #Cameroon

The conversation:

Me: I want buy meches. I get 10,000frs. You go get change?
Shopkeeper: di money dey with you?
Me (laughing hysterically): No, di money dey for bank.

shopkeeper joined me in laughter 😂😂😂

A: we di watch match
B: match don start?

A: I salute o!
B: wuna dey? (Losely translated: "are you all there?")

Someone is leaving:

A: You di go? (Are you leaving?)
B: I di cam. (I am coming)

We are a very unique breed of people. A question that needs a location, gets an action. A question that needs an action, gets a location. Eg:

A: wusai you dey?
B: I di cam

A: wetin you di do?
B: nobi me dis for market?
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Still the funniest is when a person is leaving and insists he/she is coming.

A: A di cam
B: chei you di already go you na na so?
A: A say a di cam eh
And then leaves.

In French

A: Tu pars?
B: non j'arrives.
A: maid tu pas déjà non
B: je did que j'arrives oooo!

This one is purely Nigerian. 🇳🇬

A: Kathleen oooooooo!
B: yes oooooo!
A: is that you?? ???

Nobi me na who?

Or particularly Yoruba:

E ku ise
E ku aise
E ku ojometa
E ku dide
E ku alejo
E ku atijo
E ku faaji
E ku joko
E ku ojo

In fact, the greetings have no end.

A: Madame wetin u cook?
B: rice and beans.
A: Na chop be dat?

Wait, what's your definition of food? 😂

It's funny how these expressions and ways of expressing ourselves are similar across the continent.

It must be in our culture, or in our food. It's something I can't quite figure out.

Some of these things cut across languages, and reveal some of our common "Africanities."

A: just coming from the bathroom "I don baff o!"
B : ehenhen, you don finish baff? (🇳🇬)
____
A: aunty, rain di fall
B: ehhenn, e di fall na fall?

A: Mamie dem don cut water.
B: Tap no di comot?

A: dem di bury Mami Solange today
B: womei! Na today dem di put e for ground?

We answer questions with questions:

A: you cut your hair instead?
B: you don't like it?

We repeat words that shouldn't be repeated for emphasis and good measure

A: wuna go waka waka sotay tata
B: na so di mata strong strong?

It's in our DNA

We love rhetoric.
We are comeback kings and queens and we have bad mouth...

We have words that convey feeling but they are not really words, but they are:

Womeiii!
Chei!
Chai!
Eishhh!
Tsuiip!
Mtchweeeww!
O!
Ahhhhh!
Heeiiii!
Wulili!
Ehnnn!
Wombooohhh!
Wopahloh!

What's your experience?
What are the things you say?
Do you relate?
What's your country?

Please share.
It's fun. 🤣😀

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