‘Indisciplined’ Incorrect

EXPRESSION BY Ebere Wabara

“THE feeling is that many don’t want to be seen to take a position which would be interpreted as confrontational and as such they have resulted (resorted) to lobbying prominent figures outside government to….” 

“The actual name of the person expected to chairman (chair/preside over) this occasion is….”

Wrong: atimes; right: at times (two words)

“Those who have the power to release the suspect but are passing the bulk (buck) to the courts should be informed that it is against the national interest to refuse to release….”

“The former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, explained that it was not the first time that banks would be liquidated and that the history of bank failure in the country dated (dates) back to 1958 or 1959.” Note: dates back to or dates back from is a stock expression. 

“In reaction to the leaflets being circulated, the Kano State Commissioner of Police…made a radio and television broadcast telling the people to ignore the leaflets which he described as the handiwork of mischieve (mischief) makers.” Special note: make-believe (not make-belief). 

“When the storm rages, men can do nothing about the storm, but when the storm has seized (ceased), its destruction can be redressed.” 

Theoretical linguists, curriculum experts and “educationalists” (educationists or educators), working together or separately, have been busy putting forward suggestions for language education reform. Note especially: “educationalist”, like “unwieldy” or “invitee” or “indisciplined”, is not in any respected dictionary. These comic words were invented by Nigerians.

“Armed robbers again jolted the commercial city of Lagos last week Friday (last Friday/Last Friday week or on Friday, last week).” 

“Students write exams half naked (half-dressed/half clothed/half covered or half clad, or naked/bare to the waist).”

Still on ‘perfection’: Americans talked about building “a more perfect union” while George Orwell wrote that “some animals are more equal than others.” We all know that “perfect” and “equal” are absolute superlatives. Some writers even write or refer to “editorial comment” of a newspaper or magazine. Hence grammarians say that “the adjective is the enemy of the noun while the adverb is the enemy of the adjective”. Copy and sub–editors use words of strong impact and dramatic significance, all for special effect and strong drama. Hence journalists write about “bombshell” instead of “shocker” or “nasty shock” or “surprise packet”. This reminds me of what Louis Turner and Jon Ash wrote in their interesting book entitled “The Golden Hordes” (on page 200): “The financial backers of Haiti’s Habitation Leclerc (a pleasure reserve) include Mick Jagger, Alain Delon, the late Aristotle Onassis and other multinational business tycoons.” Last year you also argued that “business tycoon” is tautologous. I disagreed—it is not. In strict grammar, “end” is correct. But “month–end” is not. “Weekend” is also correct. “End of the year” is allowed but “year–end” is not. Language can be fun but it is not always logical. 

Another special note: “annals of history” is correct too. Example: “A great deal has been left unwritten in the annals of history.” But these phrases and words are incorrect: “I can’t remember”, “very great”, “alright”, “monies”, “Moslem”, “Quoran”, “machineries”, “very best/level best/possible best”, etc. “Annals of history”, like a “living witness” or “consensus of opinion”, is not pleonastic. They are set-phrases.  

Let me take this opportunity to restate the fact that “centre round” is incorrect. To make ourselves understood clearly, we must first make sure that each one of our words makes the right “dictionary” sense. And, if we can think of more than one word that makes the right “dictionary” sense, then we can choose the one that we consider to be the most vivid and precise. “Centre on/upon” or “centre in” (for precision or exactness) is the correct phrase known to Standard English. We also correctly say or write: “World War I”,” World War II” (not “First World War”, “Second World War”). 

  You must try to read Andrew Fergus’ book entitled “What they are doing to your child at school”. It is an interesting, educative book. Fergus made it known that all over the United Kingdom, traditionalists (trads) and trendies are fighting in classrooms over correct usage. I am a traditionalist and “l love everything that is old”. I am very happy when you remarked: “I have found out, overtime, that you have a deep attachment to some expressions especially those of celebrated and often archival authors and speakers.” The truth of the matter is that Dr. Samuel Johnson, through his Dictionary, published in 1755, removed all improprieties and absurdities from the English language. In short, he (like a number of current priests of usage and literary sophisticates) became a linguistic legislator attempting to perform for English those offices performed for French by the French Academy.  

The current generation of collegians and university graduates are just literate– literate enough to be dangerous! They are not educated in the broad sense of the word. Besides, they are killingly monolingual. It is sad and saddening. An awful lot of them can’t write grammatical paragraphs.

“As and when”, “if and when” are tautologous or pleonastic. In these phrases, one of the words in the pairs can be omitted. However, “as at when” is a piece of journalese. Besides, it is the height of illiteracy to write “as at when”. 

 “Congrats” is used in spoken or informal English. “Congratulations on your success” is correct.

‘White elephants’ are also called ‘loop projects’: useless/senseless/crazy/silly projects.

 “Kaduna bomb victims for burial in (on) church premises”

“We most certainly have not heard the last about the governor’s convoy crash and the woes and blood it left in (on) its trail.”

“…the huge confidence reposed on (in) them by the populace.”

“They are the products of what some people did or did not do over a period of time but whose climatic effect culminated into (in a) catastrophe.”

“But, while the former south-south governor may have been a rebel among the army of Jonathan’s political faithfuls.…” Sylva—a rebel without a strategy: political faithful (not faithfuls).

“He stuck to his gun (guns) and propped himself up as one of the candidates in the election.”

“Ward chairmen pass ‘no confidence’ vote on (in) councillors” 

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