Notions (Vocabulary)

I love grammar and vocabulary. I do think I would like Wole Soyinka works (they said he writes with big grammar) but I haven't gotten to reading any of his works.

Back in secondary school, my vocabulary was really really average. I'd translate Igbo to English in my head before speaking it out loud but peers and classmates thought I was one of the 'ish.' Maybe the way I comported myself and my articulation whilst talking.

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'Flabbergasted'

I heard that word first as a 12 year old, in JSS 2. The incoming head girl used it in her acceptance speech. I was stunned and declared then that I wanted to have a very rich vocabulary. I didn't even know the spelling of the word so I could not check what it meant. I just knew that she used it.

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'Domicile'

The name was pasted on the door of my sister's class. The DSP then was her classmate and they called us aspirants to their class for some kind of briefing. As usual naa, before you enter any senior class, man gats to take permission. 

In this case though, they pasted what they wanted us to say before entering, "Excuse me seniors and prefects, may I enter your humble domicile?"

They just instructed us to read what was on the door, probably to taunt those who couldn't get it (and mock they did). When it got to my turn and I saw the word, I looked twice, 'where the hell did this word come from kwan?'

Bhet, odogwu abụlọ guy name. I fittnt fall the hand of my ancestors laidat, my sister included who was a member of the class. So I started off strong but took the pronunciation of the word slowly, ˈdɑ-mɪ-saɪ'

I got an affirmative response. To my sister they said, "Hmm Kwenzy, nwanne gị a makwa asụ oyibo." In my mind I was like, 'a na-emenụ, n'ebekwanụ?" Me that some part of my brain had wanted to pronounce, "Do-mi-ci-le." 

I kuku returned back to the class to check the meaning of the word after the whole brouhaha which was actually, to ask the post we were vying for and the reason for that. Ọ gwụsị kwaa and so that was how I coulda hembarassed my ancestors.

Anyways, I wish I could tell y'all that I took my vocabulary improvement serious after that, kamnụkwa! Babes still stuck with her initial translating anytime she's making sentences... 

It's different these days though. I think in both languages now, and I've more or less married my thesaurus. I've not gotten to the mastery of the language, bhet it's not a one-day something, so we'll get there innit?...