The Nigerian and his O's!

If you are Nigerian the chances are that you say O! after many statements you make while speaking. My roommate who is Kenyan pointed it out to me yesterday:) I could only smile, I thought I did not say O! but after speaking for a few minutes I realised that I had just ended one sentence with O!

O! Is for emphasis, its a way of making sure your words are heard and understood. Its the way you recognize that the next person is going with the flow of words. Speaking without using O's derives the words of some sweetness that cannot be tangibly assessed. There is something dry, foreign and starchy about speaking without interjecting with O's and pouring them lavishly to garnish a discussion!

He suffered O! It is true O! What do you mean jor! He is coming O! Hide it under the table O! All the sentences carry an extra meaning implying a depth of suffering, a veracity of the tale, an entreaty to explain the hidden, a cry of warning etc!

O!, Jor!, To!, Kai, Ha, Haba,  and many other words dot our vocabulary and make the delivery of the language more of our own. The interjections are a few things that I have missed in the last few months. Speaking English the Nigerian way:) It is something you do not realize you do but which others can point out in a jiffy! Its what makes us distinct and what makes others laugh:)

What other queer words or expressions belong to our speech? If you are not Nigerian what words or expressions make you stand out as belonging to a particular group or culture?

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