‘CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME': IDENTIFICATION OF NIGERIAN ENGLISH IDIOMS

Abstract

This study examines the Nigerian sociocultural factors that shape the use of idioms in Nigerian English (NE), arguing that the idioms which thrive in constant everyday use are precisely those with deep roots in Nigerian languages and cultures. Using data collected from social events within the Lagos metropolis (including wedding receptions, traditional wedding ceremonies, and comedy shows) and applying the test of compositionality, the study identifies which idioms appear most frequently in the speech of Masters of ceremonies, comedians, and wedding hosts. A total of 156 validated idioms were analysed. The findings reveal that MCs, comedians, and wedding hosts overwhelmingly prefer idioms that draw from Nigerian indigenous languages and cultural practices. Deeply embedded Nigerian Indigenous Language idioms account for 68.4% of all NE origin idioms observed and appear an average of 12.4 times per event, while loosely embedded SBE idioms appear less than once per event. Three sociocultural factors contribute to idiom vitality: shared cultural knowledge across ethnic groups, social bonding functions, and rhetorical force rooted in lived Nigerian experience. Metaphors and rules transferred from Nigerian languages (including the body as a moral map, situational appropriateness, and the compression of proverbs into idioms) systematically shape NE idiom use. The study concludes that the metaphoric "charity" of NE idioms begins at home, in the traditional Nigerian languages and cultures of the speakers. A good knowledge of Nigerian languages and cultures is therefore a vital tool for fully grasping idioms in NE.