10 GHANAIAN PIDGIN ENGLISH SLANGS AND THEIR MEANINGS
If you are active on social media, you will most likely come across Ghanaians and Nigerians (usually) posting "bad English" in the comment section of popular posts.
It is a funny scene to watch when most people just assume we are typing some sort of alien language. Hilarious! Good news, we are not friends with aliens (would be really cool though).
Instead, this "bad English" is a language called Pidgin English spoken in four African countries namely; Ghana, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon.
The term "pidgin" in basic words is a language created and spoken between two or more parties that do not have a language in common.
In this blog post, we are going to have a look at Ghanaian pidgin slangs. Basically, the focus will be be on mainly explaining these slangs and NOT the Pidgin English language.
So let's dive right into it! Here are 10 Ghanaian Pidgin English slangs and their meanings:
1. Nibbies
Pronunciation: /nibi:s/
Nibbies means stuff or things in Pidgin English.
Examples:
"Charley, where my nibbies dey?"Translation: "Friend, where are my stuff?"
"Me ano dey like dem nibbies"
Translation: "I don't like such things."
2. Troski
Pronunciation: / 'tr^ski:/
Other spellings: Troskey, trosky
Troski means public transportation specifically in the form of a mini-bus. Usually, troskis have both a driver and his colleague known as a "mate" (whose job is to take fares from passengers). There are other means of transportation like taxis and ubers but a troski is the main means of transportation in Ghana.
Example:
"Adey go pick troski come your there."
Translation: "I'm boarding a mini-bus to your place."
3. Medo
Pronunciation: /Mɛdo/
Medo means medicine in Pidgin English. It refers to both the educational course, Medicine or the ingested prescribed substance, medicine.
Example: "Sheila dey tear medo for uni."
Translation: "Sheila is studying Medicine at the university."
OR
"Na ano dey feel jerh so atake some medo bi wey rydee amake okay."
Translation: "I wasn't feeling too good so I took some medicine and now I feel better."
4. Gbɛkɛ
Pronunciation: Complex pronunciation available on podcast (link above).
Other spellings: Gb3k3
Gbɛkɛ means evening in the Ghanaian language, Ga. It is a borrowed word from Ga which has been converted into a pidgin English slang.
Example: "Hey. Make we go out this gbɛkɛ?"
Translation: "Hey. Let's go out this evening?"
5. Eleff queer
Pronunciation: Complex pronunciation available on podcast (link above).
Eleff queer means to miss a situation by a little mark. It could have its meaning being "almost".
Example: "Eleff queer na achop lotto"
Translation: "I almost won the lottery."
6. Bola
Pronunciation: /bəʊ'la/
Bola in simple terms means "big" or "huge".
Example: "The guy ein stomach bola oo."
Translation: "The guy's stomach is really big."
7. Shommie
Pronunciation: /ʃɔːmi/
Shommie means "perfume" in Ghanaian Pidgin English. It is a popular slang amongst Ghanaian males.
Example: "Charley, your shommie dey smell nice waa."
Translation: "Friend, your perfume smells really nice."
8. Gally
Pronunciation: /'gali:/
In Ghanaian Pidgin English, gally basically means "to walk".
Example: "My money fini. Adey gally go house."
Translation: "My money is finished so I'm walking home."
9. Gyemi
Pronunciation: Complex pronunciation available on podcast (link above).
Gyemi means to escape from a situation in a smart way.
Example: "We see say the boss dey come norr wey we gyemi."
Translation: "When we saw our boss approaching, we ran away."
10. Trabo
Pronunciation: Complex pronunciation available on podcast (link above).
Trabo in Ghanaian Pidgin English means a pair of trousers.
Example: "Kweku, where my black trabo dey?"
Translation: "Kweku, where is my pair of black trousers?"
So there you have it! 10 Ghanaian Pidgin English Slangs.
The next time you see Pidgin English slangs (or any Ghanaian slangs) being used on social media or hear someone speak it, head on to the Slangs By Ghanaians blog and check out their meanings, if you don't know what they mean!
Listen to the Slangs by Ghanaians podcast too! We talk about all the slangs stated in the blog post.
https://anchor.fm/slangsbyghanaians/episodes/Ghanaian-Pidgin-English-Slangs-Girls-Edition-ek6v42/Ghanaian-Pidgin-English-Slangs-Girls-Edition-a3bsnn8
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