‘English is difficult, sir!’ - Stratospheric somersault?
My South East Asian Staff Officer, a young Captain, was getting frustrated with my constant correction of memoranda he wrote for me. We were serving with the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) in 1992. One day, he burst out saying “Sir, English is difficult….it is not logical. Why?”
Advertisement
Bake, take, make
For example, he did not understand why three words ending with “…ake” in the present tense, should have different endings in the past tense. He mentioned bake, make and take.
While bake changes to ‘baked,’ make becomes ‘made,’ and take becomes ‘took.’ Why not be logical and agree on one ending for past tenses for verbs ending with “…ake,” he asked? So if take is took, then make should be” mook” and bake should be “book.”
For a pilot, his logic was understandable. While I sympathised with his frustration about the apparent lack of logic in English grammar, I told him I was intrigued by the beauty of the language, particularly when spoken by educated Englishmen and women on BBC. A BBC reporter said this about a Ghanaian officer in Rwanda in 1994.
“Enormously Tall” Ray
My mate Ray commanded Ghana’s first Battalion during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. As he descended the gangway of the aircraft at Kigali Airport, I recall the BBC reporter say “Oh my God! There comes the Ghanaian Battalion Commander. “He is ENORMOUSLY TALL.” Ray is six feet, six inches tall.
On June 24, 2016, I woke up to another thrill of the English language’s beauty on BBC with……… “Stratospheric Somersault!”
Stratospheric somersault
I had stayed the whole night of June 23, 2016 hoping to hear the results of the UK’s referendum on BREXIT. Midnight passed to 1a.m. I went to bed. When my alarm went off at 5a.m., I could not believe my ears. BBC News reported that, there had been a STRATOSPHERIC SOMERSAULT! Defying all predictions, the people of UK had decided to exit from the European Union.
Another commentator described BREXIT as a SEISMIC SHOCKER, high on the Richter scale in measuring earthquakes.
The English and their language! They have absolute mastery of it and can twist, turn, somersault, pull and push it, and subject it to beautiful acrobatics and gymnastics for effect.
Lee Kuan Yew (LKY)
The TIME Magazine of March 24, 2014 described Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew as “an incredibly brilliant man of great intelligence with no patience for mediocrity.” In 1965, when Singapore was expelled from the Malaysian Federation, LKY had to start a new country. He told Singaporeans this.
“The world does not owe us a living. We cannot live by the begging bowl.” Simple pithy English!
He also said: “Human ingenuity is infinite when translating Power and Discretion into personal gain.” Acknowledging corruption as part of humanity, he set out to wage war on it!
No chewing gum, No spitting
Flying from Cambodia to Singapore in a UN C-130 Hercules aircraft, I was struck by the Captain’s announcement as soon as we entered Singaporean airspace that, it was an offence to chew gum in Singapore. Therefore, anybody who had chewing gum could leave it with the aircrew in their own interest. Secondly, spitting was an offence in Singapore. Years earlier, I had read about this in LKY’s book ‘From Third World to First World,’’ but I thought it was so far away from Ghana. Suddenly, Singapore was so close.
Talking to the taxi driver from the airport to the city centre gave me a sense of discipline and law enforcement in Singapore. He recounted the story of Michael Fay, the American boy who made headline news in the world in 1994.
Caned for graffiti-ing
In 1994, the 19-year-old American boy was found guilty of vandalism involving graffiti-ing of vehicles. He was sentenced to six strokes of the cane. President Clinton led a world campaign to have Fay pardoned. Out of respect for President Clinton, Singapore’s Prime Minister reduced the sentence from six strokes to four, which were immediately administered.
As we drove, I observed that Singapore was an incredibly clean country. I asked myself why Ghana cannot be as clean as Singapore.
Lessons from Singapore
Psychologists state that human beings are not genetically predisposed to loving to do the right thing. For most, it is the fear of punishment which makes us do the right thing and obey the law. Indeed our taxi driver described Singapore as a “fine country!.........You spit, fine!.....you cross red light, fine!...You litter, fine! Everything, fine…”
Poor hygiene and sanitation
Ghana’s recent low hygiene ranking in the world is embarrassing! People litter because there is no fear of sanctions. Yet, we pride ourselves with having one of the world’s finest laws. Laws that are not enforced are no laws!
Reckless driving
I stated in my article, “Motorway Kamikaze Driving,” of December 20, 2016 that, there was total disrespect for road safety because reckless drivers could get away with murder. I gave the example of Ivorian footballer Yahya Toure being banned from driving for 18 months for ‘drink driving’ in England. When he resumes driving, his insurance premium will rocket to space. If he commits the same offence again, he will be banned from driving for life.
The Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Ghana Police and the insurance companies, please come together and rid our roads of these killing machines masquerading as drivers. The front page of the Daily Graphic of Monday February 13, 2017 had a gory picture with the caption “Eight die in accident at Ewusiejoe.”
Again, like Michael Fay was caned despite President Clinton’s plea for clemency, offenders must be punished irrespective of which big man they know. Big men, please allow the law to operate!
Corruption
One of Lee Kuan Yew’s closest friends committed suicide rather than faced the shame of a corruption trial in court.
A statement a famous radio presenter makes anytime corruption in Ghana is discussed is, “And some were shot for less.” This is in reference to the Generals who were executed in 1979 for the “high treason” of taking paltry bank loans of fifty thousand cedis to build houses for their retirement. So, how come corruption is still so appealing after families were destroyed by the execution of husbands and fathers?
My Asian pilot colleague may not be comfortable with filth, dangerous kamikaze driving and corruption in Ghana being described as Stratospheric Somersault. But in simple English, he will agree that it is criminal and immoral and must be exorcised immediately!
Writer’s e-mail : [email protected]
