Pro-Ghanaian Websites, Verbosity and You

: Daniel Pryce Gets It!

I get it, folks! Many of us simply are not interested in looking up a word or two in the dictionary. We have been out of school for so long that we do not want to be bothered. Such a stance is fine with me, too. In fact, I hope to not throw a wedge in anyone’s wheel of comfort again. I guess I might as well just seek a second audience for my other writing style (no sarcasm intended) ? far away from ghanaweb.com and other pro-Ghanaian Internet portals ? but I promise to maintain my ongoing love affair with this audience!

By the way, I thank you all for the pummeling, stomping and clobbering you gave me a few days ago, in response to my article about interracial relationships. It is okay if you are laughing, because I am laughing too! It was no fun at all, and I am still reeling from the blows to my ribs and sternum, but I have resolved to deal with it like a gentleman! I sincerely pray that, even while folks were dishing it out to me, they were conscious of their sons’ and daughters’ presence nearby, children we expect to continually teach some decorum and respect. So long as we were conscious of our children’s presence, then I have nothing to moan about. And to not forget, as has always been my style, I wish to thank you all ? once again ? for spending your precious Saturday reading my piece, when you could have done other important things! It is always an honor to have a vast audience; without my audience, I certainly will have no satisfaction as a writer. So, let us get to the other issues.

First, I try to impress no one on Ghanaweb.com. I love new challenges and I am always attempting to push myself harder on a daily basis. We need to instill the value of hard work and perseverance in ourselves, especially the younger folks. I have seen too many intelligent and brilliant Ghanaians both in the U.S.A. and Ghana waste precious years doing very little for themselves, when they could have improved themselves in so many ways. I believe that we owe it to our children to give them a life better than what we have had. That has always been the American dream, and I hope you would forgive me for learning some very good things about life and human interactions in the U.S.A. Also, Ghanaians tend to antagonize one another too often, refusing to protect one another in the process, a very bad trait indeed.

Second, please let us examine this issue of verbosity again. Someone accused me of using the word “pertinent” and then turned around to use it himself or herself. Well, such a scenario is very confusing indeed. Seriously, all the reference to the Queen of England and her mastery of the English language and her use of “simple” English while communicating with her subjects is certainly out of place here, for we are talking about Ghanaians and not the British. Queen Elizabeth does not have a real job but has more money and resources than perhaps the entire nation of Ghana. Let us worry about ourselves and how we can improve our lot, including our mastery of the Queen’s language, which our leaders who fought for independence forgot to “return” to the British!

Third, I somewhat blame those who fought for our independence for choosing English as our official language. I believe that, in their zeal and determination to rid the nation of colonial rule, they did not carefully evaluate the importance of the Twi language ? or some other Ghanaian language ? which could have been converted into our national language. By the way, Twi would have been ideal because it is spoken by more than half of the Ghanaian population, including this writer, who just happens to be Ewe through and through. And because Kwame Nkrumah and the rest of our patriots forgot to get rid of the English language while fighting for self-rule, making us perpetual “subjects” of the Queen, we have no real choice but to master the language, folks! What is wrong therefore in wanting to be lifelong learners of this language we so much admire and use at the national level? Dictionaries are made by language experts to aid themselves and others. The dictionary is thus not a scary thing to be avoided! I want to encourage many of us to read more and learn more, especially if we have been out of school for many years. Once we take up the habit of reading again, instead of spending all day in front of the Devil’s Tube, we might rediscover our love of reading!

Finally, let us, once again, keep insults out of the forum. We come across as uncouth so much that many shudder to tell their non-Ghanaian friends to visit pro-Ghanaian Internet portals to read articles, since we do not know which respondents will throw tantrums next. Before I forget, I wish to thank you all ? again ? for spending your precious time reading through my “complaints.” It is such a privilege to have you here, which is why I just spent 20 minutes of my Saturday evening sharing my thoughts with you. By the way, I made this article very short, just the way we love and expect it! Have a pleasant day!

The writer, Daniel K. Pryce, holds a master’s degree in public administration from George Mason University, U.S.A. He is a member of the national honor society for public affairs and administration in the U.S.A. He can be reached at dpryce@cox.net.