Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series that features the 2014 Nigerian Afrobeat/Rap song "Marry Me" by Falz featuring Yemi Alade, and Poe.
Part II features selected online comments about what is commonly referred to as the "H factor" among Yoruba people (Nigeria, West Africa). These comments are culled from the YouTube discussion thread for the official video of Falz's "Marry Me" song and from three other Nigerian based online discussion threads.
Part II also includes selected comments from the YouTube discussion thread of Falz's "Marry Me" video about other aspects of language use by Falz and by other "Marry Me" performers.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/09/falz-featuring-yemi-alade-poe-marry-me.html for Part I of this series. Part I showcases a video of "Marry Me" and provides the lyrics to that song from an online page. This post also includes [possible] meanings for Yoruba or Nigerian Pidgin English words/phrases using Google Translate and various online Nigerian Pidgin English pages. Additions and corrections are very welcome.
Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/09/examples-of-vernacular-sayings-killing.html for other selected comments from the discussion thread of the official video of Falz's song "Marry Me".
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This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on linguistics. Pancocojams' linguistics posts document and consider aspects of language use among African people and/or people of African descent, including traditional African languages, African American Vernacular English, Caribbean Patois, African Pidgin English, and other Pidgin languages.
DISCLAIMER: I'm not a linguist and the only language that I understand is English (including some forms of African American Vernacular English).
I had never heard of "H Factor" until I read comments in the discussion thread for Falz's "Marry Me" song,.
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The content of this post is presented for linguistic, cultural, and folkloric purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
Click Part I of this series for the official video of Falz (featuring Yemi Alade and Poe)'s song "Marry Me". Part I also includes lyrics for that song (in English, Nigerian Pidgin English, and Yoruba) as well as some explanations for the Yoruba and Nigerian Pidgin English words & phrases in those lyrics.
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SELECTED COMMENTS ABOUT "FACTOR H" FROM TWO NAIRALAND.COM DISCUSSION THREADS
The comments in each Excerpt are given in chronological order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.
EXCERPT #1:
From http://secretlilies.blogspot.com/2011/11/h-factor.html
Saturday, November 26, 2011
"The "H" factor
..."When I talk about the "H" factor, I mean the fact that when people talk they can't pronounce words that start with the letter "H". For instance instead of saying "house" they pronounce it " ouse", leaving the "h", where I do not know.
[...]
The reason why they do this is cos for instance in the Yoruba language if I am not mistaken there isn't a letter "H". Its like it just vanished into thin air..LOL. So it is quiet difficult to transit from the rules in Yoruba language to the rules in the English language.
[...]
In the french language the letter "H" is silent for instance the word " Haricot", which means beans (don't forget that every word has to be spelt with an article), is pronounced "aricot". Now when the french converse in English they find it difficult pronouncing the letter "H", which isn't silent or hidden but present in the English language.
The truth:
Yoruba language is very similar to the french language but when the Yorubas pronounce English words without the "H" etc we see this as being razz, local, bush, uneducated etc.. but when the french make the same mistake it goes this way: " oh you know English isn't their first language, its allowed."..
-snip-
Selected Comments:
1. CheNovember 27, 2011 at 1:33 PM
"LOL @ the H factor. I laugh whenever i hear it. The igbo's also have their own too. Some mix the "l" and "r". E.g., instead of saying *I want to cross the road*, it comes out as *I want to cross the load*. lol (I'm igbo so i'm not hating :-)). Thanks for stopping by my blog. Following you right back.
naijabankgirl.blogspot.com
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2. Amaka's NotepadNovember 29, 2011 at 3:09 AM
"lol. Yeah, ibos have the 'R' and 'L' issue, the Hausas - 'P' and 'F' (Progrss promounced 'frogress'), Yourubas - Loss of 'H'('ouse) and 'SH' (which comes out as just 'S' for ibadan people. making Shoe sound like 'sue') Then we have the Akwa-Ibom people who have a 'J' to 'Y' issue (where Junction becomes 'yunction' and John become 'yohn') That is what makes Naija so unique, Diverse yet one country.
UP NAIJA!!!!"
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EXCERPT #2
From http://www.nairaland.com/229011/whats-h-factor
1. Whats With The H - Factor ? by Nobody: 4:18pm On Feb 04, 2009
"dis is really getting serious, everyday when i walk on the road i hear people saying a lot of scary words, like instead of egg, i hear hegg, or hold man instead of old man. then i also hear eaven instead of heaven or appy instead of happy.
pls i am not trying to discriminate but is they no way we can help the situation"
Comments pls,"
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2. Re: Whats With The H - Factor ? by spikedcylinder: 4:23pm On Feb 04, 2009
"I think its because there's no "H" in the Yoruba language so people try to compensate on way or the other. cheesy"
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3. Re: Whats With The H - Factor ? by folkzy(f): 10:31am On Feb 05, 2009
"As a matter of fact, it has something to do with where your from. For Yoruba people, there is no H in their language, hence why some people find the hard to pronounce the 'H' sound or use the H sound wrongly. I used to be a typical example, i was taught the right way whilst working in a primary school as some children used to correct me which was embarrasing."
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4. Re: Whats With The H - Factor ? by youngies(m): 11:10am On Feb 05, 2009
"Be it Yoruba 'H' factor, Hausa 'F' factor or Igbo 'R' factor, I don't have any problem with it, but I always feel scandalized when I hear it on TV or Radio from News casters. It shouldn't be excused from them."
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5. Re: Whats With The H - Factor ? by youngies(m): 12:41pm On Feb 05, 2009
"It bothers me when I hear it on air, it is happauling you know! Grin"
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EXCERPT #3
From http://www.nairaland.com/3138313/test-h-factor
1. Test If You Have H-factor by dadee007(m): 4:58pm On May 31, 2016
"H-Factor is when someone has trouble pronouncing words that have the letter H in them or pronouncing words that do not have the letter H in them as having the H sound. You can test yourself and check your H-factor-compliance by reciting aloud, the sentence below in 5 seconds. If you have difficulty reading it out aloud correctly, you have the dreaded H-factor. But not to worry, at least you now know and you can retrain yourself to lose the H factor. Cheers.
It is advisable to have someone with you to monitor your compliance. Have Fun! courtesy laffhub.com.
''Our hot air hostess handed us hot oats, as she had in her hand our air fare.''"
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2. Re: Test If You Have H-factor by Ultimus: 5:52pm On May 31, 2016
"If you have any difficulty reading aloud the statement it might be because the statement reads like a tongue twister and not really due to having h factor. I suppose a proper oral English test should be an accurate determinant."
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3. Re:Test If You Have H-factor by Phonefanatic: 5:53pm On May 31, 2016
"Who H factor help in this harsh economy?
You guys shouldn't get me angry this evening oo"
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4. Re: Test If You Have H-factor by Nobody: 5:54pm On May 31, 2016
"It's more common among the Yorubas; just as the Igbos find themselves in between Scylla and Charybdis when they have to pronounce words that begin with the letter 'R' or 'L'."
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SELECTED COMMENTS ABOUT THE "H FACTOR" AND OTHER SELECTED COMMENTS ABOUT PRONUNCIATION
From the YouTube discussion thread of the official video for Falz's "Marry Me" video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UzlN0AbPgQ
These comments are presented in chronological order based on their publishing date with the oldest comments by year given first, except for replies. Numbers have been assigned for referencing purposes only.
Read the lyrics and the Nigerian Pidgin English definitions that are given in Part I of this pancocojams series for explanations about some of the comments that are found below.
1. Muyi Ibidun, 2015
"It interesting to see that a lot of people jumped on the bandwagon of tribal bashing based on the way this act has chosen to sing in very strong Yoruba accent. FYI, IT IS DELIBERATE. If you dont know Falz, then you need to do your home work. He is a UK trained and certified Lawyer, he speaks correct and normal English off camera. Speaking in strong Yoruba accent is his selling point. You need to check him out on Instagram where he has a lot of comedy skits and fans.
And by the way, I really dont see the big deal in singing in unadulterated Nigerian accent. Americans dont sing to pacify nobody. If you dont understand what he is saying, better you enjoy the sound or move on to some other videos. Expressing disappointment that an African artist sing in too strong African Accent is very lame.
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Reply
2. Mansa Koabi, 2015
"+Muyi Ibidun Tell them nwanne preach."
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Reply
3. Ajojocraig, 2015
"Tell them oo. The ones that know how to speak correct English. Mcheww
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Reply
4. Alexander Odofin, 2015
"I'm only mildly amused. The music isn't for everyone. Complaining about his accent is pure ignorance, coupled with a finite dose of inferiority complex."
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Reply
5. Afrimedia, 2016
"+Muyi Ibidun Muyi don't worry yourself.....it is you making it an issue....we don't need any explanation, on whether he can speak Queens English or not , Falz is really HOT right now, he is great. This Jam is smoking , Vid is hilarious ! Its all good."
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Reply
6. Antoria Lee, 2017
"Maaaaaaaaan I'm a super southern American (accent and upbringing) but this speaks to my soul. Imma learn Yoruba and neva look back.
Btw I understand all of it, if you don't, oh wells this song is 💣"
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7. ACCRA [dot] ALT Radio, 2015
"Hey from Accra! We love Falz in Ghana particularly because of this "accent" that folks don't seem to be happy with.Why? because it's such a beautiful representation of a manner of expression that is prevalent throughout the continent. Africans have a unique way of speaking and we embrace it. We don't have to sound any other way but like ourselves.This fascination with the english language as a measure of intelligence and social acceptance is most unfortunate."
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8. Lanre Koby Shonowo, 2015
"Love how he brought the Naija lingo in the song i.e you know my (h)age, I'm twenty (h)eight...attention to detail lol...
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Reply
9. Natalie C, 2016
"He is doing it on purpose...listen to him speak in real life and you'll understand"
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10. Akinola Ogunseitan, 2015
"This video is so funny, the obvious H factor was on purpose.
Love the story line."
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11. omaricha, 2015
"yoruba people and H syndrome! What the hell is "follow me OME" and Twenty Hate??? Lol Razz people. Hincedent! Hingredient! Lmao!"
-snip-
Note: "Omaricha" is an Igbo name.
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Reply
12. omaricha, 2015
"+Obeth Lalas Lmao! I touched a nerve....hahaha U must have H factor"
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Reply
13. Samuel kings, 2015
"+omaricha You two should be ashamed of yourselves, as a Nigerian who has been living in the USA for more than a decade, it's a shame that i come on you-tube to enjoy good African music, and here i see two people from same country insulting themselves over minor issue. What a shame"
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Reply
14. akoms1, 2015
"Pls forgive us. I apologise on behalf of all Yorubas. But you sure know that the igbos are more enlightened and better than everybody. Once again, forgive the Yorubas for not pronouncing an English word properly."
-snip-
My guess is that this comment was written sarcastically.
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Reply
15. omaricha, 2015
"+akoms1
We Igbos are taking this Hapology Hinto consideration! Hand you will be duly notified!"
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16. tosan, 2015
"+Obeth Lalas take it easy o.... it was just a joke. Omaricha mean no harm."
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17. Olu OJ, 2015
"Tosan, that wasn't no joke. Her words are derogatory. It's typical of people from her tribe. Always trying hard to discredit Yoruba's effort."
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18. latichina5, 2015
"Lmao!!! Omaricha you will feel the wrath of every yorouba people on the Internet."
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19. Uzoamaka Joe-Nkamuke, 2015
"+Olu OJ Wow!!! so u used the comment of 1 person to describe a tribe of over 30million pple. you r no different from her then."
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20. JustForYou♥, 2015
"Lol the H factor is real...but I love the video"
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21. Tee Jay, 2015
"Lmao.....hilarious video...good job guys! BTW that "H" factor kills me, i cant stop laughing .... twenty "Hate".....see me see trouble ooooo!"
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22. mimisnando, 2015
"It's pidgin English and not Patois or what some people think it is"
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23. Sunny N, 2015
"Hahaha love the ending, by the way what is twenty hate"
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Reply
24. odinese nwad, 2015
"28...pretending as if u don't know"
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25. Adewanle Adeyekun, 2015
"Poe is a hella of a rapper. Wow, no formed American accent, just pure originality. "
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Reply
26. MrEdwin10pa, 2016
"Poe's spittin in a nigerian accent is so dope... more like him needed"
-snip-
"spittin" = rapping
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This concludes Part II of this two part pancocojams series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
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