The “Ecominiots” and the “Ecomini” Noises

Professor of Law, J.E.A. Mills

Who is the first high learned man to rule Ghana? Your answer simple is the Professor of Law, J.E.A. Mills. The History students should jot this down. This is a greatest achievement for Ghana to be blessed with the man of the letters. A dream much waited.

Professor Mills evidently did not acquire his title by virtue of working as a clerk in Law Firm perhaps in France. Professor Mills has demonstrated in one thousand and one ways his flexibility over the queen's language. And his dynamism in the use of the English Language promulgated his campaign message to both the lettered and half-lettered.

Read these statements: “A government that attaches premium to formation rather than substance worships mediocrity” and “Our policies must put emphasis on the exigencies of the time”. These statements were made by the Professor. Don't they sound very academic and professorial to your ears? These are two of the million good speeches of President Mills whose middle name is English.

Who and who were not there when he made his inaugural ceremony speech extempore? No sheets of papers in hand! I mean offhand! That's unprecedented!

Let us come to the issue itself: just few months ago, President Mills delivered his maiden address to parliament. It was eloquently and ably delivered with the usual flair. However, just as it occurs in our everyday spoken language, he mispronounced “economy” as “ecomini”. The phenomenon of mispronunciation otherwise known as “slip of tongue” has happened to anyone who ever lived. For that matter I regard this “ecomini” as something not worth discussion within the domain of little brains.

Surprisingly, this “ecomini” has made a lot of waves within so-called lettered people, radio stations, newspapers and all the rags. Radio stations have edited this speech with background instrumentals which is played as breakfast for listeners. I hardly read news headlines on the internet without the “ecomini” and newspapers see this word as a market gimmick. Now, we have several remixed and reloaded versions of the “ecomini” with all genres of music used as ringing tones and that is really the most annoying!

I do not blame all these people in the province of the “ecomini fooling”, because I can simply describe them as dunderheads. If slip of the tongue or spoonerism or marrowsky is new to these goof-offs, then I pity them. I will humbly refer them to read more on “Reverend William Archibald Spooner (1844-1930), Early 20th Century British Educator”.

More so, Queens of England, supposed Mothers of English, have many a times mispronounced words that were later married in the English Language. Mispronunciation existed donkeys years before these teasers came to life. So, why the fuss about Professor's “ecomini”! I assume they can think beyond this “ecomini”, right? This is a gross disrespect and disparage to the presidency, the highest authority of the country which does not bring anything meaningful to us as Ghanaians. The manipulations and transmissions of the “ecomini” are just unacceptable! However, P. W. Botha declared that “Calling someone monkey does not make him a monkey”. So, the “ecominiots” can continue wallowing in bliss of ignominy. Prof remains Prof.

Now let us go down the memory lane: consider this sentence, “Me and my boss……..” Who made mountain out of this egregious grammatical missile. If this statement was made in England, there was no way the speaker could escape trial at the Grammar Court of Subject Misplacement. Get the rule! The rule states that when you have two subjects with “I”, put the “I” second and follow it with a singular verb. “My boss and I......” is correct. Besides that “Me and my boss......” was screamingly colloquial and the niggers in America will avoid it. Listen to this bombshell: “The Abudus and the late Ya-Naa are one”. The same speaker made this statement without a pinch of guilt. The Grammar Court of Proximity Rule wished he had made this statement in England. Get the rule! The Rule of Proximity states that a singular subject near the verb must take a singular verb and vice versa. Let us take the corrections: “The Abudus and the late Ya-Naa is one” or “The late Ya-Naa and the Abudus are one”

These are legitimate statements made by a man who evidently had problems reading scripts written for him. These statements were not slip of the tongue but an affliction of acute “grammartitis” and “vocabularaemia”. Who fussed it? Who instrumentalised it? Who remixed it? Are these “ecominiots” proving that little minds discuss events?

Please, you can do better! These “ecominiots” ought to stop the “ecomini” noises or I will call a press release on Jak's syntax blunders. Hogwash! Salaam!

Abdulai Hanan R. Confidence
NTC, Tamale
TEIN (P.R.O.)
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