English For You

So we were the lazy ones

who planted our hopes

between the dunghill and the graveyard

All our age mates walked the dawn

across deserts into old valleys of seeds

Kofi Anyidoho: Determination

(Earthchild)

THE NOVEL 'GREAT EXPECTATIONS' by the great novelist, Charles Dickens, was the book-prize awarded the Son of Man for being the best student in English in his class in 1972 at that year's Speech and Prize – Giving Day. Akrokerri Training College on my mind. In addition, the Son of Man was given a 'big' Encyclopaedia for winning the British Council's 'Best Essayist', with the topic: 'The Diary of an Alien affected by the Aliens' Compliance Order of 1969'.

But what fascinated the Son of Man most were the great expectations that Pip-a name corrupted by the narrator himself from his family name, Pirrip, and his Christian name of Phillip had. He could not forget his background as an orphan, nor the fact of helping Magwitch who had been recruited by Compeyson to indulge in everything illegal – swindling, forgery, theft… when he (Magwitch) needed food as an escapee from jail.

Pip adhered to the societal concepts of happiness when Magwitch had willed for him a large fortune – not until he had, through his own internal processes discovered true happiness, and walked the alley-way of love in the Victorian time with Estella. And typical of novels of the contemporary times, “lived happily forever after”.

All of us have 'great expectations', but destiny (or God or Allah) has a way of moulding us into the form it or He wishes. Look at the struggles the Son of Man had to undertake to become a writer of some sort; so the Son of Man joined the available Literary Clubs and Debating Clubs (even at Legon, he became the Secretary and later, the President of the Debating Club). The Son of Man recalls the times he and others huddled together at Achimota School preparing the booklet: 'Talents for Tomorrow'. He even tried his hands at the Sociology Department, pitched camp at the School of Administration (for Public Administration, where he even became a Teaching Assistant), then Political Science and ably assisted through by Professor Mike Oquaye who opened his kitchen door at his Haatso home, Professor Atsu Ayee; Professor Boafo Arthur, Kofi Drah and then Law, taking a fancy to Legislative Drafting a la VCRAC Crabbe. Man could, or should have rested there…

What first brought the Son of Man to Radio was his winning Emperor Mike Eghan's Club Show competition in 1973. Taking the first prize, he went home richer by many cartons of Club Beer, dozens of glasses, a number of openers and some cash. Then followed this up by being the host of 'Best Brain' on Ghana Television.

However, the Department of English fascinated the Son of Man, particularly when he read an erudite article titled 'Who Owns English?' in the Newsweek of March 7, 2005. The Son of Man had been marking students' scripts for WAEC in English, and followed this by being a Columnist in the Daily Graphic', and 'Daily Guide'. Macbeth told Duncan: “The rest is labour which is not used for you…” For the Son of Man, the rest is labour that is not used for literary work – reading, writing.

So, on Sunday, last week, a group of students including the Son of Man woke up to a realisation that they had become academically richer by the addition of M. A in Contemporary English Studies, Was it the making of the students or that of the lecturers with foresight? One could recall the close relationship, the bond of friendship between 'the teachers and the taught'.

Mrs. Jemima Anderson, the head of department, is not only beautiful, but also industrious. The Son of Man can still recall her sweet voice teaching the International Phonetic Alphabet, noting the places of articulation: the alveolar sounds: alveolar stops, voiceless alveolar, fricates, voiced affricates, diacritics. Do you pronounce 'no' as 'noo' or 'neu', 'go' as 'goo' or 'geu'.

Professor Kofi Anyidoho is the gentle giant who simply loves teaching. You can bet him to make his class lively with: Klopatse menye azolinye bude lawodome (the tortoise walks slowly, but will certainly arrive at its destination). He will demonstrate this by dancing – and Africanus Aveh, my younger brother, will screen Yaw Asare's 'Ananse In The Land Of Idiots' where all the inhabitants are fooled by the attraction of money and honey: typical of Africans, our mouths are 'sealed' by bribes, so we cannot talk; and the tricksters get away with our valuable and priceless wealth.

Dr. Gladys Ansah is the epitome of an African woman (obaa sima) – never fond of excessive make-up, but with the gentle approach to teaching, atypical of her ebullient childhood days, she will reduce 'Meaning in English' to understandable levels. You can simply distinguish between 'entailment' (what a word entails) and 'implicatures' (what a word means and implies). Just so is Dr. Frimpong, who is always business-like, and, apart from talking you into great grammarians like Noah Webster, Ben Johnson, William Cobbett and Samuel Johnson, he will come home and remind you of Professor Sey and Professor Wiredu, great Ghanaian grammarians. You can always count on Dr. Frimpong to be where the students are gathered.

One cannot forget Dr. Sackey with his 'point of view' – the first person narrator (I); the second person narrator (you) and the third person narrator (he/she/they). You still remember the novella by Polish-English, novelist, Joseph Conrad, the 'Heart of Darkness', and remember the Congo River about which the narrator, Charles Marlow, narrates his story aboard a boat anchored in River Thames.

You may like her for you cannot hate her – Dr. Mary Keleve will tell you how a typical Ghanaian will use 'please'. Waiter: 'Shall I offer you a chair?' Guest: 'No, please' where Standard English would be: 'No, thank you' OR 'Yes, please'. And you have to note 'coinages' (dondology- dondo plus logy-affixation); stopu car no (stop the car) addition of vowels). 'book-long' – compounding. From loan-word (kente).

Dr. Amissah – Arthur and the former Vice-President's names are not coincidental' they are brothers in an African context, and when he teaches you 'editing', you may not remember the symbol for 'transposing' words or 'em dash'. If you thought you were a good speech writer, try Dr. Helen Yitah's course; you will realise that you do not add 'All protocols observed' with your Introduction. OR Dr. Dzahene's Business Communication? Do not be surprised that in modern business writing, first impressions count, and consistency rules the day: and drop the habit of putting final full stops, and take a firm decision to move to block style.

Masamaka and Adika are young lecturers at the Department, and you will like them for their fantastic way of rekindling your interest in poetry. And the 'bombastic duo': Ankrah and Edward Ankomah: if you want to hear Lucky Dube, Fela, Bob Marley in the classroom just attend the lectures on 'Popular Genre'. There you will hear Redemption Song': “Old pirates, yes they rob I. sold I to the merchant ships minutes after they took I from the bottomless pit…” Do not be surprised to find the laptop on Gloria's head; do not be surprised to see Yeboah (local-lok'l), Amita, Adom, Agatha, Mummy, Budu, Betty, Gideon (lawyer-to-be), Angela, Eric, Baalademe, Deborah, Vera, Christabel or Awaafo et al.

Addenda: Do you know those who made life in the Department tick? Ask for Henrietta Fleitscher – Attakpa. Give a knock at the Language Centre, just close by, and they will be kind to provide classroom accommodation – remember to say thanks to Dr Odoi, Adika, Asante and Allotey.

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Africanus Owusu – Ansah