21/08/2026
The struggle of learning your dialect — and why we should encourage, not laugh!!
Learning your own dialect as a teenager or adult can feel weird at first. And when people laugh instead of help, it hurts more than they think.
A lot of us grew up in cities, boarding schools, or speaking mostly English/Pidgin at home. So now when you try to speak Uburu dialect and it comes out wrong, you feel like a fraud in your own culture.
One wrong tone and suddenly everyone’s laughing. That one moment can make someone stop trying completely. Then, the “Better I just keep quiet” moment.
But in a hurry, we sometimes forget that Dialects are learned by hearing them daily — at the market, with grandparents, at village meetings. If you didn’t grow up there, you’re starting from zero while others had 15 years of practice.
So, When you speak your dialect, you’re connecting to your parents, grandparents, and ancestors. Laughing at someone for trying is like laughing at them for trying to find their way home.
It takes courage to start late
It’s vulnerable to sound “rusty.” The people who try deserve respect, because they’re choosing culture over comfort.
And we must know that “Laughter kills culture”.
Every time we mock someone for mispronouncing, we teach the next child: “Don’t bother. Just speak English.” That’s how dialects die.
Correct them gently, clap when they get it right, teach them the proverbs and slang. That’s how it sticks. Most elders learned by being corrected with love, not ridicule.
If we want our dialects to survive the next generation, we have to be the people who say “Try again, I dey with you” instead of “Ah ah, what kind of Asusu Uburu is this?”
If you are learning ASUSU UBURU- DO NOT STOP!!
We are rooting for you!
