Moto(r)problem

Speaking Ghanian english, or rather trying to do so, you are sometimes reminded how big a diverse the english language is. It is after all spoken across the globe in many different cultures either as the lingua franca or as the mother tongue. But everywhere it is spoken slightly different. Just take the example with my little motorbike. I think many of you would know what I was saying if i talked about my Bike. Well not if you are from Ghana, then it is called a Moto(r).

Why is I talking about my moto today? Because this week I had a little problem that could have been dangerous. Driving through heavy traffic at the market area I suddenly could use my hand break and I must confess that I panicked for a moment. The problem was that the left handlebar had become loose and was now blocking the break handle while making slowing down impossible. It was a good that I remembered that the Moto do have a break pedal before it was to late. So I was limping away.

But not for long because on my road I stopped by the Abenyagah compound just to say hi, and Godfred soon solved my problem as you can see on the picture.

Når man taler ghanesisk engelsk, eller rettere forsøge at gøre det, bliver man nogle gange mindet om, hvor forskelligartet og stort et sprog engelsk virkelig er. Der bliver trods alt talt i mange forskellige kulturer overalt på kloden, enten som lingua franca eller som modersmål. Men der er forskel på hvordan det tales fra egn til egn. Tag som eksemplet med min lille motorcykel (Motorbike). Jeg tror, ​​at mange af jer ville vide hvad  jeg snakker om hvis jeg siger min Bike. Men ikke hvis du er fra Ghana, så hedder det en Moto(r).

Hvorfor taler jeg da om min moto i dag? Fordi jeg i denne uge havde et lille problem, der kunne have gået rigtigt galt. Jeg var på vej gennem markedsområdet i tung trafik da jeg pludselig ikke kunne bruge min håndbremse, og jeg må tilstå at der for et øjeblik var panik på. Problemet viste sig at være den højre side af styret hvor speederen var gået løs og nu blokerede for bremsen. Så jeg kunne hverken tage gassen helt af eller bremse. Det var godt at jeg i tide huskede at min Moto også har en fodbremse. Efter denne åbenbarelse var kommet over mig kunne jeg halte væk.

Men ikke for længe, ​​for på min vej stoppede jeg ved  Abenyagahs kompleks, bare for sige hej. Og som du kan se på billedet fik Godfred hurtigt løst mit problem.