3.5 Finding Meanings of Words by Searching Round the
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One of Abubakar's first actions, after boosting his popularity by freeing a number of political prisoners, was to postpone the hand-over of power to civilian rule which had been scheduled to take place in October this year. He replaced Abacha's promise with a new one of his own. Oh dear, business as usual then…. Promises are exceedingly cheap in Nigeria, especially if they fall from the mouth of a head of state.
Generals Muhammadu Buhari and Ibrahim Babangida made them and broke them. Many people, though, have gone ahead and accepted Abubakar's sincerity about the coming of a seismic political change opting to give him the benefit of the doubt. But then again, they have no choice. The hand-over will now involve a series of elections culminating in a presidential poll on February 27, 1999.
Despite the caution and the misgivings, there is palpable air of optimism. People are getting used to being able to say what they think publicly, without expecting a policeman to cart them off to prison. The media is also pushing the boundaries of freedom of speech. If a journalist wants to call a former head of state a swindler who brought the country to brink of ruin, he or she is free to do so.
There is a sense in which Abubakar and his Provisional Ruling Council are genuinely trying to implement changes. He has started building bridges across the geopolitical divide, inviting the mainly Lagos-based pro-democracy activists to the capital, Abuja, to hear what they have to say. The group spearheading this agitation, the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), has grudgingly accepted the transition timetable.
Abubakar has restored diplomatic relations with Canada, re-established air link with Britain and the United. States, and has earned Nigeria the goodwill of the international community.
An Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been set up, with both party and voter registration beginning in earnest. So far there have been more than one hundred political associations jostling for recognition. And Scores of politicians have been swarming around Abuja. There's a real buzz.
One of the main reasons for Abubakar's popularity, it seems, is that he happens not to be Abacha who is now openly and roundly reviled.
According to Rasheed Gbadamosi, the recently installed Minister for National Planning in Abubakar's new cabinet- ‘‘The current military regime is different from those who wielded power in the last four or five years. They thought they had a monopoly of everything. I think we are now enjoying a breath of fresh air’’. Of Course, someone with a smart new job is likely to say such flattering things, but it is a sentiment which is echoing through many quarters.
Source: BBC Focus on Africa, (1998).
The list of the words which meanings are to be formed is given below:
1. slumber 10. cart 2. paradoxically 11. swindler
3. renaissance 12. geo-political divide 4. fatal 13. agitation
5. incarnation 14. jostling 6. boosting 15. swanning 7. seismic 16. wielded 8. palpable 17. sentiment 9. optimism
Do not turn to the discussion below until you have completed the exercise. You will be doing yourself no good by reading the discussion before you attempt the exercise. The exercise is meant to make you learn how to do it. The discussion is merely to let know how well you have done.
Now that you have completed the exercise, read the discussion.
I think you will agree with me that you can use clues (or suggestions) given in the passage to determine the meanings of the words of familiar words.
Words Clues Meaning
Slumber Snoring in the previous Sentence
Woken up
Sleep
Paradoxically The words death and sprung do not agree
they contradict
Ironically
Renaissance The word sprung from death suggests
coming to life
Rebirth
Fatal The words mourned his death suggest
something fatal
Deadly
Incarnation The words change in the second line to
the top, new general in the previous line
suggest newness
New birth
Boosting The word popularity and the many things done by Abubakar
Increasing
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Seismic The word political change unprepared for
Sudden
Palpable The words caution and
misgivings in the previous line suggest doubt
Probable
Optimism The doubt expression earlier on is being changed where the word is used
Brightness
Cart The expression off to prison shows they were thrown
Put, or cast Swindler The expression brought the
country to brink of ruin suggests a doubtful leader
Trickster
Geo-political divide The expression building bridges across suggests gap
Gap caused by politics and location
Agitation Inviting people to Abuja to hear what they have to say suggests pressure
Pressure
Jostling More than one hundred political associations, obviously they must be struggling, since they are many
Struggling
Swarming Scores of politicians… there’s lot of buzz
Noisily
roaming round Wielded Military regime who…hold to
power in the last four years
Forcefully controlled
Sentiment Saying that is echoed Feeling
To find meaning of words, I advise you to always search round the words. Sometimes, the idea, the other words, expression or illustration given before or after the words you are finding the meanings, may give you clues to the meanings of such words. Practise this; you will see that it works.
4.0 CONCLUSION
The effort in this unit is to expose you to some of the ways you can deduce meaning of words from the context. The unit has also emphasised the importance of acquiring new words, daily. Without reading widely, it may be difficult for you to acquire new words.
5.0 SUMMARY
This unit has exposed you to:
the importance of gaining new words
how to find the meaning of a word by word attack and
how to find meanings of words by searching round the passage.
In the next unit, effort will be intensified to expose you to more ways of finding meanings of words in reading passages.
6.0 TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT
Read the passage below and use the methods taught in this unit to find the meanings of the words that are written in bold letters in the passage.
Write out the meaning in the space provided.
I am deeply committed to real reconciliation with justice for all, and to peaceful change to a more just and open South African society to which tile wonderful riches and wealth of our country will be shared more equitably. I write to you, Sir, to say with all the eloquence I can command that the security police being given more draconian power to do virtually as they please without being accountable to the courts of our land, courts which have it splendid reputation throughout the world for fairness and justice. That is why we have called, and continue to call, for the release of all detainees or that they be brought before the courts where they should be punished if they have been guilty of indictable offences.
There is much disquiet in our land that people can be held for such long periods in detention and then often either released without be.ing charged or, when charged usually acquitted; but this does not free them from police harassment. Though declared innocent by the courts, they are often punished by being banned or placed under house arrest or immediately re-detained. How long can a people bear such blatant injustice and suffering? Much of the White community by and large, with all its prosperity, its privilege, its beautiful homes, its servants, its leisure, is bogged down by the fear and sense of insecurity. And this will continue to be the case until South Africans of all races are free.
Freedom is indivisible. The whites in this land will not be free until all sections of our community are genuinely free. Then we will have a security that does not require such astronomical sums to maintain, huge funds which could have been used in far more creative arid profitable ways for the good of our whole community, demonstrating as it will that people of different races can live, amicably, together. We need one
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another, and Blacks have tried to assure Whites that they don't want to drive them into the sea. How long can they go on giving these assurances and have them thrown back in their faces with contempt?
Source: Desmond Tutu’s Hope and Sufferings. Kenton College Press (1983).
Write out the meanings of the words as used in the passage in the space provided below.
1. reconciliation_________________________________________
2. equitably_____________________________________________
3. eloquence____________________________________________
4. draconian____________________________________________
5. splendid______________________________________________
6. indictable____________________________________________
7. disquiet______________________________________________
8. detention_____________________________________________
9. harassment___________________________________________
10. blatant_______________________________________________
11. hagridden____________________________________________
12. indivisible____________________________________________
13. astronomical__________________________________________
14. amicably_____________________________________________
15. assure_______________________________________________
7.0 REFERENCES/FURTHER READING
Olaofe, I.A. (1991). English and Communication Skills for Academic Purposes. Zaria: Tamaza Publishing Co.
Olaofe, I. A. (1993). Communicate English. Zaria: Tamaza Publishing Co.
Sim, D. D. & Laufer-Dvorkin, B. (1987). Vocabulary Development.
London: Collins ELT.