Ahmadu Ali said contrary to a wild held view that Obasanjo held no credit in hand-picking Jonathan as a running mate to the late President Umaru Yar’Adua... He (Jonathan) couldn’t get any idea from our eyes as he was sitted opposite me and we were just watching him...” (OBJ Never Nominated Jonathan As Yar’Adua’s Running Mate – Ahmadu Ali, The Sunday Tribune, 5 June, 2011).

I draw readers’ attention to the curious expression, “a wild held view”, noting in particular the word wild. Meaning uncontrolled, untamed, violent, gone out of hand, the word wild sits oddly in the context in which this writer has placed it. The  illiterate transformation of the word widely (the appropriate adverb that should have given the whole expression in which it appears the suitable idiomatic character) is difficult but not impossible to describe. Confused by haste (that generally characterises journalistic activities) and insufficient familiarity with the forms wide, widely, wild and wildly, the writer has offered us the word wild in a context that belongs to the word widely.

At this point, we need to demonstrate the difference among these forms (wide, widely, wild and wildly) as a way of guarding against a re-occurrence of this gaffe. We start with wide and widely. (1) There is a wide difference between what you showed us yesterday and what you have brought today. (2) Janet has travelled far and wide. (3) Surprisingly, by 12 midnight, their doors remained wide open. (4) The boy’s answer to the question was wide of the mark. (5) There are wide-spread allegations of corruption. (6) The cancellation of the 1993 presidential election was greeted by a nation-wide protest. (7) Wide-ranging articles are being produced by the new company. (8) The decision was taken after wide consultations.

Now widely: (1) This opinion is widely held by the illiterate folk. (2) Widely travelled people usually benefit from the wisdom of people from strange lands. (3) Traditional and religious practices vary widely from place to place. (4) These revelations are widely cherished in West Africa. (5) Widely read magazines tend to me more expensive than the less known ones. (6) The journal is widely respected among scholars. (7) Scientists have offered widely different views on the cause of the malignant disease. (8) The language is widely spoken among the local people.

Now wild: (1) When there is too much secrecy in government, the people’s imagination tends to run wild. (2) The population of wild cats                                                                                                                                                                 has decreased considerably in this part of Africa. (3) That forest is reputed for being invested with wild animals. (4) Whenever that subject is raised, my friend is wild with anger. (5) At the moment, all the points you have raised are nothing but wild, unsubstantiated allegations. (6) Wild rumours feed on suspicion and lack of transparency.

Now wildly: (1) Talking wildly and sweating profusely, she must have been insane. (2) For about five minutes, the boy was dancing wildly. (3) The crowd was shouting wildly, demanding the release of their leader. (4) Immediately after the war, prices of commodities shot up wildly. (5) The girl was wildly in love with the boy. (6) His emotions are wildly unstable.

Next we note the form sitted offered in the context, “he was sitted opposite me”. This form does not exist in English. There is sit, yes; there is sat, yes; there is seated, yes. But there is no sitted.

We demonstrate the usage of the verb sit (whose past and present participle form is sat) as follows: (1) The old man sat in front of his house smoking tobacco and sipping tea. (2) Nobody can sit down when the president is still on his feet. (3) When I sat down, I noticed that some of my colleagues were still standing. (4) The arrangement is such that spouses are to sit together. (5) Beaten by rain and depressed, the young girl sat under the mango tree reflecting on her recent experience. (6) Some idle men are sitting down there chattering away their time.

Now seated: (1) Seated close to the Chairman was his wife of many years. (2) After the president was seated nobody was allowed to come in. (3) All invited guests are expected to be seated by 5pm. (4) I’m overwhelmed by the presence of the dignitaries here seated. (5) I prefer to remain standing until my boss is seated. (6) All junior workers are to remain seated at the end of the programme.

At any rate, the word seated is to replace the form sitted in the context under review.

SAMPLE II

“According to him, deficiency in human resources development and human capital formation will be strongly addressed in other to mature and maintain a well-trained workforce...” (New OAU VC Assumes Office, The Saturday Tribune, 25 June, 2011).

Let’s pay attention to the word other which occurs in the context, “in other to mature and maintain...” Distorted pronunciation and wrong lexical information must have led to the choice of the word other where order is the appropriate word. A heavy input from pronunciation incompetence is evident here. Chronically unable to articulate the sound represented by –th– accurately, many Nigerians would substitute dare for there, dose for those, fate for faith, border for bother, order for other, etc. This provides the background to the writer’s substitution of other for order.

Next, we illustrate the difference between the words other and order. First other: (1) The other day, I ran into one of my classmates. (2) Apart from this, there are two other examples I would like to cite. (3) Weakness of the body, among other symptons, is a sign of malaria. (4) The man claims that there are other men in his wife’s life. (5) I will call you if there is any other thing to tell you. (6) The other major problem here is lack of space.

Now we illustrate the usage of the word order. There are many senses in which the word is used. The sentences that follow illustrate the many senses of the word: (1) It is the duty of the police to maintain law and order. (2) The order of service will be agreed upon by the two clergymen involved. (3) Corruption has become the order of the day in Nigeria. (4) A boss who spends all day issuing orders is not likely to achieve as much success as the one who motivates his workers. (5) The waiter has taken our orders. (6) The names have been listed in order of seniority. (7) Please present your requests in order of priority. (8) I don’t take orders from the General Manager. (9) The steps of a righteous man are ordered by God. (10) Everything must be put in order before the Inspection Team comes. (11) The former president was said to be fond of disobeying court orders. (12) The names must be presented in an alphabetical order. (13) Anybody who threatens the social order will be severely dealt with. (14) The sickness deteriorated because he disobeyed his doctor’s orders. (15) I have placed an order for the equipment. (16) The shops were closed down on the orders of the court.