Between magistrate’s court and magistrates’ court

Akeem Lasisi

lasisienglish@gmail.com; 08163939335

At the risk of contempt of court, let us take a trip to the judiciary arena today. I want us to discuss some commonly used legal terms – or, if you like, commonly misused court-related expressions.

Interestingly, the discussion will start from the handling of the word, legal, itself. It is not in terms of its spelling or any other area of grammar. Rather, it concerns how it is pervasively mispronounced.

As it happens to most other words that end with al, many people want to pronounce legal so ‘generously’ that the sound /a/ is very prominent. So, from them we get something like le-g-a-l, even usually with the /l/ left out. This is not correct.

Note that in the correct pronunciation of legal, the /a/ is silent; all you have is the /g/ and /l/ coming together, without the /a/ sounding in-between them. In other words, you have ‘liigl’ and not ‘liga’ or ‘liigal’.

This attempted representation of the pronunciation should also tell you that the letter ‘e’ in the word is not pronounced like the ‘e’ in met or red or let. Rather, it is pronounced as the ‘ee’ or ‘ea’ you have in speed, seed, mean, scream etc.

To appreciate the silent ‘a’ factor, you should link legal to the other words that end with al in English. The same rule applies to them as the a is not to be pronounced. These include local, normal, suicidal, lackadaisical, inaugural, fatal, racial, mental and principal. Consider the case of principal. It is to be pronounced the same way as principle, with the last syllable sounding ‘pl’, not ‘pal’. Look up the words in the dictionary and pay attention to the way they are pronounced.

Well, if some people feel that this is a request too much, students and other candidates sitting for WASSCE and the UTME should not ignore it. Failure to pay attention to such details is part of what gives birth to the poor results that many record in English in the almighty exams. For instance, what will be your answer if the examiner asks you to identify the word that has the vowel sound /a/ in the following?

mean

mental

examine

ate

The answer is neither mean nor ate. And it is not mental! It is only in examine that you have /a/.

In the dock

The expression, to put someone in the dock, is an idiom. This means that it is a fixed expression that is better used as it is. The dock, in this context, cannot be arbitrarily changed to a verb – as many of us do, including the media houses:

Kelvin Adubi, the pension fraud suspect, docked (Wrong)

Kelvin Adubi, the pension fraud suspect, in the dock (Correct)

The justice minister has vowed to dock the thieving officials. (Wrong)

The justice minister has vowed to put the thieving officials in the dock. (Correct)

magistrate’s court or magistrates’ court?

Most of us know what the courts that deal with less serious crimes are called. What we may find puzzling is how to write the term. Is it magistrate court, magistrate’s court or magistrates’ court?

The last is the standard form that you should stick to:

The man will be tried at the Sabo Magistrate Court. (Wrong)

The man will be tried at the Sabo Magistrate’s Court. (Wrong)

The man will be tried at the Sabo Magistrates’ Court. (Correct, because it is a court for all the magistrates (hence, magistrates’ court) and not for one magistrate…)

Charge with, convicted of

Lastly, I want to refresh your memory on how some verbs commonly used in the description of court matters combine with prepositions. When you suspect that someone has committed an offence and you express this, you are accusing him or her of doing it (accuse of). If you formally take him to court, he can be charged with (not for) the crime. If he is found guilty, he is convicted of the crime – not convicted for.

Answers to last week’s assignment

For … sake, I will stay with the chairman till tomorrow.

(a) conveniency (b)CONVINIENCE’ (c) convenient

(d) conveniency’ss

Is that your … bag?

(a) SISTER IN-LAW’S (b) sister’s-in-law (c) sister-in’s-

law (d) sister-in-law

If Chelsea had won the match, some people would have

called for … head.

(a) Man’s U’s coach’s (b) Man U coach (c) MAN U’S

COACH’S (d) Man U’s coach

Those who got all the answers right

Wole Ogunsade, Ifeanyichuwku Ibekwe, Shola.M, Akin Gandonu, Mikairu G.Y, Adegoke Tiwalola, Chukwudi Iheanacho, Adegoke Adeyemi, Moshood Elede, Cephas Zaro, Ighakpe Daniel, Akinola Ilesanmi and Odo Collins.

Others who also did well

Akbar Bello, James Benita, Ihekwoaba Ndidi, Tunde Egbedokun, Sunmonu Fasai, Afolabi Olalekan, Fasasi Kehinde, Adeyemi Daniel, Faronbi Ifeoluwa, Nnamdi Chiegbo, Gift Uturu, Ishola Oluwatoyin, Musa Olufunke, Adunni Ogunsakin, Bayo Adekoya, Okwe Abraham, Adeyeye Cecilia, Ejemasa Lucky, Ironkwe Jones, Femi Dada, M.s Adelugba, Issa Ayomo, Oshin Florence, Adeleke Taiwo, Ephraim Odeiga, Francis Ezeanya, Imafidon Odiagbe, Kolapo Barakat, James Azibato, Toyin Oyewoga, Oye Olajumoke, Olawale Ayodeji, Effiong Archibong, Idongesit Ekpamfon, Ibukun Emmanuel, Ms. Esther, Olugbenga Adu, Omokanju Abiodun, Akinola Arowojolu, Egboja Daniel, Adebayo Abdulmajeed, Foluke Ogunsanya, Halimat Awonuga, Suleimon Kafilat, Kolawole Kareem, Sulaimon Baleeqs, Femi Femkas, , Shaba IK, Ayanlola Oluseyi, Esther Padonu, , Kafar Adewale, Muoka Johnny, Seyi Adewuyi, Olayinka Adesina, Rotimi Oyedele, Prince Agunbiade, Gani Oladipo, Yekeen Mutiu, Ogunlade Kayode, Emmanuel Oni, A.B Adejumo, Oladimeji Sunday, Enoch Adewumi, Godwin Akpoghome, Oladipo Issac, Egberongbe Bashir, Azeez Monsuru, Akintunde I.O, Rotimi Jaiyeoba, Dickson Ogala, Tope Erijiyan, Timothy Olufayo, Aransiola Oluwole, Ayomuiyiwa Ayoade, Ustaz Faisol, Oladipupo Muhammed, Rotimi Adeleye, Oludare Olufade, Oyedare Segun, Akinyemi Taiwo, Egoma Ilokwu, Abiodun Elesin, Onaolapo Oluwatamilore, Tijani Amidu, Roland Olisa, Aremu Afolabi, Orimisan Akinwa, Famuyide Funke, Asan Kafilat, Babatunde Akinwale, Afolabi Ogunjobi, Stanley Nduagu, Peace Pius, Adewunmi Maria, Adetokunboh, Meg Folorunso, Fatai Ayinde, Tunde Anibaba, Obafemi Oluyomi, Abraham Akposienwa and Onaolapo Oluwatamilore.

Homework

Do you still … table tennis?

(a) practice (b) practise (c) practsing (d) practicing

The chief has been charged … stealing.

(a) on (b) against (c) for (d) with

Governor Fayose … travelled before the cattle invaded

the town.

(a) have (b) has (c) had (d) are

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