Some incorrect funeral-related expressions have become very common and popular in the Ghanaian society.
I would, therefore, like to highlight and correct them to set the record straight. Mediocrity in both oral and written English should not be encouraged.
To start, I cannot fathom why the noun ‘obituary’ is commonly written as titles on funeral posters and billboards in the country. Are we not doing the wrong thing?
The Oxford Dictionary defines obituary as ‘an article about somebody’s life and achievements, that is printed in a newspaper soon after they have died’.
Based on this definition, I think it is wrong to run funeral posters and billboards under the title ‘Obituary’. These posters and billboards usually announce funeral arrangements.
The following funeral-related expressions are incorrect:
Laying in state
The correct expression is ‘lying in state’. Besides, it is incorrect to hyphenate it, as in ‘lying-in-state’.
The original expression is ‘lie in state’ which means ‘to place the dead body of an important person on view in a public place before being buried’.
The progressive tense of the verb ‘to lie’ is ‘lying’ and not ‘laying’. ‘Laying’ is the progressive tense of the verb ‘to lay’ which usually functions transitively. In other words, it takes an object. Eg: Relatives are laying wreaths on the grave.
This mistake (laying in state) is commonly found on posters and billboards that announce funeral arrangements.
One-week observation
We should rather say or write ‘One-week observance’.
Observation is the act of watching somebody or something carefully for a period of time, while observance is an act performed as part of a religious or traditional ceremony.
Based on their respective definitions, ‘One-week observance’ is correct, while ‘One-week observation’ is incorrect.
One-week celebration
Another common mistake is ‘One-week celebration’. We normally celebrate an event with joy, not sorrow.
In fact, losing a relative forever is very painful; hence, the funeral of a relative is a sorrowful event which does not call for a celebration.
Call to Glory
The correct expression is ‘Called to Glory’. Instead of writing ‘he or she has been called to glory’, we simply write ‘Called to Glory’.
Similarly, instead of writing ‘he or she has gone too soon’, we simply write ‘Gone too Soon’, not ‘Go too Soon’ like ‘Call to Glory’.
‘Called’ and ‘gone’ are the past participles of the verbs ‘to call’ and ‘to go’ respectively. Logically, the past participles of the verbs should be used in both expressions.
The expression ‘A Call to Glory’ is also correct. In this expression, ‘Call’ is a noun and not a verb.
Last respect
The correct expression is ‘last respects’. Don’t forget to add an ‘s’ to ‘respect’. We show respect but pay respects.
This expression is an idiom, and it means ‘to show one’s respect or affection for someone who has just died by coming to see his or her body or grave’. Eg: He came from Germany to Ghana to pay his last respects (not: respect) to his father.
Wake-keeping
The following sentence is incorrect: There will be no wake-keeping. The correct expression is ‘wake’ and not ‘wake-keeping’; omit ‘keeping’.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, wake is an occasion before or after a funeral when people gather to remember the dead person, traditionally held the night before the funeral, to watch over the body before it is buried.
Internment
The correct word is ‘interment’. Due to the similar spellings of ‘internment’ and ‘interment’, many mistake ‘internment’ for ‘interment’ on funeral posters and billboards.
Interment is the act of burying a dead person, while internment is the act of putting someone in prison for political or military reasons, especially during a war, as in: he was threatened with internment in a concentration camp.
The writer is a proof-reader/editor
E-mail -anthokyei@gmail.com
