Nigeria is one of the
countries of the world where English is used as a second language, and ever
since the English language left its primordial base for countries like Nigeria,
it hasn't remained unchanged. It has undergone (and still undergoes) all kinds
of changes in such countries. English users in these countries have used the
language in such a way that some of its standard expressions are no longer
intelligible by native speakers of the language because of the odd meanings
attached to them – meanings
that are different from their standard or actual meanings. One of such
expressions is "add weight".
Although the expression "add weight" exists in Standard English, its meaning is quite
different when used by Nigerian English speakers. In Nigeria, "add
weight" is synonymous to "gain weight". That is why Nigerian
English speakers say "You are adding weight" when
addressing someone who is getting fatter or heavier as a result of the excess
intake of fatty foods. However, as regards this, native English speakers will
say "You are gaining weight." "Add weight" is
the Nigerian English expression for "gain weight" in Standard
English. Other Standard English expressions for "gain weight" are
"add pounds" and "put on weight". It seems Nigerian English
speakers formed "add weight" on the model of "add pounds".
In the denotative sense,
"add weight" is used in Standard English to mean physically
increasing the heaviness of something by adding extra stuff on it. For
instance, if someone is carrying a half bucket of water, and you pour some more
water into it, you’re adding weight to their load.
Metaphorically, "add
weight" means "to make stronger". And native English speakers
often use it in this sense. If something adds weight to an argument, idea etc.,
it makes it stronger. For example, "The man's refusal to see his son's
corpse adds weight to the argument that he killed his son."
 |
| Longman (online) dictionary |
It will interest you to know that although "add weight" is
used by Nigerians to mean "gain weight", you will never hear any
Nigerian say "subtract weight" or "take off weight" to mean
"lose weight" probably because they have an adequate knowledge of the
meaning of "subtract" or "take off". Well, despite the
convincing reason(s) they may have for this, it is important to note that
you gain weight since you can lose weight, and not
the other way round.
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