Today’s prompt for streams of consciousness Saturday is ‘ta’ a British slang for thank you which we could use it this way, or find any other word that starts with those two letters.

When we were much younger we used to say ‘ta da’ cheerily as a slang for expressing surprise, see you, there you are and it’s amusing to hear my children using this same slang for the very same expression and I honestly can’t recall teaching them that.

So it does appear that the English slang has passed from one generation to the other.

However, at this point in time as the word ‘ta’ comes to my mind, I am hardly thinking British at that moment. I am thinking in my native Igbo language.

In my language, the word ‘ta‘ is an abbreviated way of saying today, and its long form is ‘ubochi ta‘

Back home it’s used in a lot of proverbs especially by adults who use it to buttress a point.

Ta also refers to a fond way of addressing a little baby by stressing the word ‘ta-ah-ta’ being a shortened form for ‘nwa nta kiri’ meaning small child.

So with that said, I will ask you a question in my language and bid you a good day.

Kedu ka ubochi ta melu? How is your day today?

Ta bu gbo. Which means that the day is still young and you can achieve what you want. There is still time as long as there’s life.

Ka eme sia. See you later.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha