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IGBO: A linguistic legacy
M. O. Ené, Ph.D. New Jersey, USA
We are no more our own interpreters Who will tell our stories Now that we are busy narrating foreign tales We are children who have lost a taste For their mother’s soup Dogs who do not recognize their owner’s call We have reincarnated in other lands before we are dead We are warriors who have taken to orgies With hostile women We have gone to play across the river And forgotten to return home.
Excerpts from “Reflections” by Francis EgbokhareBreaking Barriers: ICT, Language Policy and Development.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
The Igbo live in a dynamic society, a complex socio-cultural setup they inherited from great ancestors. Archeological finds in and around Afikpo, Nsukka, Igbo Ukwu and Ugwuele reveal beyond all doubts that human beings existed in Igboland as far back as 100,000 BC to 50,000 BC. No matter what these ancestors looked like and no matter what languages they spoke, we know that cultural activities are not new to the theatre of Igbo civilization. In essence, the Igbo are probably the major “landlords” of the territory we today call Nigeria.
According to Professor M. A. Onwuejeogwu, Igbo language emerged from the proto-Niger linguistic groups about 8,000 years ago. Probably because of the republican nature of the Igbo people, the “degree of difference of varieties of Igbo language spoken today” is extensive. There are probably as many Igbo dialects as there are the so-called “autonomous communities.” The many dialects have not helped the desired emergence of a single spoken or written Igbo. Despite decades of efforts, the dialects persist. However, the existence of dialects does not constrain the advancement of languages; Igbo language should not be an exception.
There are so many problems confronting the advancement of Igbo language. The most serious is apathy on the part of those who should know better: the adults. Many Igbo people have taken it upon themselves to submerge Igbo and promote other linguistic legacies, especially English. Even in urban areas of Igboland, some parents brag that their children do not speak Igbo! In Lagos, Igbo children speak fluent Yoruba and English and no word of Igbo. Overseas, the sorry situation gets worse: In America, they learn Spanish too. Adults are not left out: many have Anglicized their last names or made their first (Christian) names their surnames.
Often I get emails from students born of Igbo parents who could not figure out the meaning of their Igbo names. I have stopped asking why they never asked their parents to teach them to speak the language. I know the answer: a blind person cannot lead another. It is unfortunate, but speaking Igbo language is one thing; knowing its grammatical fundamentals is another. Attempts to organize functional Igbo classes have failed for so many reasons, too many and too painful to recount. The bottom-line is that many Igbo associations in New Jersey have moved away from their raisons d’être, thereby failing generations yet unborn.
Igbo: The correct representation The first thing anyone should know about a language is the correct name. You will be surprised that some Igbo people still use “Ibo” because the American, who easily and correctly says “Schwarzenegger,” cannot handle the consonant “GB.” The use of any other spelling purporting to refer to the Igbo people and their language is an unacceptable corruption of the word “IGBO.” The letters “g” and “b” together form one consonant, and it is pronounced with a bilabial-implosive sound. “Gb” has an unmistakable guttural sound that cannot be represented with “b.” Many African languages are replete with the consonant: Agbani, Adegbenro, Gbagbo, Egba, Egbo, Ogbalu, Ogbe, Ogbemudia, Ogbomoso, Ogbulafo, Okigbo, Olugbenga, Ogba, etc. Simply stated, the use of “Ibo” is absolutely unacceptable.
Furthermore, “Igbos” is incorrect. There is no African language that forms plurals with the letter “s.” The use of “Igbos” is as grammatically incorrect as the use of ‘Englishes’ or “Frenchs” would be. Those who cannot resist the urge to pluralize “the Igbo people” should use “Ndiigbo.” “Ndi” (meaning “people of…”) is the appropriate prefix for plural formation. It is advisable to use “IGBO” for the people and for the language in both singular and plural contexts. Note that “Ndiigbo” is not an adjective; only “Igbo” functions both as a noun and as an adjective. There should be no such thing as “Ndiigbo person” or “Ndiigbo issue.”
Igbo IZUGBE Asusu bu usoro obula mmadu na ibe ya ji-ekwukolita maobu edekolita uche ha nakwa ihe ha choro. Ma o bughi maka asusu anyi na-asu, mmekolita mmadu na ibe ya ga-esi ike; o ga-adi ka ebe onyeogbi na onyentiike na-akpá nkátá! Language is indeed a great tool of communication, a skill that sets human beings apart in the animal world. Without language, communication amongst humans would have been a nightmare. Imagine going for a day without uttering a word to anyone—not even to yourself.
As aforementioned, Igbo has many dialects, and it is now spoken in every major market in Africa, from Cape Town to Cairo and from Dakar to Dar es Salaam. The Society for the Promotion of Igbo Language and Culture has done a lot of work in promoting a commonwealth Igbo called “Igbo Izugbe.” Some Ndiigbo think that the proposed pan-Igbo language is Owere dialect-based; it is not. The following few examples prove the point that Igbo Izugbe is not really about a particular dialect:
Igbo Izugbe English Some dialectical variations afo stomach avo, ifo, efo ahu body aru, ashu, eshu mmanya wine mmia, mmii, mmui, mmee Oka maize Ogbadu, ukwuoru, akpaakpa ugbu a now kitaa, kitaanwa, Uduu, fundua, nwoo Unyaahu yesterday Unyaa, echi garaaga, nnyaahu nnoo welcome nnoa, i biala, i jee, alua, amushi, deeje, daalu Thanks i meela, kaa, anwula, doo, i mee
THE INCOMPLETENESS of igbo No language is “complete.” Those who do not easily find appropriate Igbo words for certain English terms offer this as the reason for not investing time in speaking and advancing the Igbo language. They are dead wrong. Late last year, someone dared me to provide a sample telephone greeting in Igbo. I did:
“Nke a bu igbe ozionu nke Maazi Ogochukwu Ené. I hapuru m onuogu telefoonu gi nakwa obere ozi, aga m azaghachi ya mgbe na-adighi anya. Ka Chineke chebe ma gozie gi."
Somewhat satisfied, the fellow wanted to know the Igbo lexical item for “telephone.” I asked him for the English equivalent for “telephone”! You see, almost all English word with “ph” is Greek: “photo” (light); “phobia” (fear), “graph” (write), “philo” (loving), etc. In other words, Igbo does not have to go fishing for words, especially when it is obvious that the object is a recent invention.
The simple point here is that no language is “complete”—except Latin, which is dead! You take from others to make up yours, just as English borrows from everywhere. What is the English word for “udara”? Is “kola” or “tsunami” or “kindergarten” or “pizza” English? In Igbo, we should not be shy about borrowing. We should Igbonize and use some words. For example: “Nakwa echeki” is used and understood as Igbo slang, since late HRH Eze Alexius Njemanze, Igwe Ozuruigbo IV n’Owere, first used it—even though it is rooted in the English verb “to check.”
diaspora dimensions New words emerge everyday, especially in Igbo communities abroad. Instead of wasting time wondering what terms to use, we should start “inventing” and using new words in our everyday discussions. All languages borrow and adapt or invent. The other day, someone said it would be hard to talk about the winter in Igbo. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you want to say, “Snow falls in winter,” you can say: “Ibubeoyi na-ada n’uduoyi,” where “ibubeoyi” (Igbo for “cold ash”) means “snow,” and uduoyi means “winter.” Of course, “mbidoudumiri” is spring; “udummiri” (summer); and okochi (fall).
In these days of the Internet, the Igbo language can easily keep up if we put our minds to using the available terms. Note the following: komputa (computer); amasaiba (cyberspace); ozi-ikuku (electronic mail, e-mail); zige (send); gbapia or kopia (copy), odu (mouse), Intaneti (Internet); mpiajiulo or obimpiaji (homepage); etc.
THE PROBLEM TO ADDRESS: Language is a vehicle for cultural development. Without a good grasp of basic Igbo linguistics, the Igbo culture would simple shrivel and become extinct. The Igbo-USA Constitution recognizes this fact in its Preamble. Section (i) states: “Our culture reflects the soul of our people,” and (ii) “Our language is the most effective vehicle for our cultural growth.” Brilliant! O’u gini jizi nkita onwu? No one expects the fourth-to-seventh generation Igbo-Americans to speak perfect Igbo—which would be great, but do we have to lose it before our own eyes with the first generation? What language do we normally speak at Igbo meetings and in our various homes? Simple: unstructured Engliigbo—at best.
It is so sad that at a time many nations are pioneering serious linguistic advancement projects, such as language-specific keyboards and automatic speech recognition of their languages, the Igbo are yet to take seriously the teaching of Igbo language. That’s the issue to address. The unwritten political outreach of Igbo-USA, New Jersey, is channeled through the World Igbo Congress. It is now left for the executives and delegates to deliberate and invest in the promotion of our language and the “most effective vehicle for our cultural growth.”
PROPOSAL: Igbo-USA should immediately establish a summer school for the teaching of Igbo language. Starting from the first week of May and every Saturday until the fall, Igbo children and those interested in learning the language can meet for at least two hours. For what one pays to get a baby-sitter for one-hour—because our people are suspicious of freebies—Igbo-USA should subsidize and offer the classes to anyone who would want to participate according to age and level of expertise.
Before anyone concludes that talk is cheap, I offer my expertise. Adults are welcome too! Please note that proficiency in Igbo, a recognized modern language spoken by almost 50 million people worldwide, can save a student $2000:00 in college tuition fees alone at a state university and $4000:00 at a private university. The class is a small investment with potentially great dividends. And we have not considered the high demand of multilingual employees in multinational companies or in state security services. Ngwanu nu, o luo n’omume; agbakwana oso makana Igbo maa mma, i sokwe!
© MOE, Monday, April 4, 2005
#### Okaa Ené is the author of “Jaundiced Justice”; his latest literary work, “Blighted Blues,” is published by Adonis Abbey, London, UK in April 2005.
M. O. ENE's "Igbo: A linguistic legacy" is culled from IGBO DAY 2005 celebration journal in NJ, Saturday, April 16, 2005 =====
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