I've lived in the east for sometime, precisely between 2005/2006, but in my experience, I found it difficult to learn igbo language even when they are willing to teach me. Most of the words are difficult to repeat after them.
For instance, I've always heard that hausa language is very easy to learn and I don't doubt that, even though I've never really made an attempt to learn it. I've come across some hausa people in lagos, even lived with one and the truth is each time I tried to pick on some of their words, while they are talking, asking them for the meaning, it was never too difficult to say after them.
Now I've seen a lot of hausas speaking yoruba and a lot of igbos, among other tribes, speaking yoruba both one-on-one and in movies too although I used to think this was because most of them live in lagos, until my experience in the east. That was when I started thinking that apart from me being yoruba, yoruba language is easier to learn; hence its popularity among other tribes, and hausa language follow suit. Hardly seen another tribe speaking igbo.
What's your opinion on this?

Hausa
Yoruba
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150 tribes later
Igbo

It depends on your area, but Hausa most likely due to sheer number of speakers both native and non-native


Igbo is probably hard because of its use of turn of phrase from what I hear, its a proverb rich language so its very context-heavy.
Chinese is similar in the fact that language is more abstract than literal like English.

HAUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

In the North Hausa. In the east Igbo and in the west Yoruba.
@The poster, Igbo is spoken outside Igboland e.g in some parts of Rivers state (Opobo, Bonny, Buguma, Okrika etc). Non Igbo communities in Cross River and Benue state speak Igbo because of its nearness to Igboland.

Hausa. It is †ђξ lingua franca of †ђξ entire north and middle belt. And anyone who lives in †ђξ North fir any lenght of time speaks it.

Pidgin English

honeychild: Hausa. It is †ђξ lingua franca of †ђξ entire north and middle belt. And anyone who lives in †ђξ North fir any lenght of time speaks it.

It is the lingua franca of far north and not the entire north.

Igbo is probably hard because of its use of turn of phrase from what I hear, its a proverb rich language so its very context-heavy.

Yeah, that might be true, but d problem I had hasn't got to d point of heavy context, it was just at d preliminary level i.e., pronouncing some of d words correctly while trying to learn was so difficult, and that discouraged me from continuing.

@The poster, Igbo is spoken outside Igboland e.g in some parts of Rivers state (Opobo, Bonny, Buguma, Okrika etc). Non Igbo communities in Cross River and Benue state speak Igbo because of its nearness to Igboland.[/quote]

Thanks 4 d info

honeychild: Hausa. It is †ђξ lingua franca of †ђξ entire north and middle belt . And anyone who lives in †ђξ North fir any lenght of time speaks it.

@Bolded, Oh yeah? Why dont I know a bit of hausa and I'm from Kogi State?
@op Yoruba..

Ileke-IdI.]

Hausa
Yoruba
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150 tribes later
Igbo

Lol.