bigfrancis21:
The unwillingness of Anambrarians to learn southern Igbo is not really a matter of ego.

It may not be an explicit matter of ego, but there is ego in this nonetheless. It may be an extension of other things, but it's still relevant to this topic.

There may be 1 million Iheanyis in Imo state but there are even 3 times that number as Ifeanyis in Imo state alone and 5 times that number as Ifeanyis in the entire Igboland.

ChinenyeN:


It may not be an explicit matter of ego, but there is ego in this nonetheless. It may be an extension of other things, but it's still relevant to this topic.

The unwillingness of Americans to learn other languages is not ego but the lack of need to learn other languages when almost everybody speaks their language and understands what they say. It is not a matter of ego. The same applies to Anambra/Anioma people.

Oh well, I do not see why anyone should feel that referring to Onitsha Igbo as 'classy' is 'supremacy'. If it is interpreted in such manner then I must say there is some sense of inferiority complex lying somewhere.

The anology with America doesn't work. America does have an egotistical outlook, concerning itself. Anyway, back to us. I'm not saying that ego should be our focus, in this discussion. I'm just saying that we shouldn't do ourselves a disservice by pretending that our language situation is devoid of it. That is equivalent to lying to ourselves.

Oh yes, I think it well does. Another example woukd be Yorubas, especially those living in Lagos or the SW, who are known to be unwilling to learn other Nigerian languages, because several non-Yorubas understand and speak the language. Some Yorubas would even speak Yoruba to you not caring if you are Yoruba or not, and expect you to understand or speak it. Thus, many of them do not feel the need to learn other Nigerian languages when others understand them when they speak.

If you choose to call it ego as you see it from your distant point of view, it is your wish but as an insider, my Anambra people I know do not see it that way. I speak from experience.

You may speak from experience, in your Anambra view. I too speak from experience, coming from a "fringe" community, and I'm sure I'm not alone in this. I'm not saying the ego is an act you all willingly indulge in. I'm not saying that it is a central pillar in all of this. I just find it annoying that we should have to pretend as if it isn't there to begin with. That's all. We can mark this down as on of the grevances I may or may not have alluded to earlier, as a southern Igbo. I'm a reasonable person, and I'd like to think that I don't say things just to say things. Anyway, this isn't even the focus of the topic, so I'll just leave it alone and keep my mouth shut like I said I would.

Chiwude:
How do mean? Have you heard of the Ogutan's and the Oru of Orlu zone. Are you aware that up till today there is an offshoot of my community in Oguta called Ugbelle. Are you aware that many of my Isu ancestors usually visit those riverine areas of the Niger-Delta during the planting season, while some went for trading with the Nkwerre's. Many visited Aboh kingdom with the Oru's during it's epoch days while some founded communities in Ikwerre and Ekpeye. These and more are why many of our ancestors go by the name Osa, Olisa and Orisa. My maternal great great great grandfather Nwachukwu Duroshimiri was a wealthy slaver and his father before him were domiciled in Igweocha during those days. Its was in Igwenga with the Jaja's that the British saw him and appointed him warrant chief of my community. So don't think its only Onitsha that bear those names.

The lecture about the slaves is irrelevant. And doesn't your admission to your forefathers visiting the riverine areas lends credence to my statement that Olisa is foreign to Orlu ?

ChinenyeN:


It may not be an explicit matter of ego, but there is ego in this nonetheless. It may be an extension of other things, but it's still relevant to this topic.

Firstly,there is no such thing as "unwillingness",rather what you have is the assumption by Anambra speakers that every Igbo understands their tongue and this came from whence the Onicha axis Igbo was used as the language of worship in the church. The early adoption of this version made the tongue popular and intelligible to most Christians who are mostly Catholics. When I converse with a man from Owerri he has to lighten his tongue so I can understand him.

Nripriest, you pretty much repeated an earlier post of mine. If that's all you have to say, then we are on the same page, with respect to your latest post.

bigfrancis21:


@Bold...I agree with you. And that's the reason Northern Igbo people find it hard to learn southern dialects or the lack of interest thereof in learning southern dialects. Moreover, the average Anambra person does not feel the need to speak in a southern Igbo dialect when he can easily be understood. The reverse cannot be said of several southern groups. The unwillingness of Anambrarians to learn southern Igbo is not really a matter of ego.

When you guys say "unwillingness" it sounds like somebody has been asked to learn and they refused. The phrase should be lack of interest.

bigfrancis21:
Certain areas of Orumba and Nnewi souths generally speak sort of a mix of Anambra and Northern Imo dialects and their dialects are not close to what is considered mainstream Imo dialect or Owerri. With proximity to Imo state, it is understandable they picked up words from the Northern Imo axis.

Could another reason for the preference of Anambra Igbo by southern Igbo be because it is considered as 'classy'? I personally know Ezinne Akudo's (one-time most beautiful girl in Nigeria) mother (from Imo state, one of those boundary LGAs with Anambra state) and this lady prefers to speak Anambra Igbo instead. You would never tell she's not from Anambra. I had to ask her one day and she told me she's from Imo state, Arondizuogu I think. I also had another neighbour of ours from Arondizuogu who switches easily from Anambra Igbo to mainstream Imo Igbo when she wants. And her Anambra Igbo is flawless. This preference for Anambra Igb sometimes exhibited by people from the South is something I have witnessed too often.

The Igbo musician, Pericoma, is from Northern Imo i think but majority of his songs carry a strong mainstream Anambra flavour.

Now,let me correct you. Nnewi has a very distinct dialect that stands out from everybody else and it's not a mixure of northern Imo rather a few borrowed words. I literally speak Anaedo dialect. And so is Orumba they speak nothing like northern Imo....I have Awgbu friends and they look at me with amazement when I speak...They say vulu...carry. Nwankili....little kid. They speak very different from northern Imo.

NRIPRIEST:


The name came as a result of influence from Ogbaru people nothing more. If I see anybody from Idenmili with the name Chinemere I will instantly know it was borrowed.

How do you classify borrowed? If you say Orlu borrowed the Orisa, Olisa names then how do you classify that of Onitsha.

NRIPRIEST:


Now,let me correct you. Nnewi has a very distinct dialect that stands out from everybody else and it's not a mixure of northern Imo rather a few borrowed words. I literally speak Anaedo dialect. And so is Orumba they speak nothing like northern Imo....I have Awgbu friends and they look at me with amazement when I speak...They say vulu...carry. Nwankili....little kid. They speak very different from northern Imo.

This post will contradict you especially as it involves Nnewi and Orumba.

Chiwude:
He was a catholic, but his father before him a traditionalist went by the name Nwachukwu Duruoshimiri.

Are you from Amucha?

bigfrancis21:
Oh yes, I think it well does. Another example woukd be Yorubas, especially those living in Lagos or the SW, who are known to be unwilling to learn other Nigerian languages, because several non-Yorubas understand and speak the language. Some Yorubas would even speak Yoruba to you not caring if you are Yoruba or not, and expect you to understand or speak it. Thus, many of them do not feel the need to learn other Nigerian languages when others understand them when they speak.

If you choose to call it ego as you see it from your distant point of view, it is your wish but as an insider, my Anambra people I know do not see it that way. I speak from experience.

So the Anambra boys selling their wares in Ariaria and Owerri who speak southern Igbo are what.

adeitoro:


Are you from Amucha?

No I'm not, but we share the same local government. I'm from Umuaka. Oh, maybe the name attracted the question.

Chiwude:
No I'm not, but we share the same local government. I'm from Umuaka. Oh, maybe the name attracted the question.

Yea the "Duru"

adeitoro:


Yea the "Duru"

In those days, men usually attached the prefix Duru to their names as a sign of respect and prestige, just like an Italian Don. If for instance I bear Chiwude and want to prove my status in society, it becomes Duruchiwude. Yours becomes Duruadeitoro and stuffs like that. It may even transcend into becoming the surname of your offsprings and kindred. Most times a man after picking a chieftaincy title may want to go by a name that symbolizes his new identity. Instead of saying Obisirike 1, it becomes Duruobisirike.
However, there is another twist to the duru title. I was told by my uncle that it is the name of a foremost agbara (deity) that existed in time past in various Imo communities.
So when you meet a man bearing names like Duru, Duruakajiaku and Okwara, Okwarajiofor know that such person is from Imo state either Orlu, Okigwe and clans bordering Owerri.

Took a little nap,so i just came back.
Oh,you do know that Vulu and Nwankili correspond with Southern Igbo vuru and nwakiri(owerri),just a switch of l to r. I repeat Southern Anambra dialects are nothing like Anambra dialects. They are like a hybrid of what is spoken in Southern Igbo.

It's purely a general lack of interest and ego problem and has nothing to do with classy or preference. You people remind me of yorubas that live in igboland that will never touch igbo with a pole. At the end of the day,they give all sorts of silly reasons why they can never learn igbo language and simply pretend like all igbos on the face of the earth can speak yoruba. Same issue of ego, being unaccomodating and unreceptiveness are the same issues Anambras are facing.
If you sit down and understand the strategic history and place of Onitsha in Igbo history,you wouldn't be here claming nonesense about certain dialects.

It's a manifestation of a deep lying ego problem!


Even the people that fight onitshas for being partly Igala,Benin and Igbo are claming onitsha dialect simply becos it's located in their state. Lol,hahaha.
Just go ahead and speak onitsha,but i can assure you that onitsha igbo is as odd as spanish in Southern igbo.

Chiwude:
So the Anambra boys selling their wares in Ariaria and Owerri who speak southern Igbo are what.

Let's be honest, I never said Anambra people do not learn southern dialects but generally they do not show an interest in the dialects, except those who go out of their way to learn it, at most they speak Igbo Izugbe. Even though I am from Anambra, I speak mainstream Owerri dialect fluently, having spent part of my primary school days and all my secondary school days in Owerri. I know Owerri more than I know my state Capital of Awka. From Orji to Worldbank, to Amakohia to Akwakuma to Nekede through Naze, Works layout, Government House, Aladinma, Ikenegbu and what have you. I feel at home when in Owerri and my love of the town made me redeploy to Owerri from the North during my NYSC days.

Onye shi ala owere ari ya mma, ya kwara lie!

Maka ndi bee m na-aghotara ife m delu, ndi owere na-asi, onye si na ani owere a diro ya mma, nya binite naba!

Ezeagu, okwa o dikwa 'segzy'? Gboo nna?

I don't think 'vuru' is purely a southern Igbo word. My mother's people of Enugu state say 'vuru', vunye as in 'vunye m oche', or plain simple 'vii m akpa m' as in 'bii/bunye m akpa m'. In Igbo language, 'b' and 'v' are interchangeable and I've also heard Enugu people say, 'I mavuro' for 'I maburo' (you didn't know before), 'ivu' for 'ibu', 'avuva' for 'abuba' etc. If southern Anambra dialects say 'vulu', it is only a dialectical variation of 'vuru' and closer to mainstream 'bulu' in Anambra state.

Mainstream Anambra dialects are considered classy or posh. Even many from the south will readily agree with me on this. I don't see why anybody should get worked up over this.

On the flipside, anyone can qualify their dialect with whatever adjective as the need may be, Igbo people generally won't care.

NRIPRIEST:


Now,let me correct you. Nnewi has a very distinct dialect that stands out from everybody else and it's not a mixure of northern Imo rather a few borrowed words. I literally speak Anaedo dialect. And so is Orumba they speak nothing like northern Imo....I have Awgbu friends and they look at me with amazement when I speak...They say vulu...carry. Nwankili....little kid. They speak very different from northern Imo.

I have a very close friend whom I call my brother from Nnewi south who speaks fluent Anaedo and I often pick out words or phrases in common with my mother's people's dialect such as 'ghu' for 'gi' etc. Like you said, Nnewi dialect is unique in that it differs slightly from mainstream Anambra dialects and in some parts shares similarity with certain dialects of Enugu state such as those of Oji river.

I take back what I said earlier about southern Anambra being a hybrid of both.

Igbo language is quite diverse and unique! Below are regular sentences from my mother's Achi dialect of Oji River, Enugu state, with equivalent interpretations in Onitsha Igbo. One can notice its similarity to Anaedo dialect in terms of 'ghu', similarity to Onitsha Igbo in terms of sentence structure and similarity to Ngwa Igbo in terms of the 'la' preference.

Ndu bee m a lata! Ulu ejee! Aayee. (Ndi bee m a nata! Unu ejee! [Unu ejee is the achi way of saying 'nno']. Aayee is an expression of delight.)

Njii uzo ulu mgbaru wee la-abiafute ibe e? [Kee uzo unu gbalu wee na-abia ebe anunwa?]

Adaeze nwunye nwa m! Njii ka I meru? Ji ghu kwanu? Ndu bee ji ghu kwalu? [Adaeze nwunye nwa m! Kee ka I mee? Di gi kwanu? Ndi bee di gi kwanu?]

Lekwenu Chidi! Nwa agaba anyi. Nwa la e chochekwelu! Njii iye I la-eri? [Nekwanu Chidi! Nwa diana anyi! Nwa a e tosigonu! Kee ife I na-eli?]

M ma-agwotaru ulu jigbo ka ulu taa. [M ga-agwotalu unu abacha/ncha/jigbo ka unu taa]

Bia Njideka, njii akpa m? Njii ka O du? Si vii m akpa m. Patii ka. [Bia Njideka, kee akpa m? Kee ebe O di? Si bunye m akpa m. Butie ebe a]

O bu l'agu. [O bi n'agu].


Notice the preference for 'j' in place of 'd' as in Njii/Ndii, Ji/Di (Ji means both husband and yam in achi and depending on the setting, the listener understands which 'ji' the speaker is referring to), 'u' for 'i' as in gu/gi, ndu/ndi and also the overwhelming preference for 'l' in place of 'n' as in ulu/unu, la/na etc. Sentence structure wise, it shares similarity in structure with Onitsha Igbo.

Many communities/clan in Abia use Ghu/gu instead of gi which is even closer to the Enugu you are referencing. Isuikwuato to Aro(odumchi will have to verify), use I instead of N e.g M la agu akwukwo.
Parts of Enugu don't speak like Anambra apart from places influenced by the so called Anaedo dialect or in Enugu town proper where many Anambra people reside. So i still insist that southern Anambra is mostly a hybrid of Southern Igbo dialects.
There are so many things to pick out from those Oji river sentences which make them close to southern igbo than anaedo or onitsha,lmao.



For the sake of sanity in this thread,throw away that classy trash. I don't see what is classy in what looks like people struggling to speak igbo language,since you have refused to note the part Onitsha played in Igboland.

Translation of those sentences in dialects spoken around Uzuakoli,Nkpa Bende towns.
1. Nde ulo m,aluhuola m. Unu aloo (Welcome). In Owerri,they will say Ejee ayo to a traveller.
2. Nda uzo unu gbaru la agbafuta ebe a/ngor?
3.Adaeze nwunye nwa m nda otu/ka i meru or imeru awunu? Di ghu kwanu? Ndu ulo di ghu kwanu?
4. Leekwanu Chidi. Nwa ama ala ayi. Nwa etola so. Ndu ihe i l'eri?
5. M ga agwotaru unu abacha ka ulu taa.
6. Bia Njideka, nda/ndu akpa m? Nda nga o du? M si vii m akpa. Patia ya or vutee ya.
7. O bi l'agu.

I see more similarites between Oji river dialect and bende dialects of Abia. How is this similar to Onitsha/Anaedo dialects? Lol.



P.s Nda/Ndu/Nde can be used,it's a matter of preference. And Ulu or unu can be used based on the arrangement of the sentence.
If Nnewi people use vulu it's just a switch from r to l, which corresponds with vuru in Southern igbo and parts of Enugu state. The earlier the rest of you(anambra) understand that igbo people are people that migrated from different clans and subclans and settled in different places. The less you will hold onto artifical state and linguistic boundaries.

Biko,what's the standard Igbo for plantain
My people call it abrika but I can't seem to figure out the izugbe term for it

cheruv:
Biko,what's the standard Igbo for plantain
My people call it abrika but I can't seem to figure out the izugbe term for it

I only know Ogede,Unene or Unele for plantain.

Cheruv, abrika is all you need to know and all you need to speak. It's time these people learn to understand our speech as opposed to us having to dilute and change what we hold dear, just because they feel they don't have to change theirs. A ndito irinu la ke we? Okwu anyi, o gasi dikwa isi we ghaa? Wema to.

Outside of the Oru area, are there places in Imo and Abia where plantain is 'ogede'?