afam4eva:

Whats SCI?

Southern central Igbo.The Igbo you hear people speak in Aba,Umuahia,Owerri,Okigwe,Orlu etc.It is not really the dialect of any of these people.

The northern central Igbo is the Igbo spoken in Enugu,Onitsha,Awka,Nnewi,Awgu etc.It is nobody's dialect.

Abagworo:

Cross River Igbos generally use "jookwa" or "Ka" as a general form of greeting.These include Item,Abiriba,Ohafia,Edda,Ehugbo,Ohaozara and more.The Ngwa say "mazi" while in Imo and Anambra you have variances of "Ajee","Deme","ooni","daalu","Ndewo" and more.

We say "Ajee" in Delta, at least in my part.

Damn I like this thread already. . .sometimes I fuss over the fact that I was raised in Lagos. I just started coming to terms with the need to identify with my igbo origin. Even though Dad and Mum were in the habit of speaking in igbo language to us when communicating, it is still a shame I cant speak it fluently with the proficiency of an eastern bred igbo. Am making efforts anyway, even though sometimes I just miskogbio the thing when I encounter difficulty when speaking it to my granny . . Lol. Good thing is my Parent ensured we all went to higher institutions here in the east and it has really helped me to understand many things about our culture, tradition and varying dialects. Like for instance, Popsi speaks Owerri with mad precision that my Anambra neighbor back in Lagos always listens in awe and laughter, they sometimes say things to make him talk only to their entertainment. You know there is sth smooth and cheesy about the owerri dialect that makes you just wanna listen, I mean hearing an Owerri man like my dad lost in that dialect can be as smooth to the ears as ice water dripping down an icycle. You know the 'ishi ni ni' i wu o la(do u understand) and so on. . . However, when it comes to names mehn, I am a sucker for the anambra varients for instance imo-ihunanya, Anambra-Ifunanya, ifeoma,iheoma, Tochi,Tochukwu,Ogechi and Ogechukwu. Another dialect of note is that of Nekede, I notice them say uyor for ulo and so on. . . . . By the way, which of the igbo varients is the acceptable standard in literature writing and general communication? I once had that arguement with a coleague and he insisted it was the NCI as many of thier scholars dominate igbo literature anyway. Guys what do you think?

Chyz*:

We say "Ajee" in Delta, at least in my part.

Then you are Abagworo's brother.You must be from Ukwuani.

Abagworo:

Then you are Abagworo's brother.You must be from Ukwuani.

Yes. mbeneni ooo.

rhymz:

Damn I like this thread already. . .sometimes I fuss over the fact that I was raised in Lagos. I just started coming to terms with the need to identify with my igbo origin. Even though Dad and Mum were in the habit of speaking in igbo language to us when communicating, it is still a shame I cant speak it fluently with the proficiency of an eastern bred igbo. Am making efforts anyway, even though sometimes I just miskogbio the thing when I encounter difficulty when speaking it to my granny . . Lol. Good thing is my Parent ensured we all went to higher institutions here in the east and it has really helped me to understand many things about our culture, tradition and varying dialects. Like for instance, Popsi speaks Owerri with mad precision that my Anambra neighbor back in Lagos always listens in awe and laughter, they sometimes say things to make him talk only to their entertainment. You know there is sth smooth and cheesy about the owerri dialect that makes you just wanna listen, I mean hearing an Owerri man like my dad lost in that dialect can be as smooth to the ears as ice water dripping down an icycle. You know the 'ishi ni ni' i wu o la(do u understand) and so on. . . However, when it comes to names mehn, I am a sucker for the anambra varients for instance imo-ihunanya, Anambra-Ifunanya, ifeoma,iheoma, Tochi,Tochukwu,Ogechi and Ogechukwu. Another dialect of note is that of Nekede, I notice them say uyor for ulo and so on. . . . . By the way, which of the igbo varients is the acceptable standard in literature writing and general communication? I once had that arguement with a coleague and he insisted it was the NCI as many of thier scholars dominate igbo literature anyway. Guys what do you think?

the igbo they teach in primary and secondary school is based more on the dialect spoken around umuahia axis.

asha 2:


the igbo they teach in primary and secondary school is based more on the dialect spoken around umuahia axis.

I don't think so. My friends coming to our house in Owerri had to tune their ears to UHF when I conversed with my dad and my Umuahia is even diluted.

I think central Igbo is a fusion of mainly Imo and some parts of Abia and the southern part of Enugu. It must have been developed from the Igbo spoken in urban areas as they are a fussion of many dialects and belong to no one in particular.

Abagworo:

Ohafia says "Ndaa".[b]Umuahia says "Ndaa",[/b]Ikwerre says "Ndaa".Owerri says "I mela kp'ole".Mbaise shares with Owerri,Etche,Omuma and Ngwa.Ndoki says "Olia" and Opobo says "Olia".

We are more likely to say olia than ndaa, but would mainly say: "i du oke ole ?", "I du agini", "ahu du gu ike?" "I putala ?", "ndugu oke I du?" "I meru oke ole?"

asha 2:


the igbo they teach in primary and secondary school is based more on the dialect spoken around umuahia axis.

That's not true . . . there's something called central igbo which sounds more like what Anambra - Onitsha people speaks. That's what is being taught in schools!

rhymz:

Damn I like this thread already. . .sometimes I fuss over the fact that I was raised in Lagos. I just started coming to terms with the need to identify with my igbo origin. Even though Dad and Mum were in the habit of speaking in igbo language to us when communicating, it is still a shame I cant speak it fluently with the proficiency of an eastern bred igbo. Am making efforts anyway, even though sometimes I just miskogbio the thing when I encounter difficulty when speaking it to my granny . . Lol. Good thing is my Parent ensured we all went to higher institutions here in the east and it has really helped me to understand many things about our culture, tradition and varying dialects. Like for instance, Popsi speaks Owerri with mad precision that my Anambra neighbor back  in Lagos always listens in awe and laughter, they sometimes say things to make him talk only to their entertainment. You know there is sth smooth and cheesy about the owerri dialect that makes you just wanna listen, I mean hearing an Owerri man like my dad lost in that dialect can be as smooth to the ears as ice water dripping down an icycle. You know the 'ishi ni ni' i wu o la(do u understand) and so on. . . However, when it comes to names mehn, I am a sucker for the anambra varients for instance imo-ihunanya, Anambra-Ifunanya, ifeoma,iheoma, Tochi,Tochukwu,Ogechi and Ogechukwu. Another dialect of note is that of Nekede, I notice them say uyor for ulo and so on. . . . . By the way, which of the igbo varients is the acceptable standard in literature writing and general communication? I once had that arguement with a coleague and he insisted it was the NCI as many of thier scholars dominate  igbo literature anyway. Guys what do you think?

Lol   

You really do have a passion for the language don't you   

It's nice to know your dialect and be able to communicate fluently with it. I grew up in Edo state myself and only got to learn the Igbo language when I had to school at UNIZIK - Awka. Having lived in Awka for over 8 years now, I can speak, write and understand the language mush more than any of my siblings!    

And I think the Owrri dialect is classic . . . It sounds almost poetic. I also love the 'Kana we (ebe 'a kita) ' people! 

Ujujoan:

That's not true . . . there's something called central igbo which sounds more like what Anambra - Onitsha people speaks. That's what is being taught in schools!

There are two central Igbo. The written and sopken. While the written Igbo has it's origin in the Umuahia area. the spoken Igbo which is my favourite is from the Onitsha axis or Awka.

afam4eva:

There are two central Igbo. The written and sopken. While the written Igbo has it's origin in the Umuahia area. the spoken Igbo which is my favourite is from the Onitsha axis or Awka.

Nope, central Igbo is the same as written Igbo and the Igbo you hear on TV and Radio news. However, people hardly speak pure central Igbo during communications with others.
It's like that in UK as well, the telly and radio News English is different from the street English.

The Igbo you hear in towns and cities is Urban Igbo with a hint of the indegenous Igbo. I mean, the Igbo you hear in Aba, Owerri, Umuahia, Enugu, Osha, etc are no where near the local dialects.

I like Owerri dialect; especially when used in fighting talk by gals. "I shi nini a hu chaga gi ishi ?" ( I si na gini n'eme gi ni isi - what's your beef ?)

I don't think there is any difference between written and spoken central Igbo.

From what I can recall, most written and spoken central Igbo sounds more like Onitsha axis dialect.

Ogwashi dialect - it lures me to sleep, very romantic to my ears - Love it (Wa si na wa na bia) 

Owerri/Aba dialect - Entertaining, I can listen to it all day long ('ishi ni ni', i wu o la) 

Anambra East/Onitsha dialect - So much swagger (Kedu ife na enyele gi? A ga awanyeli ji) 

Wawa dialect - Hmmm, I can actually dance this one (Di anyi obu gunu na ada?) 

Afikpo/Abakiliki dialect - I have no clue 

afam4eva:

There are two central Igbo. The written and sopken. While the written Igbo has it's origin in the Umuahia area. the spoken Igbo which is my favourite is from the Onitsha axis or Awka.

     

Where did you get that from?

Abagworo:

All these people sef wey never travel round come dey yarn opata.

"Ole otu ime" is not Ngwa but SCI.Ngwa says "Ndii otu nnu".

@abagworo, "ole otu ime is widely spoken in Aba or is aba not ngwa land again? wats d fuss, carry time oooo

"Olee otu i me" is not okwu Ngwa, slyopez.

slyopez:

@abagworo, "ole otu ime is widely spoken in Aba or is aba not ngwa land again? wats d fuss, carry time oooo

Aba is Ngwa land but unlike Isi-alangwa it's cosmopolitan. So you still get that central Igbo juice that's found in Enugu and other major eastern cities.

Ujujoan:

     

Where did you get that from?

Ujujoan:

That's not true . . . there's something called central igbo which sounds more like what Anambra - Onitsha people speaks. That's what is being taught in schools!

Lol   

You really do have a passion for the language don't you   

It's nice to know your dialect and be able to communicate fluently with it. I grew up in Edo state myself and only got to learn the Igbo language when I had to school at UNIZIK - Awka. Having lived in Awka for over 8 years now, I can speak, write and understand the language mush more than any of my siblings!    

And I think the Owrri dialect is classic . . . It sounds almost poetic. I also love the 'Kana we (ebe 'a kita) ' people! 

. . . Now this is an inspiring story I must confess. You mean you grew up in Edo, could not speak until recently when you started schooling in the east? Did you make any effort to want to learn it? Like buy books attend igbo classes etc, just curious cos I may ve to resort to that if it worked for you. . .lol
By the way I think you are right about the NCI being the acceptable standard in literature, my Uncle has got a stash of igbo books most of them were written in NCI. But I dont know, there are people here with better knowledge of that sha, lol

afam4eva:

Aba is Ngwa land but unlike Isi-alangwa it's cosmopolitan. So you still get that central Igbo juice that's found in Enugu and other major eastern cities.

@afam4eva, tanx 4 explaining unlike abagworo wey be "iti boribo" wey wan insult me.

This thing you people are calling "SCI" is mostly the Ohuhu dialect of Umuahia, for this dialect listen to Bright Chimezie, it's actually a dialect that forms a large part of standard Igbo.

FACE:

I don't think so. My friends coming to our house in Owerri had to tune their ears to UHF when I conversed with my dad and my Umuahia is even diluted.

I think central Igbo is a fusion of mainly Imo and some parts of Abia and the southern part of Enugu. It must have been developed from the Igbo spoken in urban areas as they are a fussion of many dialects and belong to no one in particular.
We are more likely to say olia than ndaa, but would mainly say: "i du oke ole ?", "I du agini", "ahu du gu ike?" "I putala ?", "ndugu oke I du?" "I meru oke ole?"

No, Umuahia-Ohuhu is a big part of Standard Igbo, you must be an Ibeku person.

afam4eva:

Aba is Ngwa land but unlike Isi-alangwa it's cosmopolitan. So you still get that central Igbo juice that's found in Enugu and other major eastern cities.

The Igbo spoken by non-indigenes in Aba,Owerri and Umuahia is a central Igbo based on various Southern Igbo dialects.It is quite different from Enugu/Onitsha.

The indigenes of Aba and Osisioma speak a dialect of Ngwa different from Isiala Ngwa.

ezeagu:

This thing you people are calling "SCI" is mostly the Ohuhu dialect of Umuahia, for this dialect listen to Bright Chimezie, it's actually a dialect that forms a large part of standard Igbo.

No, Umuahia-Ohuhu is a big part of Standard Igbo, you must be an Ibeku person.

Ofcourse I have told you before that I am from Ibeku, so don't act like you figured that out.

Bright Chimezie speaks urban Umuahia and not Ohuhu. There is not much difference between Ohuhu and Ibeku in terms of dialect, afterall, we are next door neighbours and I have friends and family from Ohuhu.

Are you from Umuahia ?

As an Umuahia person, it would be nice to say that central Igbo was derived from my area, but that is not the case. Central Igbo was derived from most parts of Imo, some parts of Abia and Enugu. For your information, I have a keen interest in languages and there is hardly any Igbo dialect that I won't be able to figure out. I also understand Yoruba and Hausa and would be able to talk myself out of a mess in French.

Who can guess this dialect?

Ke ebe i ne je (where are you going to)

afam4eva:

Who can guess this dialect?

Ke ebe i ne je (where are you going to)

North Central Igbo.Every Igboman understands it.Check this one out

Ndaa pa izize?(Where are you going)

My favourite Igbo is Onitsha and environs (Obosi,Oba,Ogidi etc). Check this out
Ke ife na eme i (what is wrong with you)
Gini na aso i (what is amusing you)

Nnewi Igbo is rather too heavy. O ngunu ka omelu (what has he done)
I love Owerri dialect in music though i dont comprehend more than 70% of what they sing!

nadneth:

My favourite Igbo is Onitsha and environs (Obosi,Oba,Ogidi etc). Check this out
Ke ife na eme i (what is wrong with you)
Gini na aso i (what is amusing you)

Nnewi Igbo is rather too heavy. O ngunu ka omelu (what has he done)
I love Owerri dialect in music though i dont comprehend more than 70% of what they sing!

It is what are you doing not what is wrong with you. I think you meant "Ke ife na me gi".

afam4eva:

It is what are you doing not what is wrong with you. I think you meant "Ke ife na me gi".

I do hear some folks from delta say 'kee ife na eme i?' to mean 'what's wrong with you?'.

I think they kind of replace 'gi'(you) for 'i' in their speech. But I doubt if the onitsha dialect uses that.

excanny:

I do hear some folks from delta say 'kee ife na eme i?' to mean 'what's wrong with you?'.

I think they kind of replace 'gi'(you) for 'i' in their speech. But I doubt if the onitsha dialect uses that.

Yeah, that's right.

FACE:

Ofcourse I have told you before that I am from Ibeku, so don't act like you figured that out.

Bright Chimezie speaks urban Umuahia and not Ohuhu. There is not much difference between Ohuhu and Ibeku in terms of dialect, afterall, we are next door neighbours and I have friends and family from Ohuhu.

Are you from Umuahia ?

As an Umuahia person, it would be nice to say that central Igbo was derived from my area, but that is not the case. Central Igbo was derived from most parts of Imo, some parts of Abia and Enugu. For your information, I have a keen interest in languages and there is hardly any Igbo dialect that I won't be able to figure out. I also understand Yoruba and Hausa and would be able to talk myself out of a mess in French.

Central Igbo is based on Ohuhu.

[center][img]http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=22s8AQAAIAAJ&pg=PA170&img=1&pgis=1&dq=%22of+1941+approximated+to+the+dialect+of+Ohuhu%22&sig=ACfU3U2xkd62QsLV1MPiy5LV5qqqN9yx3Q&edge=0[/img][/center]

Ndụñọde: Calabar journal of the humanities, Volume 3, Issue 1

http://books.google.com/books?id=fr_uW5b73UYC&pg=PA105&dq=central+igbo+ohuhu&hl=en&ei=av9XTdzQOoSohAeTwLyoDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&q=Ohuhu&f=false

I've heard Ohuhu, and this:

FACE:

We are more likely to say olia than ndaa, but would mainly say: "i du oke ole ?", "I du agini", "ahu du gu ike?" "I putala ?", "ndugu oke I du?" "I meru oke ole?"

is not it.

ezeagu:

Central Igbo is based on Ohuhu.

[center][img]http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=22s8AQAAIAAJ&pg=PA170&img=1&pgis=1&dq=%22of+1941+approximated+to+the+dialect+of+Ohuhu%22&sig=ACfU3U2xkd62QsLV1MPiy5LV5qqqN9yx3Q&edge=0[/img][/center]

Ndụñọde: Calabar journal of the humanities, Volume 3, Issue 1

http://books.google.com/books?id=fr_uW5b73UYC&pg=PA105&dq=central+igbo+ohuhu&hl=en&ei=av9XTdzQOoSohAeTwLyoDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&q=Ohuhu&f=false

I've heard Ohuhu, and this:

is not it.

I am not going to argue this any further. Don't believe every thing you read especially when you read only sections that suit you.

You are planning to teach me our dialects how?

Central Igbo would say "I putawa, wetara m ihe ahu" Ohunu equivalent is : "I futawa, wetaru m henahu" Ibeku would say " I futawa, wetaru m Ihe o" (all "o"s and "u"s have dots under). If you want to hear Ohuhu, you have to hear it in Ohuhu or from a person that grew up in Ohuhu. By the way, Ohuhu say olia too and the other ones I mentioned are mainly spoken at compound/family levels.People are more likely to speak Urban Umuahia these days. Maybe you do not realise that when people talk about Umuahia, they are invariably referring to Ibeku which forms a large chunk of Umuahia which includes Ohuhu, Umuopara, Ubaka, Olokoro, Umunwanwa etc. 

Even the link you posted suggested that Central Igbo was taken from areas around Owerri and Umuahia (Imo and Abia) and I said Imo, Abia and Enugu having heard and being familar with dialects from those areas, so I can't understand your determination to liken Central Igbo to Umuahia.

Again I ask: are you from Umuahia ?

I have the privilege of Knowing Umuahia dialects as a son of Umuahia and speaking Central Igbo learnt from School and in town and can make educated comparison, so on what grounds are you trying to argue ?

Frankly speaking a Southern Igbo cannot differentiate Delta Igbo from Anambra unless he is widely traveled.

FACE:

Central Igbo would say "I putawa, wetara m ihe ahu" Ohunu equivalent is : "I futawa, wetaru m henahu" Ibeku would say " I futawa, wetaru m Ihe o" (all "o"s and "u"s have dots under).

That is not Ohuhu. I've heard it, it would be "I futawa, wetara m ihe ahu" just like central Igbo. The thing you wrote seems more like Ngwa. One of the differences with Ohuhu and Central Igbo is the bu which Ohuhu uses wu, another is the fact that Ohuhu use their nose a lot and add a lot of 'shi', ('O shi gini'/'O si gini', 'Ishi'/'Isi', sukoshuo onu',), and they use 'j' (as in the French way of saying it) instead of 'z' in a lot of words (jim/zim), apart from that there's little different between the two. Most people have difficulty understanding anything from Owerre so it can't be the main base of Central Igbo. And I know about the different groups, Ohuhu and Umuokpara speak the same thing because Umuokpara split from the Ohuhu community, the Enugu-Port Harcourt motorway splits the two communities.

Can anyone guess this dialect.

Ebe ki joko? Kiwuzi ohun? Yi e rizini igi?

Abagworo:

Ndaa pa izize?(Where are you going)

ezeagu:

Can anyone guess this dialect.

Ebe ki joko? Kiwuzi ohun? Yi e rizini igi?

. . . and we all speak the same 'Igbo language' how? Anyway Ezeagu, I'm going to take a wild guess and say some part of Anioma. What does it mean?

ezeagu:

Ebe ki joko? Kiwuzi ohun? Yi e rizini igi?

'Where are you going?', 'What is this (one)', 'You're not eating the yam?'

ChinenyeN:

. . . and we all speak the same 'Igbo language' how?

[center]
[flash=640,390]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSHHbfY6MVc[/flash]
[flash=640,390]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzAD2GLfaNU[/flash][/center]