Abagworo:


Ngwa and Ezinihitte are alike except for the nasal differences and some Oratta influence on Ezinihitte. Ngwa seems to have adopted the nasal aspect and their Ezinihitte brothers left that out.

Ngor just like Etche sounds like a mix of Ngwa and Oratta with slight differences like Oratta will say "Ishi nini", they will say "ika nni" or "isi nni" which in central Igbo is written as "isi gini" or "ikwuru gini". However when you move a bit Southwest towards Ikwerre around the Isu-Etche and Ohaji area, the dialect becomes more Ikwerre-like and not easily distinguishable with some Ikwerre dialects spoken around Elele, Ubima, Omerelu etc.

Mbano speaks an Isu dialect just like Mbaitoli, Ikeduru, Nwangele, Amaraku etc. They have their differences as well but are Isu based.

Is /nni/ present in some Ebonyi dialects too?

Eke40seven:
I think we all should respect and embrace the diversity inherent in our language, and learn one or two things from it. I remember, during my NYSC days in Delta, we had quite a number of Igbos in my LGA all from different tribes. Then, an Anambaran who grew up in Onitsha will moan about his wishes to speak in the ‘scholarly and ‘central’ smoothness of one Umuahian who was raised in Aba, while I admirably try to master some of his own words and Anambaran flows. Invariably, three of us will try to mimic the structures of the Owerri dialect of two female corpers in our midst in order to woo and impress them in our jovial manner. However, they generally marvel at the exoticness of mine when I jam mine together with all the dialects and will further be amused and held aback when I speak with a family member on the phone. Most times, I had to compromise and tone down my dialect when speaking with them because mine is a bit more exotic but that doesn’t make mine more “bushy’, as matter of fact, I have never stayed in a ‘village’ for more than 2 weeks at a stretch and the frequencies are very far in between.

All major languages of the world has dialects and the degree to which a particular dialect diverges from the ‘standard ‘ or popularly used language does not in any way proves the inferiority, superiority or even the pureness of the language in terms of origin, although it may be in terms of modern standardization. I will use some points and valid examples to buttress my points. I must admit that some of the points have been erroneously raised or used in the wrong context.

For instance, someone raised the issue of Germany in drawing parallel to the Igbo situation and am going to use that and more to raise further points. Germany is an ethnic group like the Igbos too but with different tribes and regional dialects. Germany as a country is not equal to German in the true sense of the word. The German ethnic group has clans and had been divided into kingdoms for centuries. Ethnic Germans comprises those in Germany, Austrians, Switzerland (Over 55%), Liechtenstein, and some parts of Luxembourg with other minorities in other countries. The dialects differ from place to place. Although in each of these countries the standard German may differ.

Let me face Germany alone to make my explanation clearer. Just like in the old kingdoms, Germans recognize themselves by regions, e.g, Bavarian, Hamburger, Berliner etc. they pride themselves in their competitiveness and so is their regional accent, which differs and sometimes hardly intelligible. Now, the standard German spoken is the unifying factor and one expected of everyone. However, the written version quite differs from the colloquial version because of accent. Now, this is where my point will come in.
Bavarian is regarded as the hardest and weirdest accent and some people will laugh at their heavy tones, while Hannover is where they speak the clearest, most ‘accentless’ and ‘purest’ form of Standard German. In order words, if you are looking for a ‘posh’ German taught in school and spoken by the educated Hannover is where it is spoken. If you are a broadcaster on TV or you are speaking to an audience, Hannover is the accent to use. This doesn’t mean however that the origin of the real German language came from Hannover, in fact, far from it. However, when it comes to the perception of who is more German, that is another case. In fact, Bavaria is one of the most wealthiest and economic vibrant state in Germany and traditionally they look down on other German as less German and generally poorer and less industrial. In the eyes of the world, Bavaria is Germany both in terms of their culture and the wealth which they possess and others will actually frown at this ‘false’ external perception. Despite the use of standard German, you can always be pointed out as different from your accent. Now, who would you regard as more German?

In the case of Italy, you would associate the ‘’greatest’ people historically in the country as Romans, from Rome, however, the spoken standard Italian language is from Florence, Tuscany and that is where you will get the clearest Italian accent. Theirs was adopted because it was the home of Italian Reinsurance and literature. Now, the fact that someone has to learn Florentine in order to sound educated and posh in a country full of accent and dialects doesn’t mean that people from Florence are more educated or better than people from Milan and Turin or even Rome and it doesn’t make them less Italian and vice versa.
However, the influence of standard Igbo may not be far reaching as it is in this two countries I mentioned because they already have an official language which is more widely used and promoted in media and government and education as against what is obtainable here where your regional accents is already competing with English before even considering how the standard Igbo sounds or look like but we can draw some parallels in order to get a better insight into the debate on this thread.

I would rather we dispense our energy analyzing and extoling our diversities and strength while also pointed out our areas of weakness in a reflective manner in order to improve and make the Igbo Nation stronger.

Since the subject of debate here is the ‘superiority’ of the Anambarans, a term which is NEVER appropriate in any sense when referring to a people from same or similar stock especially not from someone who visited codified the four walls of a school. We should rather project their strengths while also drawing the parallels with our own origin. The comments and opinion will be more matured and objective that way.
P.s. Forgive me if my write up fails to flow in a literal style, as I have been typing with a phone. My next series of comments will be on the strengths of Anambarans as a people based on my interactions with the ones I know and what I feel my kinsmen can learn from them and also areas I feel they should improve upon.

E ji ye. Your analysis was indept and intellectual. I have really gained a lot from this thread. To add to it, I noticed that there is a varying degree of similarity between the Owerri dialect and Ikwerre dialect.

Abagworo:
Ngwa and Ezinihitte are alike except for the nasal differences and some Oratta influence on Ezinihitte. Ngwa seems to have adopted the nasal aspect and their Ezinihitte brothers left that out.

This is news to me. The indigenous Ezilihite speech form that I am familiar with is indeed nasaled, just as with the rest of the southern Igbo speech forms. However, I am aware of Mbaise youth who are nowadays speaking a more 'unionized' (Union Igbo-influenced) version of the indigenous dialect. Is that what you're referring to? Because I know what indigenous Ezilihite sounds like. In fact, in simple terms, when it comes to dialect, the majority of communities in Mbaise (extending over Ezilihite into Ahiara, Oke and Okwuato communities) are indigenously 'Ngwa-speaking', nasals included.

This thread is not only exciting,it is also one of the most educative on Igbo history with emphasis on the various Igbo groups being dealt with by some of the brightest igbo minds on nl. @Radillo,Odenigbo,Pazienza,ChineyeN et al,please how did u guys know soooo much about Igbo history and traditions? I found it hard to believe I know almost nothing compared to u guys.Kindly recommend books and sites where I can consult to shore up my knowledge.My cousins here in the states are also passionate about Igboland eventhough they've been here just 3 times in their lifetimes so far. Please can someone also tell me who is "Ezechima"?.Was he an Nri mystic on expedition to Benin who through his uncommon prowess was able to found many towns today or was he a Benin prince banished from the palace and how come he bore igbo name? I shudder to think of the latter as am totally convinced he was an Igbo man on a journey.Even the great Zik of Africa hinted on his Benin ancestry and I found that repulsive.Please you guys should assist and clear the air on this as it has been a topic of endless debate here.Igbo bu ofu+May God bless us all!

Handsomegod:
This thread is not only exciting,it is also one of the most educative on Igbo history with emphasis on the various Igbo groups being dealt with by some of the brightest igbo minds on nl. @Radillo,Odenigbo,Pazienza,ChineyeN et al,please how did u guys know soooo much about Igbo history and traditions? I found it hard to believe I know almost nothing compared to u guys.Kindly recommend books and sites where I can consult to shore up my knowledge.My cousins here in the states are also passionate about Igboland eventhough they've been here just 3 times in their lifetimes so far. Please can someone also tell me who is "Ezechima"?.Was he an Nri mystic on expedition to Benin who through his uncommon prowess was able to found many towns today or was he a Benin prince banished from the palace and how come he bore igbo name? I shudder to think of the latter as am totally convinced he was an Igbo man on a journey.Even the great Zik of Africa hinted on his Benin ancestry and I found that repulsive.Please you guys should assist and clear the air on this as it has been a topic of endless debate here.Igbo bu ofu+May God bless us all!

Nnamdi Azikiwe talked about his Igala ancestry not Benin. Onitsha seems to be a blend of Igala Settlers, Benin and Igbos. Onitsha is equally an Anioma town.

ChinenyeN:


This is news to me. The indigenous Ezilihite speech form that I am familiar with is indeed nasaled, just as with the rest of the southern Igbo speech forms. However, I am aware of Mbaise youth who are nowadays speaking a more 'unionized' (Union Igbo-influenced) version of the indigenous dialect. Is that what you're referring to? Because I know what indigenous Ezilihite sounds like. In fact, in simple terms, when it comes to dialect, the majority of communities in Mbaise (extending over Ezilihite into Ahiara, Oke and Okwuato communities) are indigenously 'Ngwa-speaking', nasals included.

It has similarities but differs from Ngwa. Apart from the fact that they have silent "T" like Owerri, they also lack deep vowel in there sentences and speak with mouth bit more open. If we are to write Ezinihite bearing in mind the speech form then it should be "Ezhilihi'e".

Most Southern and Northeastern Igbo dialects have nasal effect on so many words and in some instances serves as difference between two similar words.

"ra" in sex is not same as "ra" in lick. That of sex is basically "rna" or "ran" if we write it by pronunciation using Edo or Yoruba orthography.

Ihuomadinihu:

Nnamdi Azikiwe talked about his Igala ancestry not Benin. Onitsha seems to be a blend of Igala Settlers, Benin and Igbos. Onitsha is equally an Anioma town.

Zik did mention Benin in his autobiography. According to him, his grandmother told him that Ezechima came from Benin.

Radoillo:


Zik did mention Benin in his autobiography. According to him, his grandmother told him that Ezechima came from Benin.

Oh yes! I think it's an error on my part. Zik mentioned that the parents of his father were direct descendants of Eze Chima.

Ihuomadinihu:

Oh yes! I think it's an error on my part. Zik mentioned that the parents of his father were direct descendants of Eze Chima.

Does that then made Ezechima a Benin man or an Nri mystic on expendition to and Benin and back to the hinterlands? Unraveling this Ezechima's enigma holds the key to settling the hydra-headed identity crises ravaging parts of Anioma and even some Onitsha indigenes.Please anybody with answers to these? Udo chia#

Handsomegod:
Does that then made Ezechima a Benin man or an Nri mystic on expendition to and Benin and back to the hinterlands? Unraveling this Ezechima's enigma holds the key to settling the hydra-headed identity crises ravaging parts of Anioma and even some Onitsha indigenes.Please anybody with answers to these? Udo chia#

The account that Eze Chima was an Nri mystic on an expedition to Benin is the result of recent speculation. Just like the account that he was an Aro trader. I also don't think he came from Benin. The Bini do not have any memory of such a figure. Egharevba only incorporated the Ezechima story in subsequent editions of his history of Benin after obtaining it from non-Bini sources.

The Agbor people, however, have traditions that Eze Chima or Eze Chime (as he is known in Aniocha in Delta) was an Agbor man. His name in Agbor traditions is given as Kime. According to Agbor traditions, during the time of Obi Adigwe of Agbor, Kime took some of the paraphernalia of kingship and fled to Obior, which became the 'spiritual centre of the Umu Ezechime clan of Delta State. (Agbor is said to still commemorate the event in their Osiezi festival.)

Early in the 20th century, Northcote Thomas also wrote that the account he obtained from the Umu Ezechime clan was that they migrated from 'somewhere between Igbodo and Onitsha Ugbo'...which, I think, roughly approximates to the frontier between the Ika and the Aniocha.

I think the whole Ezechima/Ezechime story is a remembrance of how Bini-style political and cultural institutions diffused into the Aniocha axis and then eventually to Onitsha, not firsthand from Benin, but from Ika. And Ezechime/Ezechima was more likely an Ika man than anything else.

In Obior, Ezechime was said to have introduced the Ogbanigbe festival, a festival common among the Ika people. Dein is another word that appears to have originally been distinctly Ika, but in the forms nwa dei and umu dei are now widely diffused in the Bini-style kingdoms that sprang up east of Ika - another likely indicator of an eastward spread of Bini-influenced political ideas directly from Ika rather than firsthand from Benin.

My personal views though.

Well, the Ezechime story, sure do have many versions. Another version of the story had it that Ezechime made a stop at Agbor, in his journey from Bini to lands East of Bini.

The circumstances surrounding his migration from Bini to Aniocha/Oshimili area,have also been suggested as a plausible reason why the Bini history was totally silent on his migration.

Personally,i believe that Ezechime once resided in Bini, but i disagree that he was anything but an Igbo speaking man,from the very beginning.

Radoillo:


The account that Eze Chima was an Nri mystic on an expedition to Benin is the result of recent speculation. Just like the account that he was an Aro trader. I also don't think he came from Benin. The Bini do not have any memory of such a figure. Egharevba only incorporated the Ezechima story in subsequent editions of his history of Benin after obtaining it from non-Bini sources.

The Agbor people, however, have traditions that Eze Chima or Eze Chime (as he is known in Aniocha in Delta) was an Agbor man. His name in Agbor traditions is given as Kime. According to Agbor traditions, during the time of Obi Adigwe of Agbor, Kime took some of the paraphernalia of kingship and fled to Obior, which became the 'spiritual centre of the Umu Ezechime clan of Delta State. (Agbor is said to still commemorate the event in their Osiezi festival.)

Early in the 20th century, Northcote Thomas also wrote that the account he obtained from the Umu Ezechime clan was that they migrated from 'somewhere between Igbodo and Onitsha Ugbo'...which, I think, roughly approximates to the frontier between the Ika and the Aniocha.

I think the whole Ezechima/Ezechime story is a remembrance of how Bini-style political and cultural institutions diffused into the Aniocha axis and then eventually to Onitsha, not firsthand from Benin, but from Ika. And Ezechime/Ezechima was more likely an Ika man than anything else.

In Obior, Ezechime was said to have introduced the Ogbanigbe festival, a festival common among the Ika people. Dein is another word that appears to have originally been distinctly Ika, but in the forms nwa dei and umu dei are now widely diffused in the Bini-style kingdoms that sprang up east of Ika - another likely indicator of an eastward spread of Bini-influenced political ideas directly from Ika rather than firsthand from Benin.

My personal views though.

@Radoilo. Thanks for your insight and I must say am hearing this Ika foundation of Ezechima for the first time.There is absolutely no doubt that he was an Igbo man.His origin and itinerary were the unclear issues here. I recalled someowhere in this forum where discussions on Nri history noted that at the height of their power,Nri was like the spiritual empire at a time that "export" her dibias+mystics to far flung corners way beyond their enclaves. Ezechima must have been not only a warrior but a man of no mean spiritual repute to establish towns on both sides of the great River.I sincerely wish something like our own version of "dead sea scrolls" would be found where this matter and many more speculations on Igbo history and traditions would be unravelled.#Just a wish tho# Peace#

Finally, we have gotten the thread back to the intellectual path we have always craved. Good job guys. it is times like this I wish I knew more about my Igbo roots and her illustrious history.

Now, back to the theme of the topic and its original context. I know the Op has gotten more than she/he bargained but there are still some things I know she/he would want clarified. In my own little summarised way, I will air my point of view in a different context, by the way, different from the theme of supremacy to that of traits and character which I have noticed and taken note of with the little interactions I have had. What I hope to achieve at the end of the day is to view our fellow kinsmen from another Igbo tribe from a positive point of view while also addressing some of their negative part not in a derogatory way but with the view of the fact that humans are imperfect.
The people of interest here are the Anambarans and that is because the topic suggests so but I wish we can expand it to other Igbo tribes in subsequent posts.

I had close interactions with Anambarans as classmates who were also close friends, and from the experience with my father who had a lot of clients from the state.
In my class at Unilag, we had like 9 Igbos give or take one student out of about 57-60 students in a Yoruba dominated class (well, its in a Yoruba state, although our interactions with them were as cordial as a closely knitted family). However, there is a tendency for many of us to cluster into one section of the class. I didn't really understand the phenomenon neither was it my wish but it just happened, especially during class. We all were born in Lagos so we basically stuck to English Language as a medium of communication at all times.
However, as I said we had very cordial and happy relationship with our Yoruba mates. In fact, a girl in out midst had a Yoruba boyfriend (The yorubas in our class will go head over heels to have an Igbo girl, they were the finest though) We had 4 girls and 4 boys. 3 of the 4 girls were Anambarans (Okafor, Okpala and Amechimodum and one is Deltan (Okechukwu). The boys were I (Abian), two Anambarans (Okechukwu and Oduonye) and two Deltans (Okonji and Awana) am not sure the later is Igbo or not.
I give this lengthy insight because I want to point something out. That is the trend the Anambarans are setting in education too. The general perception that they only excel in trade is a myth. I have noticed also one thing they have in common whether in education or in business, and that is the ingrained belief that they should be number one inherently and they would do almost ANYTHING to prove that including 'racking sense'. I duff my hat for them in that aspect. The Anambarans in my class had the tendency to want to work harder and most importantly smarter than other groups. In fact, that infectious character robbed off on many of us. What they lack in any aspect, they tend to cover up by sheer determination. For instance, my Anambaran classmates were not really the best or even good when we take residual knowledge into consideration but they make up by their ruggedness and a fierce sense of competition and they are thorough.
They will usually pally and bond with you to get what they want not basically established on genuine friendship but be sure they will milk from your knowledgeable, learn from you and bettering you when results are out and the humility and loyalty they portray to get it is second to none. I just sit and marvel at the extent they will go just to be called the best while also looking at their shoulder to see who is coming next. They display this trait even when there is no competition. You will hear them say " Eke what did you get? 78, A abi? I got 73, A also but what could I have done wrong? I should have gotten 80." Then you hear next, "Eke it seems you are good at this course, we are reading together, I bought you....."

I must admit that out of the 4, 3 were in the top 5 in class, and the ones I know in other departments did extremely well. I was part though because of residual and not really on the determination ranking.
They also love to bond and form alliances to achieve a common goal although after that is achieved that is the end.
They have a bargaining spirit and they base most of their decision and strategies in life on getting the best deals. Most of the time it is overdone even to the point of dishonesty and betrayal of trust and true intents.
Most of them believe that in business not making excessively ridiculous profit is a sign of foolishness and would also want to subtly assert their smartness to gain even if it sometimes means cheating and doing it at the detriment of the other party.

In all, I admire their sense of kinship and brotherhood, determination to succeed and smartness in a competitive environment.

p.s. This write up does not in any intend to suggest that all Anambarans are the same, individuals or even communities may differ even when they are from same state. The stereotype is based on my personal interaction with them.
I'm typing hurriedly from a phone so please forgive my grammatical and spelling blunders if you come across them, no time to. edit much.

While I await more light to be thrown on Ezechima puzzle by my brothers on this thread,I also appeal to anybody who knows the history and the factors that led to towns in different states having same prefix(Isu) to their names even when they are located hundreds of kilometres apart from each other to enlighten me. For instance: Isu-Awa(Enugu state),Isu-Ulo(Anambra),Isu-Aniocha(Anambra),Isu-Ochi(Abia),Isu-Njaba(Imo). Any body with a clue? Any homogenous progenitory theory? Any migratory basis for their dispersion? Honestly,I wish our ancestors documented their lives!!!#sad# Happy weekend Umunnem!

Handsomegod:
While I await more light to be thrown on Ezechima puzzle by my brothers on this thread,I also appeal to anybody who knows the history and the factors that led to towns in different states having same prefix(Isu) to their names even when they are located hundreds of kilometres apart from each other to enlighten me. For instance: Isu-Awa(Enugu state),Isu-Ulo(Anambra),Isu-Aniocha(Anambra),Isu-Ochi(Abia),Isu-Njaba(Imo). Any body with a clue? Any homogenous progenitory theory? Any migratory basis for their dispersion? Honestly,I wish our ancestors documented their lives!!!#sad# Happy weekend Umunnem!

All Isu are one but not all have Isu prefix or suffix.

abagoro:


All Isu are one but not all have Isu prefix or suffix.

Really? Who are they? What's their origin/history? Why the dispersion and where are the others without the prefixes+suffixes? Please am asking strictly for enlightenment only! Also help me out with ur knowledge about ezechima.#Peace#+#damn any error#

abagoro:


All Isu are one but not all have Isu prefix or suffix.

Yeah, you're right. Also according to Asaba Ibuzo history, the founder of their town originated from the Isu hinterlands. This gives credence to the fact that the Isu heritage of Igboland is older than that of the Nri. From Nsukka, to Ikwerre down to Umuahia, it was evident that the Isu migration led to the founding of these areas. The problem with Igbo history is that the Nri aspect was given much prominence, while that of the Isu, even up till today has not been fully captured.

Chiwude:
Yeah, you're right. Also according to Asaba history, the founder of their town originated from the Isu hinterlands. This gives credence to the fact that the Isu heritage of Igboland is older than that of the Nri. From Nsukka, to Ikwerre down to Umuahia, it was evident that the Isu migration led to the founding of these areas. The problem with Igbo history is that the Nri aspect was given much prominence, while that of the Isu, even up till today has not been fully captured.

Are you sure you didn't mean Ibusa? Asaba traditions mention Nteje, not Isu.

Radoillo:


Are you sure you didn't mean Ibusa? Asaba traditions mention Nteje, not Isu.

Yeani concurred with you.He must have meant Ibuzo(Igbo-uzo) and not Ahaba.I also learnt Asaba was founded by Nteje farmers and the prominent personae was Nnebisi.Please correct me if am wrong. By the way,is there historical/consangual link between Okpanam town(Okpala Anam) and Anam in Anambra state? Anybody with a clue?

Handsomegod:
Yeani concurred with you.He must have meant Ibuzo(Igbo-uzo) and not Ahaba.I also learnt Asaba was founded by Nteje farmers and the prominent personae was Nnebisi.Please correct me if am wrong. By the way,is there historical/consangual link between Okpanam town(Okpala Anam) and Anam in Anambra state? Anybody with a clue?

Yeah, I meant Ibuzo. Sorry for the error. Modified.

Radoillo:


Are you sure you didn't mean Ibusa? Asaba traditions mention Nteje, not Isu.

modified

Handsomegod:
Yeani concurred with you.He must have meant Ibuzo(Igbo-uzo) and not Ahaba.I also learnt Asaba was founded by Nteje farmers and the prominent personae was Nnebisi.Please correct me if am wrong. By the way,is there historical/consangual link between Okpanam town(Okpala Anam) and Anam in Anambra state? Anybody with a clue?

Okpanam is not Okpala Anam,but Okpala ani. Okpanam people point towards Uchi in Ukwuani area as their origin, hence they say Okpala ani Uchi, though some parts of Okpanam have a history of migrating from Anam, some from Oba in Idemili, but the majority of Okpanam people lean towards Uchi.

Ifesinachi is from enugu state

Eke40seven:
This is a very interesting thread, I have read through the comments and I will make random comments based on all the assertions I have observed.
Personally, I have limited knowledge of the different Igbo dialects and wouldn't say am too vast in the culture or history. The knowledge of the dialects I have are based on my experience in Lagos, the occasional travels to my hometown in Bende L.G.A in Abia state and holidays in Aba and Umuahia, then recently, travels to Asaba and Owerri. and some history based on books and literature. I was born and raised in Lagos.
This background I highlighted above have influenced how I speak and relate to other Igbos and generally affects the dialect am comfortable with.
I'm from what we like to refer to as Umunnato, comprising of Alayi, Igbere and Item, our dialect is quite different but very very closely related to Abariba and nporo (an outsider may not notice the differences). People say that our accent has the same tone with 'calabar' (used in the general sense to represent cross river and Akwa-ibom languages). The language is intelligible to other Igbo speakers but that is when is toned and slowed down though for easily assimilation and communication. However, the influence of this language on the wider Abian dialect is not that great, one, there are no major towns in this area conglomerating other Igbos and the number of speakers and the geographic stretch is limited, although the people themselves are everywhere.
This language is what my parents brought me up with in Lagos and that is what is spoken at home and the use of CL was only used in "The Lords prayer", "Bible reading" and hymns. Now when communicating with other Igbos, I had to mix and pick up their accents and dialects here and there to construct mine to get a version to ease communication.. So if I meet many Anambarans and am compelled to speak Igbo, I tend to pick up and will generally flow with their tune and use some of their accent to tone down mine for easy communication. My parents were surprised when I started using 'ga' like 'mega', 'kwuga', 'gaga', after Two weeks in Owerri. However, I must admit that all the igbos are special in their own way.
Obviously, some are harder and hardly intelligible for a non native speaker. For instance, there was a large Ebonyi (Ezza ngbo, Ngbo and other neighbouring communities) in my former neighbourhood and more in one particular neighbourhood around. Initially, their accent was so weird that we hardly understood it was Igbo apart from some occasional words although they did ours perfectly, with time, we began coding some of their words through constant familiarly with their words, although constructing the simplest of sentence with them is another matter.
What I understand is this, one, when two dialects meet, the one that is more easily comprehensible dominate. Now, a lot of things influence both the 'comprehensibility' and 'domination' of a dialect. It could be history, the location where the dialect is spoken, language policies and standardization, size of population of the native speakers, migration, economic influence, commerce, etc.
Generally, I like the dialect used in Aba urban area, it sounds more 'centralised' to my ear, which could be due to the fact that it is a melting point of the Igbo. Again, what I notice in the Igbo situation is that, the more urban (I dont mean underdeveloped or backward), the more comprehensible the dialect used in the area than neighbouring communities around there.
All Igbo accent are special and their continued used only preserves our diversity and culture. I personally like the flow of the Onitsha and Enugu (city) Igbo, the complexity, structure and lexis of the Owerri Igbo, the smoothness and clarity of the one spoken in Aba and the extreme weirdness and exoticness of many parts of Ebonyi (Ezza, Izzi), Nsukka. In the long run, whether a dialect is much preferred or hated, easily understood or notoriously indecipherable or unintelligible, it does not AUTOMATICALLY make the speakers more or less 'pure' ethnically or humanly.
To ME (without a strict, structurally defined base) , if I were to give an equivalent or draw a parallel between English and Igbo accents not out of originality but out of the personal perception of the flows; British (London, Cockney) accent will be Enugu (city), Onitsha and Asaba, American (North) and Canadian- Aba, Australia and NZ - Owerri; Irish and Scottish- Abakiliki; Liverpudlian or Scouse- IKwerre; Caribean- non Asaban Delta Igbo, Singaporean (Singlish) some parts of Ebonyi and Enugu (Ezza, Izzi, Ngbo, Nssuka and environs)
I shall continue soon to refute or buttress some points I had earlier read.....

Parralels between English and Igbo dialects: Estuary/Cockney English - Enuani/Asaba, Onitsha and Enugu township Igbo; North American English - Aba Igbo; Australian and New Zealand English - Owerri Igbo; Irish and Scottish English - Abakaliki/northeastern Igbo; Liverpudlian (Scouse English) - Ikwerre language; Caribbean English - Ika and Ukwuani (“Bendel Igbo”) lects; Singaporean English - the northern and Cross River periphery of asusu Igbo (Abiriba-Ohafia-Arochukwu-Afikpo, the Waawa clan of Enugu State and Nsukka).

Edited for smoother reading. How did you draw these parallels?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoZmb1RQv10?list=PLxyQq2ysFV1V3fY3c5VioDGCokGF5Ajjn


I found some Igbo secrets you never knew!