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Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by superstar1(m): 3:47pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
Why should my children be speaking only English? That is why I love grandparents in yorubaland, no matter how sophisticated or backward they are, they will always speak yoruba to their grandchildren, God help the wife if the children cannot respond appropriately. She will hear the history of her family, clan and town. The same way my children will speak French or Spanish, they must also speak their language. That is their heritage, culture and who they are. The children can never be English or Spanish. Most of my igbo friends speak igbo fluently sha, at least with the way it sounds in my ears. 3 Likes |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by DerKaiser: 3:49pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
It is quite pathetic and disheartening honestly. Have you ever been to any gathering where families are present with their kids? You will discover that 80 percent of those kids would be inclined to speak just English even in the heart of major Igbo cities like Enugu and Awka. Their spoken English is often poor and their command of the Igbo language is non-existent. So what the aim of forcing kids to learn only English is, I cannot tell. My sister has lived 27 years in Europe but does not even stutter or mince an English word while speaking Igbo and funny enough, she speaks only in my local dialect which many Igbos wouldn't understand. Igbo parents have ruined the new generation of Igbos coming up. You could hardly tell apart an Igbo born in Lagos from Yoruba in Lagos because they often understand zero or poor Igbo while having flawless command of yoruba, and shamelessly so. It then begs the question, what were their parents doing while they were toddlers. 5 Likes |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by SalC: 3:50pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
jnrbayano:Gini na-eme gi? I choro iwe iwe ka I choro ichi ochi? |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by tobechukwuka(m): 3:51pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
@op Thank you for this wonderful research. God bless you! What you just analyze are 100/cent true. The most annoying part of it. Is that when u come into a government office were igbo man is the manager/ceo. He will be speaking English to u pretending that he is not an igbo man. This days parents igbo tribes speak english language to there kids at home with the reason that they dont want there kids to look inferior amongst other kids that speak english. Ndi igbo na atu ilu nwesi... Onye nwere otu okpa anaghi aza akwaa akwuru. Onye agbala gburu anaghi aju ma isi azakwala ya. 3 Likes |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by jnrbayano(m): 3:54pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
SalC: Ochi eze |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by WORLDPEACE(m): 3:56pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
MrCork:I am yoruba but i vehemently disagree with you. i think igbo language is more suited to rap just like Twi which most Ghanaians rap in because consonantal sounds are plenty and they can bounce on beats beautifully. Consonant sounds are like beats on their own complimenting the beat on the track. A language that's dominated by soft consonants or vowels like french does not suit rap as well. 9 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by phlamesG: 3:58pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
Op has a very good point there,d language is declining even me self dey try t.ush up my igbo. Ndi igbo sumanu asusu igbo biko nu! 1 Like |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by MrCork: 4:03pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
WORLDPEACE: |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by Jboynokiaphone(m): 4:03pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
Omo yoruba ni mi...so proud of who i am..some igbo's in my company find it hard to speak dere language in our office. |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by Mcowubaba: 4:04pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
MrCork:Who is talking abt rapping. So Phyno's music lacks Swag Mr raw music lacks Swag Illbliss music lacks swag e.t.c If u dnt like igbo rap songs no probs....continue listening to ur Yoruba Rap..but dnt say igbo rap song dnt have swag..listen to wateva u like Nd dnt condemn wat other people R listeninng to... No disrespect to Olamide, Reminisce, seriki.. e.t.c.. 5 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by garriboy(m): 4:05pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
MbaanabaraAgu: I must admit dat dis is a very nice piece and I am guilty of it too, but I schooled in Unizik (nnewi campus to be precised) and during my days in school more dan 80% of the students actually speak the language to each other, andf even to lecturers. Why dis UNESCO preciction maybe right, I believe its for the big non south eastern cities only, cos everywhere in the southeastern states the lingua franca still remains igbo. It is very very much widely spoken. Infact no one in owerri for example will speak anytin other than igbo to u upon first meeting, unless they've confirmed that you can't understand d language. Some of my non igbo friends back then in skool always complained about how they get embarrased by okada men and petty business men and women who will speak igbo to dem with the assumption that they too understand the language. So with due respect I don't think the language is or will ever go into extinction, at least not in dis our genration or even the next. 5 Likes |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by SalC: 4:05pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
jnrbayano:Nwanne onye we iwe uwa aka ya njo |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by Anyi44(m): 4:05pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
this question is like every year question |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by MrCork: 4:06pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
WORLDPEACE: ...bro but if that's the case...why do ibo guys always wear jerry curls tryin to spek in American accent?.... The only great ibo music always comes in pigeon English like spare..I like those boys coz they keep it real singing in pigeon English but when they start rappin in ibo...no body gerrrit ( no ofennsce) 1 Like |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by MrCork: 4:07pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
...bro AMA Londoner and when I hear people spekin ibo on the bus, it sounds like Somali language...this is why nobory speks it 1 Like 1 Share |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by emmysoftyou: 4:10pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
kayciano:at bold one.. if yu go to east and do the same,they cant ever or never treat yu with disdain... at bold two... Yes she s doing that to restrict favouritism and tribalism.. she want professionalism in business service.. i guess all this scenerio happened outside east and not inside eastern state cos the doctors in the east necessarily communicate in igbo language for the sake of the people.. anyway has to do with environs and state yu re,if yu re in lagos or abuja,some igboman or woman wil want yu to communicates with english language cos some people use thier same language thing to gain benefit or personal gains for services meant to be paid... though am speculating on her reasons so dont wept ok.. IGBO IS SECURED TILL GOD KNOWS WHEN.. chukwu remains chukwu till more than 100years coming.. |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by hijodedios: 4:11pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
nwanne m nwoke,udo diri gi maka edemede a idere ebea,obi di m uto n'ihi na oka nwere ndi o na amasi ka asusu Igbo ghara ibu ihe nara n'iyi kama ka ndi Igbo kulite na ura na ebe mgbasa ozi Igbo di.O bu ihe nwute ma burukwa nnukwu ihe ihere na otutu umuaka Igbo enweghi ike isu asusu Igbo ma ghara itinye asusu oyibo na ime ya,nke kasi njo bu na ndi nne na nna anyi oge ugbua anaghi akpo ya mpka ikuziri umuaka ha asusu Igbo,okachasi ndi nke amuru na obodo lagos.Ndumaodu m na enye ndi nne na nna tata bu ka anyi jidesie ike na agba mbo na nkuzi na nkwado asusu Igbo na ebe umuaka anyi no.Ka chineke gozie ndi Igbo nile na ebe obula ha no. (it will take a real Igbo man/woman to read and understand me because my laptop didn't have the functions to punctuate my write up adequately) 4 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by WORLDPEACE(m): 4:16pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
MrCork:I don't understand you. Are you Nigerian? 2 Likes |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by JoeCutie(m): 4:21pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
This is one thing I love about the Hausas and Yorubas. They never shy away from identifying with their native languages. No matter how beautiful/cute they are, they just love speaking their languages. This is what I hate about the Deltans, on the other hand. No matter how ugly they are, they almost believe they can't survive without pidgin; and just a very small fraction of them, English. They never speak their language. Edo people are almost in this category, but a good number of them try. Then the Igbos? I hate them (sorry, us) almost with passion, regarding this language of a thing. Igbos?! We can form! Chineke! Last Christmas, a girl of about 6 told me,"Mummy said we should never speak Igbo otherwise, she will kill us". Imagine! And you know the funniest and at the same time, the most annoying part, these people stay in Onitsha. They were born and bred there.This is very appalling, pathetic, and as a matter of fact, very unfortunate. It is a cankerworm that has eaten deep inside our bone marrow. I have an uncle (My mum's brother) who stays in the States. He has 3 children, and the last one is 15. If you hear these people speak, you'd never believe that they've been to the airport before, let alone flying. They were born and bred in USA. Not Onitsha. They speak Igbo like real Igbos, and the glorious thing about it is that they not only speak it, they enjoy it. They live it. Kudos to their parents; they deserve awards. I once had an Igbo friend in Uniben, who never spoke Igbo. When I asked her why, she said she was always ashamed of speaking it. Immediately, I became ashamed of her. You could argue that your reason for not speaking your language is because you don't know how to; but to shun it on the basis of shame? You're a disgrace! I'm afraid because if care is not taken, if something is not done and fast, our unique and lovely language which was passed to us by our ancestors, would be extinct. It would be a big failure on our generation. English language, Pidgin, etc are all good, but our own is our own. Nke anyi bu nke anyi. Daalu nu. #OtuSubakwaIgbo. 9 Likes 4 Shares |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by mmsen: 4:28pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
For Nigeria to become a nation we need to embrace a common language, slowly but surely this is happening - the language of trade will dominate which will entail some of the older languages dying out. This has happened in every society. |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by kianeli: 4:36pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
Nnamdi nwa nnem.imela ri nne.oteela m chorowara onye onodu asusu igbo no taa n'ewute dika osi ewutem . Biko oke otutu okwu anoghi n' uka mgbede.oga adim mma ka anyi kwuo n' ekwe nti.Aham bu Amachukwu.akara ekwe ntim bu 08035403037.biko ziterem nkegi n' ozi ikuku kam kpoo gi. ...asusu igbo agaghi anwu. 1 Like |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by pwerrymansion(f): 4:37pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
Mbaanabalagu igbaligo na edemede ma nchoputa . Igwa gi eziokwu, enweghi ihe were m iwe kalia na ihe ndia idere. Nne na Nna ugbua che na isuru umu ha asusu bekee bu nkwali ngu(display pride). Mgbe obula siri Obodo anyi bu Naijiria puo hu ka ndi mba ozo na asu asusu ha na etinyeghi ya ofu asusu bekee, o na amasi m ma na ewe m iwe n'ihi na odighi otua na ndu ndi Igbo ufodu. Oge m jere mahadum na Ghana, mfu umu igbo suo asusu igbo ebe ha no, fa eji asusu oyibo zaghachim . Nke na ewe m iwe na mkpulu obi. Na agbanyegi na umuaka m ebighi na Nigeria, ana m agbali ike m asuru ha igbo. Maka ekpebigo m na agaghi m asu oyibo na ezi ma o bu ulo oru m biakwa na ulo suba oyibo. Asi ocha! Biko umunne m ka anyi niile gbaa mbo hu na anyi kwalitere asusu Igbo! Igbo nmanmanu! 1 Like 1 Share |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by Horllamideh(m): 4:38pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
mandarin:I am a yoruba boy and i think yoruba is also going the extinction way,it may nt be overly clear now but in some years to come we will know what we are dealing with. We have to salvage our language before we lose it,it's our identity.An adage says a river that forget its source will dry up.High percentage of yoruba youths can't speak 5 sentences without putting in english words(i am guilty of this too)....I have seen many yoruba kids that cannot read and write in yoruba....Things mustn't continue like this 3 Likes |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by Nobody: 4:38pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
And the comments on here are all written in English? UNESCO couldn't have been more right 1 Like |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by enzony(m): 4:40pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
bigfrancis21: This your article is well researched and enlightening. Bravo! 2 Likes |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by nairabetguru(m): 4:42pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
[quote author=MbaanabaraAgu post=31209764]The Longman dictionary of contemporary English defined extinction as ‘’when a type of person, custom, language stops existing’’. Examples of extinct languages in Nigeria includes (a) Ajawa; formerly spoken in Bauchi State, Nigeria. It became extinct between 1920 and 1940 as speakers switched to Hausa. (b) Kpati; formerly spoken in Taraba state, speakers now speak Hausa. (c) Basa Gunma; it’s an extinct Kainji language of Nigeria formerly spoken by people around Niger and Nasarawa states, speakers now speak Hausa. This is to mention but a few. You can check this link for more on extinct Nigerian languages. https://www.nairaland.com/1915760/10-extinct-nigerian-languages-what It is no longer news that UNESCO in 2012 predicted that Igbo language might become extinct in the next 50 years. To some it is impossible, but it unsettles me, and I make bold to say that it is a possibility. I will tell you why. There are about 500 languages spoken in Nigeria today, in them you will find Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba being spoken by a larger population in Nigeria. In other words, these three are the masquerades (Mgbadike) of the Nigeria languages. The fact Igbo language instead of gaining communication height in the hierarchy of languages is currently moving in the downward trend because of the rate at which the Igbos especially the youths are shying away from their language with reckless abandon. Let us use our parents as a case study to x-ray UNESCO’s prediction. There is no doubt that our parents understands and speak Igbo, but how many of their children can effectively communicate in Igbo language? Even the ones that knows it prefers to communicate with their brethren in English. If in the next 50 years, our parents passes on to the great beyond leaving behind their children who cannot or refuse to communicate in Igbo, don’t you think that UNESCO’s prediction has come to pass then? From my research and observations, it is only the older generation of Igbos (40 years and above) that speak the language both in the cities and in the rural places. The worst hit are the female folks especially the younger ones (30 years and below) they understand the language but refuse to speak it. Listen to a Hausa person speak to a fellow Hausa, you will never hear English in their communication, in the same way, when I speak Igbo to an Igbo person I make sure I don’t add English and yet over 90% of my female friends will reply me fully in English. This shows that they understand the language but refuse to speak it. Among the male counterpart, it is only those that didn’t go to school that proudly speaks the language. It gladdens my heart anytime I go to the market to buy things (Lagos and Abuja), there you will see Igbo traders and business men proudly speaking the language, but it is not so when you visit our universities or meet our graduates on the road. I once asked a female Corp member posted to serve in our office why she prefers to communicate in English instead of Igbo to her fellow Igbos, she told me that if she speak Igbo people will see her as an illiterate and a local girl. Gosh!!! Why do the Yoruba and Hausa people not have this type of stupid mentality that is prevalent among Igbo Youths? I feel ashamed that my Hausa and Yoruba colleagues will see their people and say stuffs like Inakwana, Inaoni, Ekaro, Ekaso (i.e morning and day greetings in those languages) But the Igbos will see each other and start saying things like: Nna how far, good morning and good afternoon. Hardly will you see an Igbo person that will greet you with: Nna kedu, Ututu Oma, Ibolachi, Kaoo, Jokwaa etc. This is not only prevalent among the Igbos of the South East, the Igbos of Rivers and Delta states where my mom hails from are equally guilty. English is a means of communication between people of different tribes since Nigeria is a multilingual country. People of the same tribe should not use English to talk to each other. It is a sick thing for an Igbo person to communicate in English to a fellow Igbo, you will never see a Hausa person communicating in English to his tribal person. If you are Igbo and you don’t know how to speak the language, it is actually a shame, it’s your number one identity, and so you should go and learn it. Nobody is asking you to go and serve your ancestor’s deity but to speak your language. Asking a young Igbo person to say the numbers or naira value in Igbo language is like asking them to trek from Abuja to Aba. I could remember an episode with an Igbo woman that sells roasted yam opposite PHCN office in Maitama Abuja. Below is our conversation. Woman: Nna, Kedu ihe I choro? (Sir what do you want?) Me: Biko nye m ji otu akpa ego (Please give me yam of N200) Woman: I si gini (What did you say) Me: A si m gi nye m ji otu akpa ego (I said you should give me N200 yam) Woman: Gini bu otu akpa ego? (What is N200?) Me: Obu na ibughi onye igbo, I maghi ihe ana akpo ego na asusu igbo (Are you not Igbo, don’t you know the names of money in Igbo) Woman: A mabu m ya mbu, mana e chefuola m ya (I know it before but I have forgotten it). Me: (Gets angry) Biko nye m ji N200 naira ka m rie si ebe a puo. (Please give me yam of N200 let me eat and get out of this place. This woman is not alone on this. These days, it is hard to find Igbos who knows the Igbo meaning for some certain things. Gather people from different tribes in Abuja or Lagos and ask them what some certain things are called in their native language and you will see them boldly telling you but ask an Igbo person the name for Chameleon in his native language and you will see them looking at the skies as if the answer is going to fall from there, the best answer you will get is I used to know it before. Those that still manages to speak Igbo language mixes it with English. Listen to someone talk in Igbo, you will discover that 40% of their speech contains English. It’s only among the elderly ones in the rural places that you can still find someone that speaks Igbo language flawlessly without adding an English word. Hardly will you see non Igbos visiting or residing in the Igbo states learn Igbo language anymore because the inhabitants of those lands no longer speak Igbo language. But reverse is the case when Igbos are visiting Yoruba or Hausa states, just give them 6 months there, they will come back and speak those languages more than the original owners. My elder brother’s wife is from Edo state but schooled in Madonna University Anambra state. The first time I met her I greeted her in Igbo and spoke some simple Igbo to her but to my greatest surprise she told me that she didn’t understand anything in what I just said. I became embarrassed and told her that I spoke Igbo to her because I was told she schooled in Anambra state and should have used the opportunity to learn some basic Igbo language. She told me that during her school days, the Igbos who are majority in her school (over 80%) hardly speak Igbo to each other, they always communicate in English, so how was she supposed to learn the language since the owners of the language seldom speaks it. I know some people will say that I am exaggerating, but I want you to know that this is a research that has taking me 5 years since I came back to Nigeria after my studies (2010-2015) Don’t just hide behind the screen of your computer and gadgets and criticize me. Take a trip down to Nigeria if you are not here already, then you will understand what I am taking about. Visit all the major cities in Nigeria, south eastern states inclusive, then you will know that this downward trend of our dear language is really scary. If you think I am joking just pick up your phone right now and call any of your Igbo friend or family member and hear them speak then you will understand my lamentation. Does it not bother you that we started Nollywood and over 80% of Nollywood stars have Igbo roots yet we don’t have a dedicated channel on DSTV whereas there are some channels dedicated to Hausa and Yoruba people. If you are non-Igbo, I will advise that you steer clear of this thread, this is not the time for tribal war, it’s the time to bring to the consciousness of my Igbo brethren what is happening to us,but if you must contribute, please let it be constructive since nothing warms your blood than a thread that bashes the Igbos. And to my fellow Igbos, it is a wake-up call to all of us, it is time to bring this to bare, there is nothing to hide anymore, there is no better time to discuss this topic, it doesn’t matter if other tribes laugh at us now, the greatest scorn and laughter will be when UNESCO’s prediction will come to pass and we will be speaking English, Hausa and Yoruba in our villages. (A na eji bekee awa oji?) If we fail to do something fast, we will have a rude awakening and will become a laughing stock to other tribes soonest. And if nothing is done to correct this anomaly now, we will wake up one day to find Igbo language extinct like the others that have gone into extinction. If you will make it a point of duty not to speak English to your fellow Igbos from today and to also spread this to your friends and family outside nairaland, I think our problem is already half solved. Be quick to correct your Igbo friends that speak English to you by reminding them that they are Igbos and should only speak Igbo language to you. Igbo muru Nze muo Ozo, biko kulie nu na ura. Bido ta subara nwanne gi asusu Igbo. #Suba asusu Igbo. Ka Chineke mezie okwu. Written by Nnamdi Ositadinma a.k.a Mba-ana-abara-Agu [/quote Nna biko anama chor igbo teacher |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by Sunymoore(m): 4:49pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
I be Hausa, but where can I learn Igbo biko? 1 Like |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by manny4life(m): 4:51pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
I don't think the language is dying but it's really disappointing when you meet other igbos and speak Igbo to them, they will reply that they stay in Lagos and can't speak the language... Absolute rubbish! There many people who have spent considerable time outside Nigeria and they speak and communicate Igbo fluently but I think it's common with Nigerians in Lagos and outside the SE. I have been to Igbo gatherings here and parents speak Igbo to their kids, but when you meet Nigerians who migrated here, all you hear them speak is Yoruba and English... Like wth. 3 Likes |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by emmysoftyou: 4:52pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
garriboy:that s what am Saying,igbo languages can only go into extinct in kano,kaduna,lagos and jos but not in southeastern state,the home of ndigbos.. Ndigbo is more than 45million in population and if 35 to 25million still speaks igbo language till date or if 15million igbos speak igbo fluently both in eastern state and non eastern state,then there is every tendency that the language IGBO cannot go into oblivion.. The only thing we need to do is to fixed things that will revitalised the igbo languages.. In as much igbo and linquistics are study in the east and many students coming frm lagos and other part of the state re thrown into such department. Adapt to the course and move on, It can never go into extinct,cos igbo nation are not just a small tribes in bauchi or zamfara wich are 2million in populations, this is one big tribes of bigger population in nigeria and therefore her language cannot go out of extant without depopulations of southeastern states.. QED. 2 Likes |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by Nobody: 4:52pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
liricyst:Bros your head dey there. Exactly same situation with me. It's the shame and laughter that hinders learning. 1 Like |
Re: Igbo Language And Its Downward Trend by liricyst(m): 4:54pm On Mar 03, 2015 |
chukux2: i agree...find someone who won't laugh at you...or at least someone whose laugh won't make you embarassed |
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