Ihuomadinihu:

You can't just wake up one morning and start speaking Onitsha igbo. We have already discussed about the place and importance of Onitsha in Igbo history,i wouldn't go back to that.
Pls list the Imo actors that speak onitsha igbo in movies.

True. Most of the ones that act in Igbo films.

Also it's not just a 'southern' Igbo 'northern' Igbo thing, it's specifically Onitsha Igbo or related and others.

Radoillo:


Bro, my background is Catholic. What he told you is nothing but the truth. Onitsha Igbo was the liturgical dialect of the church, until the 80s and 90s, when it began to shift to correspond to Izugbe. Pick up an Igbo Catholic prayer book or hymn book from the 80s or so, and note the Igbo variety it is written in. Even at present the influence of Onitsha is still clearly marked on Catholic Liturgy Igbo, despite this shift.

Do you say ' I di ngozi n'etiti umu nwanyi niine/niile' or 'I di ngozi n'etiti ikporo niile/niine' when you say the 'Hail Mary' in your parish at Orlu?

Do you say, 'ka mkpuru obi ya zuru ike n'udo or is it 'ka mkpuru obi ya zuru ike na ndokwa'?

Do you say, 'na awaghari n'ime ohia' or is it 'na awaghari n'ugboko', when you say the Catena?

And Oseburuwa is not Orlu. Hard as it may be to accept, it is a local adaptation of Osebuluwa from the Onitsha-axis.

The Catholic church first landed in Onitsha and it is from there it planted its tentacles to other parts of Igboland. It is also true that Onitsha was the first dialect of the church, it was from there the Irish priests and their Igbo translators arrived Orlu, Amaigbo and others.
However, the bolded are what we say. So what are you trying to say?

I guess the next question is, how can Standard Igbo be strengthened as standard for Igbo instead of random dialects replacing it?

ezeagu:


True. Most of the ones that act in Igbo films.

Also it's not just a 'southern' Igbo 'northern' Igbo thing, it's specifically Onitsha Igbo or related and others.

I asked you to list the actors. If i go into nollywood,am not gonna speak what i don't know unless it's a regional igbo movie like Nwa nsukka and the rest. Be specific.

Ihuomadinihu:

I asked you to list the actors. If i go into nollywood,am not gonna speak what i don't know unless it's a regional igbo movie like Nwa nsukka and the rest. Be specific.

I can't list the actors, I can post a selection of random films with people who are not all from Onitsha.

Ihuomadinihu:

There is nothing like Anambra word. There are different lects in Anambra. I've listened to Nnewi, Ihiala, Orumba people and their dialects are close to what is spoken in Imo.

we dont have a general Anambra dialect,i know that,i was talking about the stereotypical anambra dialect,the type you speak in Imo and they are like ''iwu onye anambra?''thats the dialect am talking about
nnewians dont speak like Imolites,i know many people from nnewi north,maybe the south speak like you i dont know,i cant argue for orumba and ihiala cos i dont knw what their dialect sounds like

ezeagu:


I can't list the actors, I can post a selection of random films with people who are not all from Onitsha.

Who are not from Onitsha but are from somewhere close to Onitsha and generally use the onitsha igbo dialect.

oboy3:
we dont have a general Anambra dialect,i know that,i was talking about the stereotypical anambra dialect,the type you speak in Imo and they are like ''iwu onye anambra?''thats the dialect am talking about
nnewians dont speak like Imolites,i know many people from nnewi north,maybe the south speak like you i dont know,i cant argue for orumba and ihiala cos i dont knw what their dialect sounds like

Even Onitsha will say something like Ndukwo(Bende igbo) instead of Ndukwe(central/igbo izugbe).

@Radoillo Osebuluwa may be an Onitsha word, but that doesn't mean that names like Osaigwe, Osakwe, Olisa, Nworisa are not pre-eminent in Orlu.

Chiwude:
The Catholic church first landed in Onitsha and it is from there it planted its tentacles to other parts of Igboland. It is also true that Onitsha was the first dialect of the church, it was from there the Irish priests and their Igbo translators arrived Orlu, Amaigbo and others.
However, the bolded are what we say. So what are trying to say?

The emboldened is my point, and, I believe, Chinenye's point as well. We all are saying basically the same thing.

I have to confess that I'm slightly taken aback by the fact that (according to you) you no longer use 'ikporo', 'ndokwa', 'ugboko' and probably other such obviously 'Onitsha' expressions which have survived the shift in the Anambra-Enugu area. My mother was raised by relatives in Okigwe and those were the words she was taught in Catechism class there.

Not to digress totally, but am I the only one to observe that early Igbo films heavily employed the use of southern dialects, or at least incorporated a greater percentage of cast members who were /h/ and /r/ speaking than films today do?

If you guys can recall, the father of Andy in Living in Bondage spoke a deep, rich Mbaise-like dialect, while other cast members, who were clearly from Imo, spoke their natural dialects without any fear of intelligibility whatsoever. In the film Rituals, Kanayo O Kanayo's village-based mother and relatives even spoke in Ngwa. I sometimes wonder what the cause of this obvious switch may have been.

odumchi:
Not to digress totally, but am I the only one to observe that early Igbo films heavily employed the use of southern dialects, or at least incorporated a greater percentage of cast members who were /h/ and /r/ speaking than films today do?

If you guys can recall, the father of Andy in Living in Bondage spoke a deep, rich Mbaise-like dialect, while other cast members, who were clearly from Imo, spoke their natural dialects without any fear of intelligibility whatsoever. In the film Rituals, Kanayo O Kanayo's village-based mother and relatives even spoke in Ngwa. I sometimes wonder what the cause of this obvious switch may have been.

Chei, was that film Rituals,i thought it was Taboo where he got into money laundering business. Yes,he spoke in Ngwa or Mbaise.

Ihuomadinihu:

Who are not from Onitsha but are from somewhere close to Onitsha and generally use the onitsha igbo dialect.

Okay let me give you a better example, do you not know people from non 'l' speaking regions, maybe even your homeland, that answer names like Ifeanyi, Oluchi, Nkiru? That's just a small example.

Chiwude:
@Radoillo Osebuluwa may be an Onitsha word, but that doesn't mean that names like Osaigwe, Osakwe, Olisa, Nworisa are not pre-eminent in Orlu.

We in my hometown also give such names as Oseloka to our children even though we never referred to the high god as Ose or Olisa before we met Christian missionaries from places like Onitsha and Ossomala.

ezeagu:


Okay let me give you a better example, do you not know people from non 'l' speaking regions, maybe even your homeland, that answer names like Ifeanyi, Oluchi, Nkiru? That's just a small example.

No more actors again? You see your life? Those are exceptions, many people go with their Ihe/ihu lects.

Radoillo:


We in my hometown also give such names as Oseloka to our children even though we never referred to the high god as Ose or Olisa before we met Christian missionaries from places like Onitsha and Ossomala.

Good. Are you from Ogbaru LGA.

Ihuomadinihu:

No more actors again? You see your life? Those are exceptions, many people go with their Ihe/ihu lects.

I'm not searching through list of actors to prove the point, that's why I used the names, which is a glaring example of how people have picked up Onitsha Igbo dialect even in a small sense. I've heard Iheanyi and so on, but Ifeanyi and the like are much more popular. Even Ifeanyi Okowa who is Ika who use 'ihe' instead of 'ife'.

Chiwude:
Good. Are you from Ogbaru LGA.

Nope. If I was, I wouldn't say we didn't use Ose or Olisa in pre-Christian times.

My hometown is Awka.

Radoillo:


Nope. If I was, I wouldn't say we didn't use Ose or Olisa in pre-Christian times.

My hometown is Awka.

Wow! Awka . My maternal Great Grand father went by the name Orisakwe. I was wondering how he came about that name.

ezeagu:


I'm not searching through list of actors to prove the point, that's why I used the names, which is a glaring example of how people have picked up Onitsha Igbo dialect even in a small sense. I've heard Iheanyi and so on, but Ifeanyi and the like are much more popular. Even Ifeanyi Okowa who is Ika who use 'ihe' instead of 'ife'.

It still doesn't prove any point,you were hampering on actors originally. Onitsha people are not the only people that use ife etc.
People in Southern Igbo still use Iheanyi instead of Ifeanyi,those are only little deviations not the norm.

Chiwude:
Wow! Awka . My maternal Great Grand father went by the name Orisakwe. I was wondering how he came about that name.

I think Ezeagu was onto something when he said it could easily be due to trade and other forms or contact with riverain groups to the west of the Orlu area such as the Orsu. You guys were also dealing with Oguta and some Ogbaru towns like Ossomala and Atani. It is imaginable that Orisa/Osa could have infiltrated from there.

Ihuomadinihu:

It still doesn't prove any point,you where hampering on actors originally. Onitsha people are not the only people that use ife etc.
People in Southern Igbo still use Iheanyi instead of Ifeanyi,those are only little deviations not the norm.

No one names their child Nkihuka or Oruchi, the forms of these names are almost always with the 'l' instead of the 'r' and the 'f' instead of the 'h'. Several examples of this can be found including the one I gave of the Ika governor of Delta State who goes by Ifeanyi instead of Iheanyi. It has already been noted that there's a lean towards Onitsha despite the presence of Izugbe so that point is already done, what I was trying to show you was examples of where Onitsha Igbo has been preferred, and a simply proven example of names shows a verifiable preference of Onitsha terms. I would agree with ChinenyeN, though, to say that when writing Igbo Izugbe is used more, and maybe that's because of education.

Chiwude:
Wow! Awka . My maternal Great Grand father went by the name Orisakwe. I was wondering how he came about that name.

Was he catholic too? There are many non catholics in Imo/Abia that bear Orisa something.

Any person growing up in Southern Igboland usually gets exposed to Onitsha Igbo dialect either by direct interaction with Onitsha-speaking peoples, certain liturgies in the Catholic church or through Nollywood movies (especially classic Nollywood movies), etc. For any Igbo speaker from the South, Onitsha Igbo is very easy to speak at least starting from the basics such as switching from 'h' to 'f' or 'r' to 'l' etc. The reverse is not always the case for Anambra/Anioma speakers easily speaking the dialects of the South.

Just as British English still has its place in the English-speaking world (not necessarily as the origin of English but for the flavour it carries), Onitsha Igbo carries the same flavour in the Igbo-speaking world. Southern Igbo people are often more willing to learn to speak Anambra-like Igbo than Anambra peoples are willing to learn dialects of the south. In the south, Owerri dialect comes first in terms of flavour however you still find people more willing to learn Onitsha Igbo (easier) than Owwerri (harder).

Finally, I watch nollywood Igbo movies a lot and let's be honest I see many southern Igbo speakers speak Onitsha or a mix of it with Southern Igbo. Any objective Igbo person will readily agree with this.

ezeagu:


I'm not searching through list of actors to prove the point, that's why I used the names, which is a glaring example of how people have picked up Onitsha Igbo dialect even in a small sense. I've heard Iheanyi and so on, but Ifeanyi and the like are much more popular. Even Ifeanyi Okowa who is Ika who use 'ihe' instead of 'ife'.

Ifeanyi, Ifeyinwa, Ifeoma, Ekene, Ebuka have become household names these days. Many southern Igbo tend to bear these Anambra names. Why some are still stuck with their dialectical derivations. (Ihuomadinihu comes to mind). Even I would love my offsprings to be called by these names. Imagine an Umuifeanyi kindred in my community!

ezeagu:


No one names their child Nkihuka or Oruchi, the forms of these names are almost always with the 'l' instead of the 'r' and the 'f' instead of the 'h'. Several examples of this can be found including the one I gave of the Ika governor of Delta State who goes by Ifeanyi instead of Iheanyi. It has already been noted that there's a lean towards Onitsha despite the presence of Izugbe so that point is already done, what I was trying to show you was examples of where Onitsha Igbo has been preferred, and a simply proven example of names shows a verifiable preference of Onitsha terms. I would agree with ChinenyeN, though, to say that when writing Igbo Izugbe is used more, and maybe that's because of education.

Still deviation. For God sake,i know a million iheanyis in Imo state. Drop that suggestion of yours,it ain't going nowhere.

Ihuomadinihu:

Was he catholic too? There are many non catholics in Imo/Abia that bear Orisa something.

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

Ihuomadinihu:

There is nothing like Anambra word. There are different lects in Anambra. I've listened to Nnewi, Ihiala, Orumba people and their dialects are close to what is spoken in Imo.

Since you know about Nnewi why don't you tell us how similar their dialect is to Imo state ? And Orumba too. I will advice you to keep shut about what you don't know.

Ihuomadinihu:

Still deviation. For God sake,i know a million iheanyis in Imo state. Drop that suggestion of yours,it ain't going nowhere.

Do you know a million Nkihukas, or Oruchi? That's the main point.

Learning other dialects and languages has everything to do with how you are willing to accomodate others. If people in Northern Igbo are not willing to learn Southern Igbo dialects then it's an ego problem not an issue of preference.
A typical example is the title of this thread. Why make an upsetting supposition that will not go down well with others?
Guys, speak whatever is obtainable in your region and let others be.
P.S nobody in Southern igbo goes around speaking Onitsha dialects.

I wouldn't notice you o. Yes, Southern Anambra don't speak mainstream onitsha igbo dialects.

Chiwude:
@Radoillo Osebuluwa may be an Onitsha word, but that doesn't mean that names like Osaigwe, Osakwe, Olisa, Nworisa are not pre-eminent in Orlu.

They may exist but it didn't originate from there.