Well, then I guess it's a matter of semantics, because I would definitely say that the two are "rather different" instead of, "not too different". Oh well though.

ezeagu (m)« #31 on: Today at 10:47:27 PM »  

Quote from: airzzee on Today at 08:22:04 PM
May I make these clarifications:

1. There is nothing like "Central Igbo." We have "Standard Igbo," which is NOT spoken by anybody

Central Igbo is taught in schools and people are encouraged to speak it.

Quote from: ChinenyeN on Today at 12:51:44 PM
Really?

It's not as different as other Igbo dialects, that's why I said "not too different" not 'not different at all'. If you learn central Igbo you're not going to be completely alien to people that speak Owerri Igbo. Of course central Igbo is different to every authentic Igbo dialect; even if I told people from Umuahia that Central Igbo is similar to their dialect, they'd disagree despite the fact that part of Central Igbo is based on their dialect.

My brother, let's not argue over this. What is taught in schools and used for other official purposes is 'STANDARD IGBO,' which many laymen call "Central Igbo." Standard Igbo is an agglutination of different dialects (for compromise sake), but standard Igbo is NOT spoken by a particular Igbo linguistic group. For example, there is no nasalisation and aspiration in Standard Igbo, meanwhile, both features are very present in almost all parts of Imo & Abia states (which area comprises the so-called 'Central Igbo'). However, tone is a universal process in all Igbo dialects and the standard form.

The problem poster (a non-native speaker) will have is mastering these Supra-segmental features. Poster needs to get a competent tutor or DVD as a tool to understnd the language. The problem with Igbo (like many other Nigerian languages is that varying the tone wrongly can create taboo or derogatory words, which will be seen as disrespectful. Again, b/c she is interested in Mbaise Inland East Igbo - [See Ikekeonwu (1986)], she must also have interest in the supragemental features (aspiration, nasalisation etc), since their inclusion changes the meaning of words or utterances.

Let us look at some of the distinctive features in Igbo:

1. Tone: (We have 2 main tones (HIGH tone & LOW tone), and the third called DOWN-STEP (merely a down-stepped high tone; what laymen call Mid Tone, simply b/c Yoruba has Mid Tone). Change of tone brings change of meaning. E.g.:

(a)"AKWA" can mean [cry (HH); cloth/dress; bed/bridge; egg] - notice that maning changes depending on which the tone mark occurs where.

(b)"EGBE" [hawk/kite (HH); gun (HL); to crawl (used with auxillary verb "na" as in na-egbe, meaning is crawling) (LH)

(c) "ISI" [head (HH); blindness (LL); to cook (verb root) (HDstep); warning/bad-omen (LH); odour (HL)]


2. Nasalisation (found mainly in Abia & Imo states & a few other areas):
"ARA" (without nasalisation) - madness (there are also tonal variants here: HH or HDstep)
"ARA" (with nasalisation) - bosom

"RA" (without nasalisation) - lick
"RA" (with nasalisation) - have s.ex/make love


3. Aspiration (found mainly in Abia & Imo states & a few other areas):
Aspiration comes with embeded nasalisation; therefore pple tend to mistake one for the other.

"ba" (without aspiration) - become rich/more in number
"ba" (with aspiration) - scold; peel (eg. peel yam)


4. There is another tonal effect in Igbo called "Downdrift."
During longer utterances (sentences), the tone continues to drop (drift) downwards/get lowered, such that a subsequent tones in a sequence of words, are lower/reduced in pitch than similar tones preceeding (appearing before). It's like running the musical scale downwards (d' t l s f m r d).  But, only those with a musical or good phonetic ear can actually notice/deduce this phenomenon.


In summary,
To learn Igbo therefore, apart from the orthography (Igbo A,B,C,D), which NL pple are telling you, you must pay attention to:
1. Tone (present in all dialects and standard form)
2. Downdrift (compulsory in all dialects and standard form)
3. Nasalisation (For Imo and Abia & adjoining dialects)
4. Aspiration (For Imo and Abia & adjoining dialects)


I also want to use this medium to encourage our people to know one/two things about their languages; it does not take anything away from us. Igbo people especially are backward on this. The average Igbo man leaving outside the Igboland does not speak Igbo let alone understand the science of Igbo language. So sad!

@Poster
Note that there are probably over 100 dialects (including variants) of the Igbo language. This means you must know who is teaching you, what he is teaching you and his competence. I think, with my little explanation, you will have known what you want.


@ChinenyeN/ezeagu
I guess you will have learnt one or two things.

@airzzee

Great! I cannot say how grateful I am to you. This is exactly the explanation which I have needed to understand the context.
You are really talented in explaining the Igbo language, because I have understood right away what you mean. 

Again, thank you so much.

airzzee, you stated what I already knew.

airzzee:

However, tone is a universal process in all Igbo dialects and the standard form.

This is true, if we're just saying the words alone, but when sentences are formed and dialogue takes place, tone patters become peculiar.

Feraz « #19 on: Yesterday at 03:56:44 PM »

Starting wit greetingz:
gud mornn = ututu oma (don't pronounce d u as an alphabet but as if your pronouncing hu wit d h silent)
bye = kachifo but some ll say ka-odi,
come = bia
food = nri
water = mmiri
car = ugboala
ship = ugbommiri
land = ala
money = ego
cloth = akwa (bed, egg n cry all share d same spellings but they differ with pronounciation)
man = nwoke
woman = nwanyi
book = akwukwo
house = ulo.
Infact, u just nid sm1 2 speak it 2 u 2 get sm f d pronounciations. U can't learn just by mere typing/writing. Wish u success as u try 2 learn

@Feraz
Tnx.

However, there is no Igbo greeting "Ututu oma." Ututu oma is a bastardised expression, coined from the English transliteration of "good" (oma); & morning (ututu). Good morning in Igbo is best expressed thus:

"I boola?"
"I boola chi?"
"I saala chi?"
"I teela?"
"I tetela?"
"I putala?" [transliterated as: Have you come out?]

Let us also be careful, not to confuse a learner of Igbo. The "u" as in "who" is NOT the "u" contained in "ututu." There is actually a diacritic sign underneath the "u," which differentiates it from the English "u." This she will learn in orthography (Igbo alphabet).

airzzee:

My brother, let's not argue over this. What is taught in schools and used for other official purposes is 'STANDARD IGBO,' which many laymen call "Central Igbo." Standard Igbo is an agglutination of different dialects (for compromise sake), but standard Igbo is NOT spoken by a particular Igbo linguistic group. For example, there is no nasalisation and aspiration in Standard Igbo, meanwhile, both features are very present in almost all parts of Imo & Abia states (which area comprises the so-called 'Central Igbo'). However, tone is a universal process in all Igbo dialects and the standard form.

I'm not trying to argue, I was giving an account of my own experiences, Igbo people on the other side of the Niger who might as well be speaking another language sometimes use standard or central Igbo to communicate with other Igbo people. Either this or they've learnt a specific Igbo dialect. This is just what happens. If the person starts of with central Igbo then they'd have a better understanding of different dialects. I know central Igbo was created by a comity some years ago; even if it wasn't, do you really think Igbo people are united enough to adopt someone else's dialect? I'm not here to promote or knock the 'authenticity' of central Igbo, just giving reality, apart from that I agree with you.

This is why I wish Nri would have just hurried up and conquered the whole Igbo region 'Han style', there wouldn't be this 'mess'.

ezeagu:

This is why I wish Nri would have just hurried up and conquered the whole Igbo region 'Han style', there wouldn't be this 'mess'.

Considering the nature of Nri influence, I doubt such a thing could have ever happened. If Nri had military-style influence though, then I can almost positively say that even though the number of divisions would be less, the divisions themselves would be much more intense. All the same though, I'm immensely glad Nri influence stayed confined.

ChinenyeN:

Considering the nature of Nri influence, I doubt such a thing could have ever happened. If Nri had military-style influence though, then I can almost positively say that even though the number of divisions would be less, the divisions themselves would be much more intense. All the same though, I'm immensely glad Nri influence stayed confined.

It's worked for almost every country that has undergone a conquering; part of the process is homogeneity of everything, anyway thats another thread.