From my research, I learnt Amanayabo is only used in Bayelsa by the Nembe-Brass people, being also the closest neighbours of Bonny and those who most of the riverine cultures they inherited from.

However, the name Amanayabo itself, was it originally Bonny or Brass?

Also, is Nembe Ijaw?

Amanyanabo is Ijaw word

Loosely translated, it means "Owner of Town/Village/Community/Kingdom.

Other variations are" Pere" "Amannana-owei" "Ibedau-owei" "Ibenana-owei" etc.

The excerpts you attached, linking Ibani, Opobo and others to Ibo origin is just a bucket of idle talks and lies though.

Modified: this OP looks like a trouble peddler

Amayanabo is Ijaw word meaning owner of community/village/town...

Amayanabo is for eastern Ijaw while Amananbo is for western Ijaws....but all means same thing... The only difference is the letter (N and Y) which are mere dialectical differences...

Nembes are pure Ijaws that came from Ijaws of Egbemas in delta and edo state...

All Ijaws came from one dialect which was Kolokuma but later moving to different places interacting with different people make us have different dialects...

Western Ijaws interaction with different people mixed their Ijaw with other tribes makes it different from the centre one....

Same way eastern Ijaws interaction with other tribes make their Ijaw mixed with other tribes their by making it different from the centre...

All indications suggest that the term amanyanabo is an Ijaw expression. If you understand Ijaw, you will see that the expression is easily decipherable.

Ama - town, country
Nyana - own, have
Bo - person

If you understand Ijaw syntax, you will see that the statement “ama nyana bo” is 100% syntactically and grammatically correct. There are also cultural factors that further indicate that it is an Ijaw expression. The Amanyanabo title is highly connected with the Canoe House (or War Canoe House) system, which is a distinct cultural feature of Ijaw. The Amanyanabo title is also only present in Ijaw-speaking communities.

The Igbo-speaking communities that neighbor Ijaw-speaking communities also have a similar (perhaps analogous) title/expression. You will hear either “Onyenweala” or “Mbichiriama” (and their variants). Onyenweala is more analogous to Amanyanabo, because you can see the direct translation between the concepts.

Onye - person
Nwe - own, have
Ala - land, country

Compare this to the decomposition of Amanyanabo provided above, we see evidence of two different language structures, both syntactically and grammatically correct for their given languages.

Now here is where things get interesting.

We know that the expression “Amanyanabo” is indisputably Ijaw. However, we also know that the institution is recent. All the accounts I have so far come across suggest that for most Ijaw-speaking communities, their first Amanyanabo appears between the 17th to 18th centuries; even later for many others. Bonny is no exception to this. This evidence of the late development of the Amanyanabo institution suggests that the expression itself may also be recent. It makes someone like me curious about the extent of cultural exchange between Ijaw-speaking communities and their Igbo-speaking counterparts in the eastern part of the Lower Niger.

I would not be surprised if such exchange facilitated the development of “Amanyanaboship” (as Charles Ogan put it). Granted, we (as of yet) have no established chronology for the Onyenweala/Mbichiriama institution, so we cannot speak about this potential cultural exchange with any sort of authority. However, I suspect it at least warrants some investigation and can likely upend some currently held academic notions regarding the social, cultural and political history of the Lower Niger.

ChinenyeN:
All indications suggest that the term amanyanabo is an Ijaw expression. If you understand Ijaw, you will see that the expression is easily decipherable.

Ama - town, country
Nyana - own, have
Bo - person

If you understand Ijaw syntax, you will see that the statement “ama nyana bo” is 100% syntactically and grammatically correct. There are also cultural factors that further indicate that it is an Ijaw expression. The Amanyanabo title is highly connected with the Canoe House (or War Canoe House) system, which is a distinct cultural feature of Ijaw. The Amanyanabo title is also only present in Ijaw-speaking communities.

The Igbo-speaking communities that neighbor Ijaw-speaking communities also have a similar (perhaps analogous) title/expression. You will hear either “Onyenweala” or “Mbichiriama” (and their variants). Onyenweala is more analogous to Amanyanabo, because you can see the direct translation between the concepts.

Onye - person
Nwe - own, have
Ala - land, country

Compare this to the decomposition of Amanyanabo provided above, we see evidence of two different language structures, both syntactically and grammatically correct for their given languages.

Now here is where things get interesting.

We know that the expression “Amanyanabo” is indisputably Ijaw. However, we also know that the institution is recent. All the accounts I have so far come across suggest that for most Ijaw-speaking communities, their first Amanyanabo appears between the 17th to 18th centuries; even later for many others. Bonny is no exception to this. This evidence of the late development of the Amanyanabo institution suggests that the expression itself may also be recent. It makes someone like me curious about the extent of cultural exchange between Ijaw-speaking communities and their Igbo-speaking counterparts in the eastern part of the Lower Niger.

I would not be surprised if such exchange facilitated the development of “Amanyanaboship” (as Charles Ogan put it). Granted, we (as of yet) have no established chronology for the Onyenweala/Mbichiriama institution, so we cannot speak about this potential cultural exchange with any sort of authority. However, I suspect it at least warrants some investigation and can likely upend some currently held academic notions regarding the social, cultural and political history of the Lower Niger.

...Igboid, Bkayy, Slayerforever, Ekealterego,

....you people have always maintained that this guy is an Ijaw guy.

...Igboid, it seems you knew this guy a long time ago

... Why then is he parading as an Igbo man championing the division of Igbos

....while all his preaching have always been about the unity of Ijaws who do not even speak even a related language.

I smell lies hahaha

ChinenyeN:
All indications suggest that the term amanyanabo is an Ijaw expression. If you understand Ijaw, you will see that the expression is easily decipherable.

Ama - town, country
Nyana - own, have
Bo - person

If you understand Ijaw syntax, you will see that the statement “ama nyana bo” is 100% syntactically and grammatically correct. There are also cultural factors that further indicate that it is an Ijaw expression. The Amanyanabo title is highly connected with the Canoe House (or War Canoe House) system, which is a distinct cultural feature of Ijaw. The Amanyanabo title is also only present in Ijaw-speaking communities.

The Igbo-speaking communities that neighbor Ijaw-speaking communities also have a similar (perhaps analogous) title/expression. You will hear either “Onyenweala” or “Mbichiriama” (and their variants). Onyenweala is more analogous to Amanyanabo, because you can see the direct translation between the concepts.

Onye - person
Nwe - own, have
Ala - land, country

Compare this to the decomposition of Amanyanabo provided above, we see evidence of two different language structures, both syntactically and grammatically correct for their given languages.

Now here is where things get interesting.

We know that the expression “Amanyanabo” is indisputably Ijaw. However, we also know that the institution is recent. All the accounts I have so far come across suggest that for most Ijaw-speaking communities, their first Amanyanabo appears between the 17th to 18th centuries; even later for many others. Bonny is no exception to this. This evidence of the late development of the Amanyanabo institution suggests that the expression itself may also be recent. It makes someone like me curious about the extent of cultural exchange between Ijaw-speaking communities and their Igbo-speaking counterparts in the eastern part of the Lower Niger.

I would not be surprised if such exchange facilitated the development of “Amanyanaboship” (as Charles Ogan put it). Granted, we (as of yet) have no established chronology for the Onyenweala/Mbichiriama institution, so we cannot speak about this potential cultural exchange with any sort of authority. However, I suspect it at least warrants some investigation and can likely upend some currently held academic notions regarding the social, cultural and political history of the Lower Niger.

So you understand Ijaw!

Good to see you embracing your true self.

Amayanabo is Igbo and means a town of two kings!
Simple.

Igboid:
So you understand Ijaw!

Good to see you embracing your true self.

Are you not a Nigerian? We speak at least two or three languages on average. You can’t honestly be surprised that there are Igbo people that understand languages other than Igbo. Please, don’t waste my time here.

ChinenyeN:


Are you not a Nigerian? We speak at least two or three languages on average. You can’t honestly be surprised that there are Igbo people that understand languages other than Igbo. Please, don’t waste my time here.

Lol!
Igbo man speak Ijaw?
For what exactly?
Bloody impostor like you.

Amayanabo= Ama onye na abo.
Land of two kings.

From the era in Bonny when the kingdom had two kings.

The Ijaw word for King is Pere!

Amayanabo is Igbo.

ChinenyeN:


Are you not a Nigerian? We speak at least two or three languages on average. You can’t honestly be surprised that there are Igbo people that understand languages other than Igbo. Please, don’t waste my time here.

Embrace your ethnicity once and for all. You have been found out long ago.

The way you are quick to champion Ijaw unity and Igbo disintegration is always an interesting thing to witness.

You couldn't keep the gimmick long enough.

I’ve gotten bored with this back and forth. This nonsense is played out, and I am no longer interested in this convo with you Igbo nationalists. I’ll let my post history speak on my behalf. If you like, respond to this comment. Just know that I won’t respond back. In fact, if this is all you Igbo nationalists have to say to me going forward, just know that I also won’t respond back going forward. Enjoy talking to yourselves from here on in.

ChinenyeN:
I’ve gotten bored with this back and forth. This nonsense is played out, and I am no longer interested in this convo with you Igbo nationalists. I’ll let my post history speak on my behalf. If you like, respond to this comment. Just know that I won’t respond back. In fact, if this is all you Igbo nationalists have to say to me going forward, just know that I also won’t respond back going forward. Enjoy talking to yourselves from here on in.

Stop already and quit disgracing yourself further.
You are an Ijaw nationalist, but you are angry and bitter that Igbos are Igbo nationalist, are you not mad like this?
Come on zuzu puo nu zo.

Ekealterego:

Embrace your ethnicity once and for all. You have been found out long ago.

The way you are quick to champion Ijaw unity and Igbo disintegration is always an interesting thing to witness.

You couldn't keep the gimmick long enough.

She actually kept it long enough.
Just that we never figured it out out soon enough because Igbo have never focused on Bonny and Opobo since after the war like we are currently doing.

Vintagepipes:


...Igboid, Bkayy, Slayerforever, Ekealterego,

....you people have always maintained that this guy is an Ijaw guy.

...Igboid, it seems you knew this guy a long time ago

... Why then is he parading as an Igbo man championing the division of Igbos

....while all his preaching have always been about the unity of Ijaws who do not even speak even a related language.

We know them. Same with Juluismalema.
Go to this thread and see Juluismalema working tirelessly for the unity og his people Yoruba and Edo but in Igbo threads he will insult out brothers from Ebonyi, Imo, Enugu and Abia because we allow it.

https://www.nairaland.com/6923765/why-bini-yorubas-one-connection

Some of us have been programmed to be deceived with Igbo Language. Anybody that can speak it automatically has a say in Igbo affairs. We don't see the ideology.

The lady you quoted doesn't joke with Ijaw unity and Juluismalama doesn't joke with Edo and Yoruba Unity.

Ndigbo need to change.
cc SlayerForever, Igboid, Ekealterego, , sanctity454

Igboid:
Amayanabo= Ama onye na abo.
Land of two kings.

From the era in Bonny when the kingdom had two kings.

The Ijaw word for King is Pere!

Amayanabo is Igbo.

Which igbo? Amayanabo is an ijaw word. The Igbo word for king is Eze.

BKayy:

We know them. Same with Juluismalema.
Go to this thread and see Juluismalema working tirelessly for the unity og his people Yoruba and Edo but in Igbo threads he will insult out brothers from Ebonyi, Imo, Enugu and Abia because we allow it.

https://www.nairaland.com/6923765/why-bini-yorubas-one-connection

Some of us have been programmed to be deceived with Igbo Language. Anybody that can speak it automatically has a say in Igbo affairs. We don't see the ideology.

The lady you quoted doesn't joke with Ijaw unity and Juluismalama doesn't joke with Edo and Yoruba Unity.

Ndigbo need to change.
cc SlayerForever, Igboid, Ekealterego, , sanctity454

Hmm. It's not easy.

BKayy:

We know them. Same with Juluismalema.
Go to this thread and see Juluismalema working tirelessly for the unity og his people Yoruba and Edo but in Igbo threads he will insult out brothers from Ebonyi, Imo, Enugu and Abia because we allow it.

https://www.nairaland.com/6923765/why-bini-yorubas-one-connection

Some of us have been programmed to be deceived with Igbo Language. Anybody that can speak it automatically has a say in Igbo affairs. We don't see the ideology.

The lady you quoted doesn't joke with Ijaw unity and Juluismalama doesn't joke with Edo and Yoruba Unity.

Ndigbo need to change.
cc SlayerForever, Igboid, Ekealterego, , sanctity454

Very valid statement.

ChinenyeN:
I’ve gotten bored with this back and forth. This nonsense is played out, and I am no longer interested in this convo with you Igbo nationalists. I’ll let my post history speak on my behalf. If you like, respond to this comment. Just know that I won’t respond back. In fact, if this is all you Igbo nationalists have to say to me going forward, just know that I also won’t respond back going forward. Enjoy talking to yourselves from here on in.

No Igbo person would ever ridicule with the words nationalist like you, you've blown your cover and the more you talk the more it's blown the more.

SaintBishop:



Which igbo? Amayanabo is an ijaw word. The Igbo word for king is Eze.

The word for king in Opobo and Bonny remains Eze.
Amayanabo is a title for a king.
Just as Enanchioke is a title for a king in Ohafia.
Ijaws are strangers in Opobo and Bonny living on borrowed time.

ThickSharon123:
No Igbo person would ever ridicule with the words nationalist like you, you've blown your cover and the more you talk the more it's blown the more.

You should perhaps go and look at my post history. I have a fundamental disagreement with both Igbo and Ijaw nationalists. In fact nationalism in Nigeria is cantankerous, and I have a fundamental disagreement with how it manifests in Nigeria. So don’t assume what my thoughts and beliefs are or even who I am on the basis of opinion regarding cantankerous nationalism in Nigeria. You can be an Igbo person and critique the system in Nigeria that facilitates the same cantankerous nationalism that we witness here on NL everyday. You can be Igbo and also critique the same people that willingly parade themselves as cantankerous nationalists. That is who I am and what I am doing.

Anyhow, I only responded because I don’t have a history with you here on NL. I’m willing to give you more of the benefit of the doubt in conversation. But I’m not interested in going back and forth with anyone who thinks they have the right to deny others of their Igboness. If that is what your position is, please clarify now so we can desist from conversations here on in. I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt now to state that you are not such a person.

ChinenyeN:


You should perhaps go and look at my post history. I have a fundamental disagreement with both Igbo and Ijaw nationalists. In fact nationalism in Nigeria is cantankerous, and I have a fundamental disagreement with how it manifests in Nigeria. So don’t assume what my thoughts and beliefs are or even who I am on the basis of opinion regarding cantankerous nationalism in Nigeria. You can be an Igbo person and critique the system in Nigeria that facilitates the same cantankerous nationalism that we witness here on NL everyday. You can be Igbo and also critique the same people that willingly parade themselves as cantankerous nationalists. That is who I am and what I am doing.

Anyhow, I only responded because I don’t have a history with you here on NL. I’m willing to give you more of the benefit of the doubt in conversation. But I’m not interested in going back and forth with anyone who thinks they have the right to deny others of their Igboness. If that is what your position is, please clarify now so we can desist from conversations here on in. I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt now to state that you are not such a person.

Dearie, no one has the right to deny your igboness of that sort. You showed you supposed evidences on the issue of Bonny and Opobo, and the likes of Ekealterego and Igboid, and Slayforever did the same. But your objectivity is always on spearheading the Ijaw story way more than the evidence put forth to you.

For instance, while reading your comment on this thread on Amayanabo, you maintained that Amayanabo is an Ijaw word for a King, now except for Nembe, Bayelsa are there any other clan or community in Ijaw which uses the word Amayanabo. the Ijaws word for a king is Pere and was never Amayanabo.

The Igbo's around here gave you reason with much logic telling you Amayanabo is, Ama Onye na abo meaning land of two kings. If you're Igbo or any other tribe you'll find the facts so evident that you don't even have to question it.
Not relenting on that, they'd given you facts which predates pre colonial Nigeria by men who proclaimed that the supposed Ijaw chiefs of Bonny and Opobo outrightly claimed Igbo as their origin. But no you refused to accept.

They went further to tell you they were indigenous Igbo people in Bonny and Opobo other than slaves as pushed by you and the Ijaw urchins, but you refused. You said it was Ijaw and the Igbos are slaves or tenants to the land (can you imagine?)

Now, the question is how would you want the indigenous Igbos of Bonny and Opobo to feel with your supposed logical talk, which finds no bearing with facts given to you? And the more you talk and speak, it shows an Ijaw moniker. I'm sorry, there's no Igbo bluntness you're showing in there, but pure fallacious dubiousness to make people believe what you want them to believe.

As a reminder, I'm not in any way denying your igboness if you are (God knows) but you writeups seems beyond exposition which shows exactly who you are. Thank you.

ThickSharon123, I am about to write a long post, but I am only doing so because I’m still giving you the benefit of the doubt.

Now, by the logic you have in your post above, you should actually consider me Igbo. Your basis for claiming or believing that I am supposedly not Igbo is as such:

1) I disagree with the claim that “Amanyanabo” has an Igbo etymology. Yet, I am the one who opened and led the most educative thread on NL regarding Igbo language etymology and proto-Igbo language reconstruction. ‘Til date, I have not yet opened such a thread for any other Lower Niger language, because I believe (as I’ve stated severally on NL) that members of a speech community should take responsibility for preserving and developing their respective languages. Anyone who knows what my interests are on this NL platform can easily assume that I would have created an Ijaw language and etymology thread by now if I were actually Ijaw. Go look at my NL profile. The language and etymology thread I created as well as my contribution in that thread outweigh the claim that I am “exposed as Ijaw” on the basis of a single disagreement about the etymology of “amanyanabo”. The thread and my contribution also shows that I am well-versed in language reconstruction and etymological decomposition, and have the capacity to interrogate others’ claims about a supposed etymology for a given word. On that basis, I remain unconvinced of the claims made by some Igbo people here on this platform regarding the expression “amanyanabo”. The tone structures for “amanyanabo” (HHHHH) and “ama onye naabo” (HH HM HLL) are so dramatically different that it’s impossible to justify the etymology, because tone is a key part of etymology decomposition for Lower Niger languages. The phonetics (the actual pronunciation of sounds) also don’t match. The “bo” in “amanyanabo” is an phonetic implosion that does not exist in surviving Igbo speech forms. Those who claim “ama onye naabo” as the etymology have yet to justify how a speech community goes from a non-implosive, low-toned “bo” in “naabo” to an implosive, high-tones “bo”. There’s more reasons, but I don’t need to enumerate them further. You should get the point by now that ultimately, those who claim “ama onye naabo” as the etymology have yet to justify such a claim in my eyes, because they have left so many glaring aspects unaddressed. So to use this disagreement to claim I have exposed myself as Ijaw does not match with your logic. Your logic HAS TO accept me as Igbo, if the contention here is about my beliefs, thoughts, opinions and knowledge of Igbo language etymology.

2) You stated that the Igbo people here went further to inform me about indigenous Igbo-speaking people in Bonny and Opobo. Yet, I come from Ngwa and this is a staple knowledge. In fact, I urge you to look as far back as you can on NL. I was among the first, if not the very first person to provide detailed AND VERIFIABLE synopsis of oral traditions in the Lower Niger that show that Igbo-speaking communities were present in Bonny before the Portuguese arrived, thereby predating the slave trade. Most of what you see here on NL is a repeat of what I shared over a decade ago when most Igbo people here were completely uninformed about the historical, cultural and linguistic relations in the eastern part of the Lower Niger. So if your logic is that I am denying indigenous Igbo-speaking people in Bonny and Opobo (thereby exposing myself as Ijaw), then you are now obliged to see that your conclusion is in error and thereby correct it, because I come from such community with oral traditions that claim indigenous representation in Bonny. So, you ultimately have to accept me as Igbo by your logic.

I know this might have been a lot to read, but I wrote it in good faith, because I don’t have a history with you here on NL, and because you claimed that you are not in the business of denying anyone of their Igboness so we should be able to have an honest conversation.

ChinenyeN:
ThickSharon123, I am about to write a long post, but I am only doing so because I’m still giving you the benefit of the doubt.

Now, by the logic you have in your post above, you should actually consider me Igbo. Your basis for claiming or believing that I am supposedly not Igbo is as such:

1) I disagree with the claim that “Amanyanabo” has an Igbo etymology. Yet, I am the one who opened and led the most educative thread on NL regarding Igbo language etymology and proto-Igbo language reconstruction. ‘Til date, I have not yet opened such a thread for any other Lower Niger language, because I believe (as I’ve stated severally on NL) that members of a speech community should take responsibility for preserving and developing their respective languages. Anyone who knows what my interests are on this NL platform can easily assume that I would have created an Ijaw language and etymology thread by now if I were actually Ijaw. Go look at my NL profile. The language and etymology thread I created as well as my contribution in that thread outweigh the claim that I am “exposed as Ijaw” on the basis of a single disagreement about the etymology of “amanyanabo”. The thread and my contribution also shows that I am well-versed in language reconstruction and etymological decomposition, and have the capacity to interrogate others’ claims about a supposed etymology for a given word. On that basis, I remain unconvinced of the claims made by some Igbo people here on this platform regarding the expression “amanyanabo”. The tone structures for “ama nyana bo” (HH LH H) and “ama onye naabo” (HH HH HLL) are so dramatically different that it’s impossible to justify the etymology, because tone is a key part of etymology for Lower Niger languages. The phonetics (the actual pronunciation of sounds) also don’t match. The “bo” in “amanyanabo” is an phonetic implosion that does not exist in surviving Igbo speech forms. Those who claim “ama onye naabo” as the etymology have yet to justify how a speech community goes from a non-implosive “bo” in “naabo” to an implosive “bo”. There’s more reasons, but I don’t need to enumerate them further. You should get the point by now that ultimately, those who claim “ama onye naabo” as the etymology have yet to justify such a claim in my eyes, because they have left so many glaring aspects unaddressed. So to use this disagreement to claim I have exposed myself as Ijaw does not agree with your logic. Your logic HAS TO accept me as Igbo, if the contention here is about language etymology.

2) You stated that the Igbo people here went further to inform me about indigenous Igbo-speaking people in Bonny and Opobo. Yet, I come from Ngwa and this is a staple knowledge. In fact, I urge you to look as far back as you can on NL. I was among the first, if not the very first person to provide detailed AND VERIFIABLE synopsis of oral traditions in the Lower Niger that show that Igbo-speaking communities were present in Bonny before the Portuguese arrived, thereby predating the slave trade. Most of what you see here on NL is a repeat of what I shared over a decade ago when most Igbo people here were completely uninformed about the historical, cultural and linguistic relations in the eastern part of the Lower Niger. So if your logic is that I am denying indigenous Igbo-speaking people in Bonny and Opobo (thereby making me Ijaw), then you are now obliged to see that your conclusion is in error and thereby correct it. You have to accept me as Igbo by your logic.

I know this might have been a lot to read, but I wrote it in good faith, because I don’t have a history with you here on NL, and because you claimed that you are not in the business of denying anyone of their Igboness so we should be able to have an honest conversation.

Based on the etymology idea you wrote about. I'll like to ask you a question, wouldn't inter-relation between tribes affect the overall tone of a given language. For example, Delta or Ika Igbos do not have the same intonation or verility of language like those in the south. So that doesn't hold any claim.

Even with the Ijaws themselves, there's a saying that western Ijaws do not particularly understand Eastern Ijaws, although they have almost the same verbal construct. (So, I do not know where you're going with this idea on etymology and verbal intonation as put)

I'll like to add have you read the ideas about Crow and the likes, which are pre-colonial papera justfiying the Igbo history of Bonny and Opobo in exemption from the fact IJAWS are trying to forcefully place a history in which the Bonny and Opobo's have no idea on.
Alagoa and the likes had fraudently maimed this people of their history, placeing the Ijaw history as foremost. But these people still held on to their mother tongue which is Igbo till date.

Ijaws had to further lie that the Igbo mother tongue was too strong for the weak Ijaw language to give that it overpowered the Ijaw tongue (don't tell me you'll be so little to believe such fairytales?)

So on the subject of the Crow and the likes evidence which dates from 1880-1900 what would you say about it? I'll like to hear it from your words? Or would you say your supposed Igbo brothers and sisters fabricated that document?

Okay, done. I really enjoyed writing this. I really wish there was a platform with more Igbo people like me that want to engage in this sort of conversation. Anyhow, I tried to keep it as concise as possible, but I really wanted to make sure I explained everything.

ThickSharon123:
Based on the etymology idea you wrote about. I'll like to ask you a question, wouldn't inter-relation between tribes affect the overall tone of a given language. For example, Delta or Ika Igbos do not have the same intonation or verility of language like those in the south. So that doesn't hold any claim.

Even with the Ijaws themselves, there's a saying that western Ijaws do not particularly understand Eastern Ijaws, although they have almost the same verbal construct. (So, I do not know where you're going with this idea on etymology and verbal intonation as put)

This is actually a very common misunderstanding that many of our people have, and this is why you are saying that you don't know where I'm going with the role of tone in etymology. Our people seem to think it means we can dismiss tone in etymology, because it can vary from community to community. While there is some truth in the variation of tone from community to community, it is only a fraction of the whole picture. Our languages are tonal, meaning we rely on tones to create meaning. Because of this, we do not have the luxury to have random tones, nor do we have the luxury to have random tone conventions. In other words, consistency is paramount, both within and between speech communities. Anyone who studies tonal languages knows that even though languages can influence each other, we still need to interrogate how that influence occurred to know if it was a genuine cross-pollination, an already existing language feature in one or both languages or an independent innovation altogether. What this means for us is that it is a necessity to examine existing tonal conventions when discussing etymology of languages like ours. Phonetics (pronunciation of sound; not tone) is also equally as important as tone in identifying etymology. Grammar is also equally important as phonetics and tone.

I will give you a few good, hopefully obvious examples. They will all build on top of each other to show the importance of these factors.

Example 1: This should be easy to understand. If tasked with determining the etymology (or relatedness, to make it simple) of the following terms, you would depend primarily on the tones to help complete your task: oke, nke, uke, oke (yes, this second "oke" is intentional). Unless you are a mindreader (to know what I am referring to by the aforementioned terms), there is no way you would be able to group these words by their relatedness. You will undoubtedly require the help of existing tone conventions. So let's add those tone conventions.

H - high, L - Low, M - Mid

oke [HH], nke [LL], uke [LH], oke [LL].

Because we know the core tonal conventions in Igbo revolve around the root of a word, we can easily drill down and determine how to group the words above.

Oke [HH] will be grouped with uke [LH], because the /-ke/ root is a high tone.
Nke [LL] will be grouped with oke [LL], because the /-ke/ root is a low tone.

Now, let's move this to the next example.

Example 2: Let's say we change this up for you to still group the words. You should be able to easily do it now, if I don't provide you the tone, because you will do it by the meaning. If you were given the same tasks, but also provided the meaning, in this way:

oke (a reflective object)
nke (as in nke gi na nke m)
uke (brightness, sparkling nature of something)
oke (a share or portion)

You can easily group them into their relatedness. We can easily see that the first oke and uke are related. The nke and the second oke are related. But here is what we are not conscious of, as Igbo speakers. Our minds (because we know the meaning of the word) are also subconsciously comparing and contrasting the tones (because we cannot escape the reliance on this information). This is because as Igbo speakers, we are intuitively aware of the fact that most tone conventions revolve around the root word. We are already subconsciously looking at the high /-ke/ vs the low /-ke/. We don't even realize it.

Now, let's build on this with the third/final example. This will build on what we know about tone by adding phonetics and grammar to the mix.

Example 3: I'm going to give a few short sentences in various dialects.

Mbieri - hwu che m
Okocha - kwucha kye m
Onicha - fu nke m (someone correct me if I'm wrong on the Onicha one, but I think this is what I've heard)
Izii - pfu ke m

I'm ignoring a number of phonetics such as nasals, aspirants, etc. to avoid cluttering my point. The above expressions translate roughly as "use your hands to peel mine (like an orange or something)". This is actually a perfect example of how tone changes. The term I want you to focus on is "nke" (che, kye, ke). When they stand alone, they are all low tones, but when used in sentences within their respective dialects, the tones can and do change. It is at this point that we find it difficult to rely entirely on tones. Mind you, I only said entirely. We still need to rely on tones, because we want to decipher the statement. In other words, we need to know what the tone conventions are in the various dialects to help us determine what the words are within a given dialect, which will then help us determine etymology across dialects.

Izii for instance switches its ke from low to high in some sentences. Onicha, I believe, keeps its nke low. Mbieri can either be high or mid/step tone and Okocha, I am not certain of. I think I've mostly seen high tones where marked. Without knowing these conventions within the given dialects, we may find it difficult to decipher what is meant in that dialect. For all we know, the "che" for Mbieri could have been another verb, if we were not aware of Mbieri tone rules. Likewise for the other lects.

Now let me summarize. I've given three cascading examples that build on top of each other. Knowledge of how to decipher meaning and determine etymology transfers from one to the next. If you paid attention to the examples, you will note that tone is consistently present in all attempt to decipher meaning and determine etymology. No matter how hard we try, we cannot avoid the existence of tonal conventions within and between lects.

Now let me bring this back to point of this thread. We need both an understanding of tone conventions in Igbo and Ijaw (amanyanabo [HHHH] vs ama onye naabo [HHHMHLL]) as well as an understanding of the phonetic changes (implosive bo vs non-implosive abo) as well as the local grammar rules within a given language (how amanyanabo is actually a noun while ama onye naabo is not) to interrogate an etymology and provide a justification for why one etymological interpretation should be considered over another. If someone cannot justify their etymological interpretation in light of these (and other) factors, then it makes it difficult for someone else to be convinced that such etymological interpretation is correct. As it stands, the etymological interpretation of "ama onye naabo" makes no effort to justify itself against the known tonal, phonetic and grammar conventions of both Igbo and Ijaw. As such, someone like me remains unconvinced.

Igboid:


The word for king in Opobo and Bonny remains Eze.
Amayanabo is a title for a king.
Just as Enanchioke is a title for a king in Ohafia.
Ijaws are strangers in Opobo and Bonny living on borrowed time.

The grand king of Bonny his Majesty King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III never used Eze as his tilte neither his fore fathers before him.
Bonny belong to igbos? You are nothing but a joke, the IBANI people of Bonny who are of ijaw origin owns Bonny. That's why the IBANI language is teach everywhere today in Bonny. Any igbo you see in Bonny are descendants of slaves they don't belong there.

SaintBishop:
The grand king of Bonny his Majesty King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III never used Eze as his tilte neither his fore fathers before him.
Bonny belong to igbos? You are nothing but a joke, the IBANI people of Bonny who are of ijaw origin owns Bonny. That's why the IBANI language is teach everywhere today in Bonny. Any igbo you see in Bonny are descendants of slaves they don't belong there.

No body is taught his language by outsiders (Bayelsans in this case).
Your language is called your mother tongue, because you learn it from your mother at home.

Bonny and Opobo speak Igbo as mother tongue.
Ijaw Fraudulent attempt at imposing the dead Kalabari language that you are calling "Ibani language" today, will continue to fail like it has failed since past decades.

This is Opobo today.

���-��-���� ����������

In line with the way, Opobians took our Nwaotam to Bonny in 1941. The Dappa-Ye-Amakiri Ikina today 7th January 2022 has introduced a new masquerade (Rafia Play) from Bonny to Opobo. The masquerade has two-face; the human face and Agu face, which gave it the name "Agu Na Madu.

Stay Tuned, We’ll bring Live Stream.

Now, let me respond to the second half of your post.

ThickSharon123:
I'll like to add have you read the ideas about Crow and the likes, which are pre-colonial papera justfiying the Igbo history of Bonny and Opobo in exemption from the fact IJAWS are trying to forcefully place a history in which the Bonny and Opobo's have no idea on.

I am a little confused by what you are attempting to get out of this. I come from a community that has oral traditions supporting our indigenous, non-slave, Igbo-speaking presence in Bonny and Opobo. There are oral traditions from Ijaw that verify Ijaw-speaking people coming into contact with Igbo-speaking people in Ndoki area before migrating to Bonny which further supports the presence of indigenous, non-slave, Igbo-speaking people in Bonny. I am aware of the memoirs of British explorers like Captain Hugh Crow, as well as the works of A. G. Leonard among others. They all provide evidence of indigenous, non-slave, Igbo-speaking lineages in Bonny, and I am even among the many who state so affirmatively here on NL.

Anyone who casually examines the ethno-linguistic history and traditions of origin in the area will find it near impossible to claim beyond a doubt that Ndoki and Bonny don’t have ancestral, non-slave, Igbo-speaking origins. If someone claims otherwise, then they are simply choosing to lie to themselves for the sake of cantankerous ethnic nationalism in Nigeria.

ThickSharon123:
Alagoa and the likes had fraudently maimed this people of their history, placeing the Ijaw history as foremost. But these people still held on to their mother tongue which is Igbo till date.

Ijaws had to further lie that the Igbo mother tongue was too strong for the weak Ijaw language to give that it overpowered the Ijaw tongue (don't tell me you'll be so little to believe such fairytales?)

I am among one of the earliest people on this platform to remark on the re-authorization period between the 1930s to the 1970s. See a quote by me in 2014 where I openly state such:

ChinenyeN:
Radoillo, the issues I discussed in the write-up focused primarily on the nationalistic approaches to Bonny history. I discussed the controversy and national tug-of-war politics between Igbo and Ijo over Bonny ethnic identity. Then I focused on the one-sidedness with which Ijo people have been treating Bonny history. Since the re-authorization attempts that began in the 1930s, Bonny-Ijo history has been told as if Bonny existed in isolation from the time of its establishment, up to the 20th century. I went over the different re-authorizations and touched on some of the logistical and chronological problems they created.

I even stated on this forum in April of 2021, that I believe Alagoa to have taken an active part in re-authorizing and fabricating a narrative that attempts to distance Bonny from Ngwa and Ndoki (and consequently from Igbo).

With all of this now out in the open, it should be clear that whatever basis by which you choose to believe that I have "exposed myself as Ijaw" is obviously so way off base that you if you were to be honest with yourself, you would have no choice but to correct what is a blatantly incorrect notion. I mean really, using your own logic for what "exposes me", it can be seen that I am actually quite the opposite of that. You will actually have to rework your logic to come up with new requirements and constraints in order to continue believing that I am Ijaw. At which point, that is out of my own hands. You (and anyone who follows suite) is actually choosing to go out of their way to believe whatever it is they believe. I will no longer get in the way of that, because I do not have the energy to continue going back and forth on this subject matter.

ChinenyeN:
Okay, done. I really enjoyed writing this. I really wish there was a platform with more Igbo people like me that want to engage in this sort of conversation. Anyhow, I tried to keep it as concise as possible, but I really wanted to make sure I explained everything.



This is actually a very common misunderstanding that many of our people have, and this is why you are saying that you don't know where I'm going with the role of tone in etymology. Our people seem to think it means we can dismiss tone in etymology, because it can vary from community to community. While there is some truth in the variation of tone from community to community, it is only a fraction of the whole picture. Our languages are tonal, meaning we rely on tones to create meaning. Because of this, we do not have the luxury to have random tones, nor do we have the luxury to have random tone conventions. In other words, consistency is paramount, both within and between speech communities. Anyone who studies tonal languages knows that even though languages can influence each other, we still need to interrogate how that influence occurred to know if it was a genuine cross-pollination, an already existing language feature in one or both languages or an independent innovation altogether. What this means for us is that it is a necessity to examine existing tonal conventions when discussing etymology of languages like ours. Phonetics (pronunciation of sound; not tone) is also equally as important as tone in identifying etymology. Grammar is also equally important as phonetics and tone.

I will give you a few good, hopefully obvious examples. They will all build on top of each other to show the importance of these factors.

Example 1: This should be easy to understand. If tasked with determining the etymology (or relatedness, to make it simple) of the following terms, you would depend primarily on the tones to help complete your task: oke, nke, uke, oke (yes, this second "oke" is intentional). Unless you are a mindreader (to know what I am referring to by the aforementioned terms), there is no way you would be able to group these words by their relatedness. You will undoubtedly require the help of existing tone conventions. So let's add those tone conventions.

H - high, L - Low, M - Mid

oke [HH], nke [LL], uke [LH], oke [LL].

Because we know the core tonal conventions in Igbo revolve around the root of a word, we can easily drill down and determine how to group the words above.

Oke [HH] will be grouped with uke [LH], because the /-ke/ root is a high tone.
Nke [LL] will be grouped with oke [LL], because the /-ke/ root is a low tone.

Now, let's move this to the next example.

Example 2: Let's say we change this up for you to still group the words. You should be able to easily do it now, if I don't provide you the tone, because you will do it by the meaning. If you were given the same tasks, but also provided the meaning, in this way:

oke (a reflective object)
nke (as in nke gi na nke m)
uke (brightness, sparkling nature of something)
oke (a share or portion)

You can easily group them into their relatedness. We can easily see that the first oke and uke are related. The nke and the second oke are related. But here is what we are not conscious of, as Igbo speakers. Our minds (because we know the meaning of the word) are also subconsciously comparing and contrasting the tones (because we cannot escape the reliance on this information). This is because as Igbo speakers, we are intuitively aware of the fact that most tone conventions revolve around the root word. We are already subconsciously looking at the high /-ke/ vs the low /-ke/. We don't even realize it.

Now, let's build on this with the third/final example. This will build on what we know about tone by adding phonetics and grammar to the mix.

Example 3: I'm going to give a few short sentences in various dialects.

Mbieri - hwu che m
Okocha - kwucha kye m
Onicha - fu nke m (someone correct me if I'm wrong on the Onicha one, but I think this is what I've heard)
Izii - pfu ke m

I'm ignoring a number of phonetics such as nasals, aspirants, etc. to avoid cluttering my point. The above expressions translate roughly as "use your hands to peel mine (like an orange or something)". This is actually a perfect example of how tone changes. The term I want you to focus on is "nke" (che, kye, ke). When they stand alone, they are all low tones, but when used in sentences within their respective dialects, the tones can and do change. It is at this point that we find it difficult to rely entirely on tones. Mind you, I only said entirely. We still need to rely on tones, because we want to decipher the statement. In other words, we need to know what the tone conventions are in the various dialects to help us determine what the words are within a given dialect, which will then help us determine etymology across dialects.

Izii for instance switches its ke from low to high in some sentences. Onicha, I believe, keeps its nke low. Mbieri can either be high or mid/step tone and Okocha, I am not certain of. I think I've mostly seen high tones where marked. Without knowing these conventions within the given dialects, we may find it difficult to decipher what is meant in that dialect. For all we know, the "che" for Mbieri could have been another verb, if we were not aware of Mbieri tone rules. Likewise for the other lects.

Now let me summarize. I've given three cascading examples that build on top of each other. Knowledge of how to decipher meaning and determine etymology transfers from one to the next. If you paid attention to the examples, you will note that tone is consistently present in all attempt to decipher meaning and determine etymology. No matter how hard we try, we cannot avoid the existence of tonal conventions within and between lects.

Now let me bring this back to point of this thread. We need both an understanding of tone conventions Igbo and Ijaw (amanyanabo [HHHH] vs ama onye naabo [HHHMHLL]) as well as an understanding of the phonetic changes (implosive bo vs non-implosive abo) as well as the local grammar rules within a given language (how amanyanabo is actually a noun while ama onye naabo is not) to interrogate an etymology and provide a justification for why one etymological interpretation should be considered over another. If someone cannot justify their etymological interpretation in light of these (and other) factors, then it makes it difficult for someone else to be convinced that such etymological interpretation is correct. As it stands, the etymological interpretation of "ama onye naabo" makes no effort to justify itself against the known tonal, phonetic and grammar conventions of both Igbo and Ijaw. As such, someone like me remains unconvinced.

Okay, as a simple fact why is it that only in Nembe (which is Igbo speaking or bilingual too) and Bonny and Opobo, we do have the titleship called Amayanabo. And not in all Ijaw clans as some Ijaws posit, grabbing the word in its entirety.

These title is only found in so-called Ijaw speaking clans which bluntly speak Igbo. But not in all Ijaw clans, not even in the central Ijaw area in Delta? It begs the question.

If you are a person of logic, you'll know intonation or a breath of words doesn't really count as a collective of word construct. If it did, the professor's from the start who made their findings, Crow and the likes would have objectively used such parameters to conclude that the Bonny and Opobo are related to this Jo men who live in the creeks as they make their record to the letter. But as a fact, the Jo men had no relation to them, they were even scarcely mentioned in the paper.

You weren't the person who started this findings, they'd even labelled how similar the numerical and alphebitcal lines were similar in regions such as Nembe, Bonny and Opobo and the likes with the Eboe or Igbo language. Making such similarities as you're giving now.

For example in Crows book, Mmiri is water in Igbo or Eboe as he made mention. Nembe, Opobo and Bonny call it MMigi I presume. So, with what you've just given there's a link to these city states as in connection to Igbos, right?

In addition, you might think I'm boring you with Crows work as a suggestion or basis, there are more authors which links Crows findings firmly and they predate pre-colonial times.

Alagoa and the likes intentionally left that out becuase perhaps he'd thought the internet would never be created or we would never find out, while they continued wiping out the Igboness out of that group.

Right now as I speak, there is a campaign and I mean a dogged campaign to forcefully make the Bonny and Opobo speak a language called Ibani (even Ijaws don't understand it) and they tag it like some parasite Ibani-Ijaw, just to make them wipe anything called Igbo from them, tell me and be sincere isn't that witchcraft?

And funny enough, Ibani according to historical records is an Igbo sub-group language spoken in Kalabari I presume.
That said, the question here is, why don't you advise the Ijaws to let the people speak what they comfortably love to speak, other than guilt tripping them that that's a slave language, and stealing anything that makes them Bonny and Opobo people.

Igbos aren't forcing the Bonny and Opobo to be with them (it's their choice) but what we are against is forcing a people who are comfortable to speak their mother tongue, to speak otherwise. A tongue that has been with them for millennials and still counting, and you dare introduce a foreign language to them, just becuase they are found in the coast? That is uncalled for.

Most of the Bonny and Opobo I've seen are proud to be called Igbos. I rarely see any that would say he is Ijaw. I believe the Ijaws have kept them in siege in their own town, so they feel they have no one to turn too.

And if they are Ijaws as Ijaw so claim, why are they insecure? Why can't they laugh when Igbos say they are Igbos? Isn't that suspicious? Isn't Bonny and Opobo people meant to speak for themselves. Why do Ijaws use fake monikers, like some who would read this post pretty soon. Today he is from Bayelsa, tommorow he is from Delta, and when Bonny and Opobo comes up, he is from Opobo! There are a lot of suspicion and insecurities when it comes to Ijaws and their propaganda for Bonny and Opobo. Why do they feel insecure?

Igbos do not feel insecure, but when you call Bonny and Opobo slaves, we refuse. Bonny and Opobo Igbos wasn't slave made. They were also a great number of indigenous Igbos there too. That's when we feel insecure and bring proofs. And that's what they are doing now.