₦airaland Forum

ronald4lif:
Native language first. So it's Igbo for me. Any other language comes second or they can even decide not to learn any other language until the English start learning other nationals lingua. No be only dem get language.

Nwanne, chop knuckle

MrsPhyno:
[b]I think that English should be the last language you teach your kids cause they're gonna learn it anyways. [/b]Unless you guys are like illiterates in your family wha

The earlier they start being multilingual the better for them

That is exactly the reason why you shouldn't teach them English, first. English is so pervasive that they are going to pick it up anyway - in school, at daycare, from TV etc.

When kids learn the dominant language first, most will not be interested in learning the less popular language.

I have a Hispanic friend, whose nephews and nieces do not speak good Spanish. She decided to change all that with her child. She spoke Spanish exclusively to her child at home. At 3 1/2 years old, she sent her child to daycare, where she picked up English in a matter of months. Today, her daughter is bilingual.

Kids are like sponges and can pick up new languages in no time. Your child will most likely be able to pick up your native language from only you. Focus on giving her that and let the world give her the rest.

P.S. Some kids are just learning to speak by 3 or 4. So there was no awkward transition period for my friends daughter

tendercharles:
I was just wandering, with the rate of decline in our local dialects if it's still ok for our babies to be taught the English language before speaking our local dialects to them. Please guys, what do u think?

So in other words, you want to help further the decline? Just listen to yourself?

summerflame:
Igbo with their quest for money sha igbo kwenu

Abeg, don't be gullible. A person whose last name before marriage, was Walter, is no Nigerian.
Abi is Iyanla Vanzant, Nigerian?

pslm23:
Nigerian and Ghana news media were so quick to tag her as a NIGERIAN based on her name! I am yet to see one news article here in the States that has so much as tagged her as African. NONE!!

[b]My co worker has no Nigerian family or linkage to Africa but she went and named her 3 wk old baby Amara! [/b]hmmmm..... 20 years from now, if Amara goes and kills her boyfriend, Nigerians will immediately tag her Igbo or Nigerian!

Point here: because it smells like a rose doesn't mean it is a rose! Quit all these tribal tagging please!

Exactly! The fact that her maiden name was Walker- marital name was Curry, let's you know that she is not Nigerian

mmsen:
Nothing denotes that she is Nigerian.

No other media outlet claims that she is Nigerian, just the silly self-hating Nigerian blogs.

Exactly. Looking for cheap traffic. Lindaikeji included

ZUBY77:
The moment I see the headline, I knew she must be Igbo.
I am a core Igbo FROM Enugu but I don't know why my tribe takes money too serious.

This is a passive world.
Making money is good but not when someone dies because of that.

Jail the bastarrds for life.

That woman is not Igbo. Her maiden name was Walker. Her married name is Curry. African Americans are increasingly give their children African names. I know a few Nneka's that do not have any known Nigerian forbears. They pronounce it as Neka

Cool2015:
What of Mkpu That Flying stuff that we use light to trap at night especially during raining season. And very sweet when fried or cooked. What's the English name?
Lol

Locust, perhaps?
Locust is Igwulube. But there might be variations in what it's called as between dialects

Kanoro:
Hey, would you be interested in voice acting for me in my animated series? Here is a test video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeP2oEf4Yb0

Yes, in Igbo

prettydiva89:
lwkm..
But come to think of it,na true bajebaje.
Mimomimo,liarliar,rederede,ridinridin,yanmoyanmo,jakujaku,moimoi,fufu,dodo,dundun,dudu,gidigidi,daradara,kiakia,kanmokanmo,yarayara,gbomogbomo,were were.

But its only among Yoruba people I guess

Nope. It is present in Igbo. I also suspect it's present in some of the other languages for the purpose of creating emphasis

Oso oso = fast/quickly
Gburu gburu = round
Ngwa ngwa = quickly
Ngwo ngwo = load
Oyo oyo = dearie
Nganga = to show off
Nlecha Nlecha = to preen/show off
Ashi ashi = To lie
Mbumbu

I know Dr. Omalu. All his family members are exceedingly, intelligent. His sister had the best score in all of Nigeria, when she took jamb

DJEhimond:
Nnkechi carry overload!

No be Nkechi, na Nkiruka (the one wey de for front big pass)

LadyFiona:
Paranoia at its peak. Your relation poisoning you in full glare of the public shows that you're from a family of witches and wizard and inherently wicked scum of the earth, and there is a huge chance that the gene is running haywire in you too.

Too much of Nollywood and disturbing trance-induced prayer point of some moneyspinning pastor-conmen.

1 million likes

@QueenHernandez,

Go to Enugu. It's a beautiful and serene city. Check tripadvisor for hotels

@ Ezeagu:

As far as big projects go, I think a Port (at Onitsha, Oguta or Obuaku) is the most important. I know someone talked about how expensive the dredging and all that is going to be. I would suggest that the governors of the 5 states come together and build. Each state gets a stake depending on how much it contributes to the project. There could even be a Public - Private partnership where well to do people could invest. Of course the Federal Government will only step in to provide the customs officials at the end. Also the Federal Governments share of the revenue will have to be recalculated downwards

equelecua:
To all, again I send my gratitude for the knowledge. As this is the name of my restaurant in Los Angeles, it was/is very important to me that what i tell people, or rather that the information I give them, be accurate. I always held steadfast to the notion that this phrase was in fact Igbo/African, and NOT of European origin, and I now feel armed with good and proper understanding, so EKELE KWA to all of you who helped me with this. PHUT, you are a gem, and I have used your explanation and thus proven my point to the fullness
1Luv,
Caro Lafaurie
Equelecuá Cuban Cafe
1120 W FLORENCE AVE, Unit C
INGLEWOOD, CA 90301
323-741-CUBA (2822)

It was my pleasure. Maybe I will come visit your restaurant when I am in LA. I have never been to the West Coast.
I will leave you with one more word: #Udo (#Peace)

londoner:
Op how I wish it were someone like you and not this cancerous KANU that had resulted in Igbo's looking towards their region. One thing Nigeria and Igbos often overlook is its diaspora.

The diaspora is not just people to send money for school fees many of us have positions in the engine rooms of nations Nigeria wants to emulate. Many are privy to how these systems work and are maintained. There needs to be some bridging of ideas and resources. If we can think of state cooperation for mutual benefit that would be a start. I know Obiano is thinking this way and the rest of us have a vested interest in its success.

We have small scale industries that need to be supported and allowed to grow, for example look at the shoe makers and tailors or even those that replicate almost anything at Aba or Onitsha.....we need to be organising them and even developing trade schools and colleges so they can produce world class quality goods and the term 'Aba or Igbo made' will actually have a different connotation. Many times you hear of young talents creating thongs and you never hear of them again after it is no longer news. This should not be so. We should have organisations or crowd funding facilities for their talent to flourish and one day be responsible for breakthrough innovation in Igboland and Nigeria.

Politically I think the diaspora should be more involved by supporting progressive candidates and their grass root ideas. When I say diaspora I mean those that were either born and raised in the diaspora or spent formative years abroad.

This is another great idea for the same reason as mentioned above : it is easily realizable by us the common man. I will donate to a a properly, organized crowd funding (as I am sure will a lot of others). Excel mentioned creating. a Facebook group which I think is a great way of gathering like-minded people together

Chiwude:
What has developing Nigeria fetch us these past years if not insults and hatred. Let us think home. Afterall, Charity begins at home. Kudos to the likes of Innoson et al who have already started this phase, history will be fair to them. What is left for us now, is to keep bringing up ideas that can bring about that difference we want in our various communities down east.[b] For instance, If I and some folks can start up a Palm oil export venture in my community, don't you think others may follow suit. For every palm oil plantation in the east, we can situate a Cosmetic and Soap manufacturing factory in the locality.
I know the current embargo of using the ports for economic activities in the east may be an hindrance. But, A booming eastern industry will automatically force open the Eastern ports for importation and exportation of raw materials. Yet, let us first start by thinking home. [/b]Let's think East, at least to prove to the 'Lagos na Yorubaland' chanters that we are indispensable.

This is an absolutely, marvelous idea. Why? Because, we the common man can achieve this even without government input. All we need is to agree and then WORK on it, Pronto! NL members alone can even get this off the ground. While all of this is going on, we can try to get the governors of Imo, Abia, Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi working together to achieve the bigger projects (e.g a port). But in the meantime, we must do something

excel234:
Hello my people, can we all form a group on Facebook, have working committees in each state to plan on the way forward. Firstly there is a lot of unemployment amongst youth which needs to be tackled. If you're game hit like , I will create one and send the link across.

Excel, please go ahead and form the group. I and many others will join

CuckoldMaster:
Before development, Igbos must first love themselves, love their land, work together, invest in their land and develop common goals and interests. Igbos must see Delta, C/R, A/K, Rivers and Bayelsa as their blood brothers.

It goes both ways. As you see them as blood brothers, they must also see you as a blood brother. Otherwise it is an exercise in futility. Igbo's definitely played their part in the support we gave GEJ. Perhaps it is time to look inward

ezeagu:
I've always been uneasy about coastal protection in the coastal areas. Levee and other forms of protection from the sea should be in place since rising sea levels suggest that Bayelsa is in greatest danger of being taken by the sea.

https://www.spur.org/sites/default/files/migrated/images/levee.jpg

Ezeagu, why do you keep talking about Bayelsa, Cross River State, Akwaibom etc? All those places are "South - South". They will be the first to tell you that and accuse you of land grabbing if you attempt to foster any kind of Unity. Threads to that effect abound on NL.

I think we have our hands full (over-full sef) and thus should focus on Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi and some parts of Delta, Rivers State and Benue State

ChinenyeN:
No, Phut. It's not like that at all. I understand just as much as anyone what it's like to take on a large project and have a vision in your head that you want to share. That's simply what Scholti has done. I'm currently experiencing that with my own linguistic project, and that's why I said that I'm in a similar boat as Scholti. Beyond that, I also believe in giving people room to develop and guide their work as they deem fit. The early stages of a project are critical in the mind of the visionary. They need to control those. No one else can do it for them, and if someone does, it quite literally can spoil the work in their eyes

Okay, Chinenye. I hear you

What I think you should have done is work with them to standardize the affixes we already have in Igbo. ChinenyeN mentioned an already existing affix for "able" as well as the letter "s".

There is a methodology to using the already existing affixes. Find out that methodology that yields the expected result in every given instance and then make it part of the rules of Igbo grammar (kind of like BODMAS).

Then where the grammar is insufficient, you add on your extra layer. Affix o! Verb agglutination o! It doesn't matter.

People will not accept change for change sake. After you come up with these affixes, how are you going to disseminate the information? Is it through the classroom? What about the middle age or old people who will not see the four walls of a classroom, again? If the young people do learn, how will they communicate with the older generation or will there be a chasm between them? That is why it's important to not throw things out wholesale, unless absolutely, necessary.

Are you going to disseminate the info via TV, radio etc. Well you will need an army be it script/screen writers, people that are good at animation, to create cartoons and write the shows that you need. So the earlier you get as many people on board the better.

If Igbo were the lingua Franca of a country it would be much easier. All you would have to do is get in the presidents ear and once he or she directs that this is the way it's going to go, then it's basically a done deal (yeah! Yeah! Oversimplification I know, but you get my point). Unfortunately, our situation is different so all I am going to stress is cooperation and more cooperation

Scholti, I am saddened by the seeming, direction of this thread. You know I have been on this thread since day one, cheering you on. But I have to say this: No one knows it all. No one! As you are knowledgeable, so are there many other knowledgeable people on Nairaland and the fact is that if two, three or four people put their heads together, they will come up with a more superior product than one person working alone.

You have established that an affix can have meaning all by itself. But the question is, does it matter if it's an affix or verb agglutination? How much time do you spend arguing that as opposed to getting on with the work at hand? Do you know that fresh eyes see what you may not see, even if you go over the text a hundred times?
In the last page or so, I would say nobody out rightly rejected your ideas. Some suggestions were made as to why some of your affixes should be changed to familiar words which already exist in the language. But in each instance, you just argued that yours was better. Do you expect your suggestions to be adopted without a single change? Even those seeking to adapt a language must be themselves, adaptable.

Now we have ChinenyeN saying that you are both in the same boat but rowing in different directions. His response was gracious but I have to tell you that it is a waste when a knowledgeable person decides to sit at the sidelines. It doesn't matter how many knowledgeable people you think you have. The fact is that you can never have too many.

Don't think I am picking upon you. You are the thread starter. This is your love child, isn't it? So you have to work even harder to bring people together and see it come to fruition.

equelecua:
Thank you all for your comments, knowledge and information. To clarify the use of this phrase in Cuba I'll explain it in a small dialogue:
Caro: Hey what is the name of that restaurant we used to go to?
You: Pizza Palace?
Caro: No that's not it
You: Los Taquitos?
Caro: No...
You: Cuban Cafe?
Caro: EQUELECUA!! or Ekele Kwa!!

SO i'm not sure if its a way of exclaiming THANK YOU! or if we use it to mean, "Yes that's right!" or "That's it!"

Now as we have knowledge of history we know that many people were stolen from the Motherland and carried to the Caribbean, and in particular many were taken from Nigeria to Cuba, but obviously there were many stolen from other parts of the continent as well, sooo maybe Ekele was the "giving thanks" or "greeting" part and KWA was a way of indicating that they were speaking to someone of the same "ethnicity"? kind of like how folks from the coasts of Colombia, known as Costeños will speak to another person from the same region and would say something like, "Gracias Costeño".
NOW there is another aspect to all of this that I had not thought about till today, and that is that aside from the African and Spanish roots, Cuba also has the indigenous who were known as Taino, and Puerto Rico's indigenous who were also Taino also go by the name Boricuas, so maybe there is a combination of several things goin on here....
Again I thank all of you for your feed back, and I await more knowledge....

If the phrase is Ekele kwa, then it is definitely Igbo from beginning to end. Like I said previously, Ekele is thanks and kwa is used as an intensifier.

Intensifier is a linguistic term for a modifier that makes no contribution to the propositional meaning of a clause but serves to enhance and give additional emotional context to the word it modifies. Intensifiers are grammatical expletives ....

When Nigerians speak English they often say: come o! Go o! Eat o! Most English speakers would not understand what the "o" means, but Nigerians do. The "O" is a grammatical expletive. This is the same thing with Kwa in Igbo language. That is why I earlier translated it as Greetings o! Or Thanks o!
Kwa is a grammatical expletive.
Ekele = Thanks
Ekele kwa = Thanks!!!!!!!

Kwa can be and is attached to all verbs in Igbo language to give additional emotional context.
Thus you'll hear Igbo's say:
Biko kwa! Bia kwa! Je kwa! Naalu kwa! Rie kwa! Ra kwa! lacha kwa! Gbu kwa! Mara kwa! Muta kwa! Biri kwa! Nama kwa! Soro kwa! Shi kwa! Ekele kwa! The list is endless.
I daresay kwa is the most common and most used intensifier in Igbo language.

ezeagu:
I'd say ị/i is an infinite, a can be past-tense hence the verb has been attained, e is similar attainment depending on vowel harmony and the inherency of something, u is the perfect attainment of a verb, n/m is the action of the verb. Something like that.

Nkpe wouldn't work for court (a noun) then

ezeagu:
I was thinking about how the word for court could be created with the affixing and compounding of 'kpé' and using tone to our advantage, as well as in the creation of other law terms.

ikpe; legal battle
nkpè; court
ukpè; judgement, judge v. [gọ ụkpè]
àkpè; legislation
èkpè; act, decree; acting [èkpùkpè]
òkpè; lawyer
ókpè; court room

compound
àzúikpè; verdict
ńjụíkpè, ọjụíkpè; objection
ọláíkpè; inconclusive
ọhàíkpè [ọhíkpè]; jury

and so on, I haven't even gone into íwú and I've made, presumably, ten legal terms. From one verb. 10. Now imagine what could be done with the thousands of verbs using this simple affixing, and in that case understandable, style that's been used to create most Igbo words already.

Coming back to this, isn't Judgement/ Verdict Nkpebi. That way Njuikpe would be Objection.
Coan you use the examples up above to explain when to use each affix. Is there a set rule which applies to each and every verb?

.

scholti:
A friend bought an Igbo dictionary on the internet a year ago and it was atrocious (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Igbo-English-English-Igbo-Dictionary-Phrasebook-Hippocrene/dp/0781806615/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1440018359&sr=8-2&keywords=igbo+dictionary). For instance the entry for toilet roll is, 'akwukwọ e sie hicha ike'.

In your compilation, there are some entries that didn't accurately reflect the meanings of the words or would conflict with other Igbo words that properly define them like the entry, 'Attack v: Nụsọ ọgụ = To assault/To fight.
Pronounciation:/nu-soe/~/or-gu/
Root: Ọgụ = Fight
Variant: Lụsọ ọgụ

Fighting in Igbo is called, 'Nụsọ ọgụ' (at least a popular variant of it). A new word should be sought for 'attack' in the dialects or other registers of Igbo. I have had someone call 'attack', 'jaọgụ.'

Abdicate wasn't fully rendered, 'Abdicate v: Hapụ = To leave.
Pronunciation:/ha-poo'. 'Hapu' means leave in Igbo while abdicate means 'leave a position.' So the proper definition would, 'hapuọkwa.'

The Igbo language needs a proper dictionary that respects it and defines words in every category, the sciences, politics etc. Many 'English' words are easy to define; in many cases searching for their origins would enable translation. Here are some English words I have translated:

1.science- nzammuta
2.chemistry- ngbanweta
3. theory- nkọwata
4. hypothesis- nwunwata
5. physics - nzaọdinandu

Jaogu is great. So is hapuokwa. Will also add Nkowata

Radoillo:
Uko is the more widely used variant. [The word for priest, ukochukwu (Messenger/Emissary of God) also employs this variant].

Thanks

Radoillo:
Hey, Phut. Good work! Compiling anything is such a tiring monotonous task, I know. Unfortunately, I know no Igbo grammarian, but can I make a few observations based on what I've seen of the work so far?

1. Abrupt: I don't think this word is exactly synonymous with 'quick'. Dictionaries explain it as 'sudden/ending or changing unexpectedly/lacking continuity'. My dialect has a word that fits perfectly, and it isn't 'osiso' (quick). It is ibide. Perhaps, similar/same word exists in the other dialects.

2. Also, I feel that speakers will be reluctant to use a translation if it consists of a (relatively) long string of words, eg onodu enweghi olile anya for abject. I think this has always been a problem for translators (and perhaps one of the reasons you need to engage a grammarian). While I can't think of a shorter way to put 'abject' there are one or two entries I think I can suggest alternatives for:
a. Abrasive: which your dictionary rendered as 'Ife na-kpucha ife'. The ancient woodcarvers of Awka had a tool they used to smoothen the surfaces of their works - kind of like what an abrasive does. They called it Nlacha - literally 'Licking' or 'Licker'. Perhaps we could adopt the word to refer to abrasives generally. Or alternatively, we could coin another word along the same lines - say, Nkpucha, literally 'Scraping' or 'Scraper'. Or we could ditch the Awka model and avoid confusion by leaving Nkpucha to mean 'Scraping' and using Okpucha for scraper/abrasive.

b. Ambassador: which your dictionary rendered as 'onye nochi Obodo ozo'. An Agbor (Ika) word - ironically - suggests to me the possibility of a shorter coinage. Apparently, Agbor in the old days used to send out representatives of the king to reside (and in some cases rule) distant villages. These representatives were called okor-eduali. 'Okor' (uko/uku in many lects) refers to a messenger. 'Ali' (ala) clearly refers to 'land/town/country/state'. 'Edu' may refer to 'leading/leader' - not too sure. Anyway, we may drop the 'edu', and use 'oko-ali' or 'uko-ala', literally, Messenger of the State - a word with a broad meaning, covering emissaries.

An architect can also be Oseeulo rather than 'onye na ese uno', same way secretary is rendered as 'odeakwukwo' rather than 'onye na-ede akwukwo'.

Thanks, Radoillo. I like Okpucha, Oseulo. Between Oko and Uko, which is more commonly used? I willl make the necessary changes

drthiery:
Just witnessed this annual Festival of Fire @Erema
community of Ogba/egbema/Ndoni lga in Rivers
State...it was awsome and scary..started around
5am and still buzzing....

What is the history behind the festival?