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Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? - Culture - Nairaland

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Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by ezeagu(m): 1:29pm On Oct 20, 2015
I noticed whenever an Igbo/outsider person wants to address a wider Igbo audience of different dialects they almost always use Onicha Igbo or some other Igbo from around that region despite the fact that there is already an Igbo Izugbe standard Igbo. Look at some Igbo memes for example. Since this is the Igbo most people learn, should it be made the standard?

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Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by VICTORCIZA(m): 1:54pm On Oct 20, 2015
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Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by Nobody: 2:45pm On Oct 20, 2015
Well, it's a better option than what we currently have.

However, just how prevalent is the use of Onicha Igbo in the southern Igbo area? I don't get the impression that many southern-raised Igbos can speak it even if their lives depended on it.

1 Like

Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by agadez007(m): 8:26pm On Oct 20, 2015
yah,true that
the Onitsha/anambra dilect is more popular than Izugbe as evident in Nollywood films and In Lagos here

Some Imo people i know say ''kita'' rather than ''ugbua/ugbulaka''
even in names we give,its not uncommon to see an Imolite or abian bearing ''ifeanyi,ifeoma'' etc

but i dont think it will be easy changing igbo izugbe,let it remain that way,biko

tenks
Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by ezeagu(m): 9:18pm On Oct 20, 2015
Radoillo:
Well, it's a better option than what we currently have.
However, just how prevalent is the use of Onicha Igbo in the southern Igbo area? I don't get the impression that many southern-raised Igbos can speak it even if their lives depended on it.

agadez007:
yah,true that
the Onitsha/anambra dilect is more popular than Izugbe as evident in Nollywood films and In Lagos here

Some Imo people i know say ''kita'' rather than ''ugbua/ugbulaka''
even in names we give,its not uncommon to see an Imolite or abian bearing ''ifeanyi,ifeoma'' etc

but i dont think it will be easy changing igbo izugbe,let it remain that way,biko

tenks

Yes I've noticed that people even 'southern Igbo' generally find Anambra dialects more sexy and worldly. Like the examples of the names and nollywood. There are people who have never been to Anambra who would speak that dialect with a different Igbo maybe because that's what they expect them to understand, which is why I wonder if the whole exercise of Igbo Izugbe is pointless and whether Onitsha Igbo for example should be the official dialect.

1 Like

Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by Nobody: 12:03pm On Oct 21, 2015
ezeagu:




Yes I've noticed that people even 'southern Igbo' generally find Anambra dialects more sexy and worldly. Like the examples of the names and nollywood. There are people who have never been to Anambra who would speak that dialect with a different Igbo maybe because that's what they expect them to understand, which is why I wonder if the whole exercise of Igbo Izugbe is pointless and whether Onitsha Igbo for example should be the official dialect.
On what basis and who conducted the research. The prominence of Onitsha Igbo ends in the confines of Anambra, Enugu, Anioma and northern Ebonyi. But in territories such as Imo, Abia, Rivers and southern Ebonyi, the Owerri Igbo of which forms over 80% of Igbo Izugbe reigns supreme. Its a fact that a child who grew up in Onitsha and environs will cleave towards Onitsha Igbo. However, a child raised in Aba will definitely speak Owerri Igbo. This is the truth. While a child who grew up outside the South East will surely speak the dialect of his immediate family.
The Owerri Igbo which comprises over 80% of Igbo-Izugbe has come to stay as our native means of communication, and many of you guys should swallow your anguish and live with it.
The Igbo language taught in schools and tertiary instituitions is Igbo Izugbe(75% Owerri Igbo)
The Igbo used in both the Orthodox and Pentecostal churches in Igbo land is Igbo Izugbe.
The Igbo used in Igbo christian music is Owerri Igbo.
The Igbo used in all South East Radio and TV stations is Igbo Izugbe.

4 Likes

Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by connkg(m): 4:06pm On Oct 21, 2015
Funny, felt odd speaking Onitsha in Umuahia earlier this month. I couldn't make the mild, dialectical differences at the last minute.
I'm also surprised to see "Chiwude"! It's spelt "Chude" in Onitsha!
Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by ezeagu(m): 4:25pm On Oct 21, 2015
Chiwude:
On what basis and who conducted the research. The prominence of Onitsha Igbo ends in the confines of Anambra, Enugu, Anioma and northern Ebonyi. But in territories such as Imo, Abia, Rivers and southern Ebonyi, the Owerri Igbo of which forms over 80% of Igbo Izugbe reigns supreme. Its a fact that a child who grew up in Onitsha and environs will cleave towards Onitsha Igbo. However, a child raised in Aba will definitely speak Owerri Igbo. This is the truth. While a child who grew up outside the South East will surely speak the dialect of his immediate family.
The Owerri Igbo which comprises over 80% of Igbo-Izugbe has come to stay as our native means of communication, and many of you guys should swallow your anguish and live with it.
The Igbo language taught in schools and tertiary instituitions is Igbo Izugbe(75% Owerri Igbo)
The Igbo used in both the Orthodox and Pentecostal churches in Igbo land is Igbo Izugbe.
The Igbo used in Igbo christian music is Owerri Igbo.
The Igbo used in all South East Radio and TV stations is Igbo

Wétu obi now, is just a discussion. I think Igbo Izugbe is good, but I'm just wandering why people use Onitsha instead when in more informal situations.

1 Like

Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by agadez007(m): 4:56pm On Oct 21, 2015
why do people lie to themslves a lot,which igbo izugbe is 80% Owerri dialect,abeg
i used to believe that myself but having spent 3-4 years in Owerri and interacted with owerri,i can confidently say Owerri is not even 40% of izugbe,asaba or igbuzor is more central and standard than Owerri

e.g
english-how are you
owerri-i ri kpa ole / imela kpole
onitsha-kedu ka ime
izugbe-kedu ka ime

english-he passed feaces
owerri- o baga nshi
onitsha-onyulu Nsi
izugbe-onyuru Nsi

English-what is your name
owerri-aha gi owu ni?
Onitsha-kedu afa gi/yi
izugbe-kedu aha gi
e.t.c
and other heavy words in owerri just as pig-Ezhi while izugbe and onitsha is Ezi
Ishi-head while izugbe and onitsha is Isi

if owerri is 80% izugbe than onitsha is 100% izugbe

4 Likes

Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by ezeagu(m): 5:05pm On Oct 21, 2015
agadez007:
why do people lie to themslves a lot,which igbo izugbe is 80% Owerri dialect,abeg
i used to believe that myself but having spent 3-4 years in Owerri and interacted with owerri,i can confidently say Owerri is not even 40% of izugbe,asaba or igbuzor is more central and standard than Owerri

e.g
english-how are you
owerri-i ri kpa ole / imela kpole
onitsha-kedu ka ime
izugbe-kedu ka ime

english-he passed feaces
owerri- o baga nshi
onitsha-onyulu Nsi
izugbe-onyuru Nsi

English-what is your name
owerri-aha gi owu ni?
Onitsha-kedu afa gi/yi
izugbe-kedu aha gi
e.t.c
and other heavy words in owerri just as pig-Ezhi while izugbe and onitsha is Ezi
Ishi-head while izugbe and onitsha is Isi

if owerri is 80% izugbe than onitsha is 100% izugbe


It's true, actually Izugbe is more of Umuahia dialects mixed with others. You're right, Onitsha is actually closer to Igbo Izugbo only that they change l to n and so on.

2 Likes

Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by Nobody: 5:16pm On Oct 21, 2015
Igbo Izugbe is basically a de-nasalized, de-aspirated Umuahia-axis lexicon that closely mimics Onitsha-axis syntax.

1 Like

Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by agadez007(m): 5:20pm On Oct 21, 2015
ezeagu:


It's true, actually Izugbe is more of Umuahia dialects mixed with others. You're right, Onitsha is actually closer to Igbo Izugbo only that they change l to n and so on.
i havent heard umuahia dialect
Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by Donarozzi: 7:18pm On Oct 21, 2015
ezeagu:
I noticed whenever an Igbo/outsider person wants to address a wider Igbo audience of different dialects they almost always use Onicha Igbo or some other Igbo from around that region despite the fact that there is already an Igbo Izugbe standard Igbo. Look at some Igbo memes for example. Since this is the Igbo most people learn, should it be made the standard?

On the question of which Igbo dialect should be standardized, I must say that we should not force a particular dialect to become the written form. To me, the current "Igbo Izugbe" does not have enough vibrant liquidity, and as such, it tends not to excite the entire Igbo people and beyond. Standard Igbo will evolve naturally on its own, as Igbo writers and Igbo communities in general help to upgrade the language to the next level.

Ezeagu, you raised a very important question. We should seriously tackle the problems facing the evolution of Igbo language. The best solution is to use bureaucracies, policies, and awards to motivate Igbo people to continuously publish in Igbo language. The more Igbo people write in Igbo language, the more the acceptable standard Igbo evolves out on its own. We need newspapers entirely published in Igbo. We need websites entirely published in Igbo and regularly updated. We need articles written in Igbo language. We need to make it compulsory that, for anybody to gain employment in any company in Igboland, he or she needs to have done at least two publications in Igbo language, and such Igbo publications must pass certain criteria before the person gains employment. Igbo leaders should give high monetary awards to scholars who publish in Igbo language. For instance, if Chioma writes an Igbo novel and wins N20,000,000 (twenty million naira), it will motivate her to continue writing in Igbo, and more especially, it will make you beat your chest and say, "After all, I can write a better Igbo novel than Chioma."

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Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by Ihuomadinihu: 8:13pm On Oct 21, 2015
I would suggest we just stick to original pattern where Onitsha igbo is used in the Northern region and Owerri-Umuahia dialect is used in the Southern regions. I don't know where you got the impression that onitsha igbo is used in the South?
Biko,onitsha igbo is no where popular in the south. People just speak a mixture of Owerri,Umuahia and Aba igbo.
I prefer a gradual rise of a Standard igbo dialect instead of forcing a particular dialect on igbo people.

1 Like

Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by Eastlink(m): 9:16pm On Oct 21, 2015
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Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by Eastlink(m): 10:52pm On Oct 21, 2015
agadez007:
why do people lie to themslves a lot,which igbo izugbe is 80% Owerri dialect,abeg
i used to believe that myself but having spent 3-4 years in Owerri and interacted with owerri,i can confidently say Owerri is not even 40% of izugbe,asaba or igbuzor is more central and standard than Owerri

e.g
english-how are you
owerri-i ri kpa ole / imela kpole
onitsha-kedu ka ime
izugbe-kedu ka ime

english-he passed feaces
owerri- o baga nshi
onitsha-onyulu Nsi
izugbe-onyuru Nsi

English-what is your name
owerri-aha gi owu ni?
Onitsha-kedu afa gi/yi
izugbe-kedu aha gi
e.t.c
and other heavy words in owerri just as pig-Ezhi while izugbe and onitsha is Ezi
Ishi-head while izugbe and onitsha is Isi

if owerri is 80% izugbe than onitsha is 100% izugbe

Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by Nobody: 11:35pm On Oct 21, 2015
agadez007:
why do people lie to themslves a lot,which igbo izugbe is 80% Owerri dialect,abeg
i used to believe that myself but having spent 3-4 years in Owerri and interacted with owerri,i can confidently say Owerri is not even 40% of izugbe,asaba or igbuzor is more central and standard than Owerri

e.g
english-how are you
owerri-i ri kpa ole / imela kpole
onitsha-kedu ka ime
izugbe-kedu ka ime

english-he passed feaces
owerri- o baga nshi
onitsha-onyulu Nsi
izugbe-onyuru Nsi

English-what is your name
owerri-aha gi owu ni?
Onitsha-kedu afa gi/yi
izugbe-kedu aha gi
e.t.c
and other heavy words in owerri just as pig-Ezhi while izugbe and onitsha is Ezi
Ishi-head while izugbe and onitsha is Isi

if owerri is 80% izugbe than onitsha is 100% izugbe

I don't think you understand what we mean by Owerri Igbo and Onitsha Igbo. But let me school you a little. Owerri Igbo is not solely an Owerri dialect. Neither is Onitsha Igbo, exclusively an Onitsha dialect. In the eastern region of those days two provinces became what we now call Igboland, Onitsha province and Owerri province. In a bid to centralize the Igbo language that will be acceptable to all Igbo groups, scholars of Igbo language discovered that the most purest Igbo in whole of Igboland was spoken in Ohuhu (Umuahia - Owerri province). After careful study the body recommended the adoption of this dialect to form central Igbo. The districts that made up Owerri province accepted it especially as it was similar to theirs in both phonology and lexicology. However, this wasn't the case with the Onitsha province. Although understandable by clans in the districts that made up the province, the language faced some major setbacks in its usage. Most especially as it involved Church services and schools. So some group of Igbo scholars within Onitsha province came up with a fusion of dialects of various districts to form what is now known as Onitsha Igbo. This language became the accepted means of unilateral communication in church services and in schools in the province.
But, during the period the Owerri Igbo grew in leaps that it became the official Igbo central language. Yet, a problem still arouse, especially as the Onitsha scholars insisted on not recognizing the central language, but rather make use of theirs. So the eastern regional government decided to wade into the matter. A committee (SPIL) was set up to fashion out ways to fuse both provincial languages into a standardized form acceptable to all. The result became Igbo-Izugbe which consisted of 80% Owerri Igbo and 20% Onitsha Igbo. It was passed into law by the eastern regional house in the early 60's and officially designated as Igbo standard language to be taught in schools.

2 Likes

Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by bigfrancis21: 5:33pm On Oct 22, 2015
ezeagu:
I noticed whenever an Igbo/outsider person wants to address a wider Igbo audience of different dialects they almost always use Onicha Igbo or some other Igbo from around that region despite the fact that there is already an Igbo Izugbe standard Igbo. Look at some Igbo memes for example. Since this is the Igbo most people learn, should it be made the standard?

Despite the presence of Igbo Izugbe, Onicha Igbo still takes a certain level of placement in Igboland. People readily admit to the sweet-sounding nature of the dialect when spoken. An example in this regard would be British English vs. American English or Nigerian English. Till today, Americans still trip when they hear the British accent spoken. I speak the accent fluently and sometimes in my office I switch to this accent and everybody in my office loves it. The assistant director, a lady in her late 40s, of my unit is British and each time she comes around I tease her in the accent and she loves it.

For the sound of it, Onicha Igbo still takes precedence in Nollywood Igbo movies and also Igbo rap music. Too many times, I have seen Igbo musicians or rap artists from the south prefer to sing/rap in Onitsha Igbo or a mix of it with Igbo Izugbe. Truth be told, Onitsha Igbo does have this flavour to it totally lacking in Igbo Izugbe. Funny enough, Owerri Igbo carries more swag to it than Igbo Izugbe.

In Igbo meetings or gatherings, some people may choose to switch to Onitsha Igbo maybe because it is easy for everyone else to understand or for the 'flavour' that it carries. On the other hand, Igbo Izugbe seems to be restricted to mostly literary usage and in Christian musics.

To correct the impression, Igbo Izugbe is NOT 80% Owerri Igbo. The general impression is that Igbo Izugbe was taken from Owerri Igbo which is totally false. The syntax or skeleton upon which Igbo Izugbe is built on comes from Onitsha Igbo. Igbo Izugbe is Onitsha Igbo in terms of structure and southern Igbo in vocabulary. Core Owerri Igbo is hardly understood by a first-time Igbo visitor to Owerri while Onitsha Igbo/Igbo Izugbe is easily understood by any Igbo speaker. Onitshans say, 'A na m eje afia ka m gote ife', Igbo Izugbe says, 'A na m eje ahia ka m gote ihe', Owerri Igbo says, 'E jega m ahia ma zuta he'. Anoter example, Onitshans would say, 'Ife I na-acho a diro', Igbo Izugbe would say, 'Ihe I na-acho a dighi', Owerri Igbo would say, 'he I choga a rihu'. Owerri Igbo is in no way similar to Igbo Izugbe in sentence formation or structure. In other words, Onitsha Igbo was taken and its skeletal structure retained but stripped off majority of its vocabulary and replaced with vocabulary from Southern Igbo. Igbo Izugbe is spoken in the same way Onitshans speak Igbo and not the same manner Owerri people speak Igbo. People should learn to recognize these subtle differences.

Personally, I think Onitsha Igbo would have been left as the official Igbo dialect.

5 Likes

Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by bigfrancis21: 5:42pm On Oct 22, 2015
Donarozzi:


On the question of which Igbo dialect should be standardized, I must say that we should not force a particular dialect to become the written form. To me, the current "Igbo Izugbe" does not have enough vibrant liquidity, and as such, it tends not to excite the entire Igbo people and beyond. Standard Igbo will evolve naturally on its own, as Igbo writers and Igbo communities in general help to upgrade the language to the next level.

Ezeagu, you raised a very important question. We should seriously tackle the problems facing the evolution of Igbo language. The best solution is to use bureaucracies, policies, and awards to motivate Igbo people to continuously publish in Igbo language. The more Igbo people write in Igbo language, the more the acceptable standard Igbo evolves out on its own. We need newspapers entirely published in Igbo. We need websites entirely published in Igbo and regularly updated. We need articles written in Igbo language. We need to make it compulsory that, for anybody to gain employment in any company in Igboland, he or she needs to have done at least two publications in Igbo language, and such Igbo publications must pass certain criteria before the person gains employment. Igbo leaders should give high monetary awards to scholars who publish in Igbo language. For instance, if Chioma writes an Igbo novel and wins N20,000,000 (twenty million naira), it will motivate her to continue writing in Igbo, and more especially, it will make you beat your chest and say, "After all, I can write a better Igbo novel than Chioma."

To add to this, I also think it is a great idea if Nollywood Igbo producers can produce an Igbo movies acted by Igbo-speaking non-Igbos. There are a lot of fluent Igbo-speaking non-Igbos out there (Idomas, Igalas, Ibibios, Hausas, Binis alike etc.) that need to be recognized and if we can have not just one but several movies featuring talented Igbo-speaking non-Igbos, that would give the face of Igbo movies a major uplift. It would be nice to tune in to watch an Igbo movie with non-Igbo names of actors and actresses spoken entirely in Igbo language. Also, these L2 speakers should be be paid handsomely and this would make the Igbo language industry attractive and lucrative. People are often motivated by money and the Igbo movie industry becoming lucrative will motivate non-speakers to pick interest in learning the language.

3 Likes

Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by ezeagu(m): 11:32pm On Oct 22, 2015
bigfrancis21:


Despite the presence of Igbo Izugbe, Onicha Igbo still takes a certain level of placement in Igboland. People readily admit to the sweet-sounding nature of the dialect when spoken. An example in this regard would be British English vs. American English or Nigerian English. Till today, Americans still trip when they hear the British accent spoken. I speak the accent fluently and sometimes in my office I switch to this accent and everybody in my office loves it. The assistant director, a lady in her late 40s, of my unit is British and each time she comes around I tease her in the accent and she loves it.

For the sound of it, Onicha Igbo still takes precedence in Nollywood Igbo music and also Igbo rap music. Too many times, I have seen Igbo musicians or rap artists from the south prefer to sing/rap in Onitsha Igbo or a mix of it with Igbo Izugbe. Truth be told, Onitsha Igbo does have this flavour to it totally lacking in Igbo Izugbe. Funny enough, Owerri Igbo carries more swag to it than Igbo Izugbe.

In Igbo meetings or gatherings, some people may choose to switch to Onitsha Igbo maybe because it is easy for everyone else to understand or for the 'flavour' that it carries. On the other hand, Igbo Izugbe seems to be restricted to mostly literary usage and in Christian musics.

To correct the impression, Igbo Izugbe is NOT 80% Owerri Igbo. The general impression is that Igbo Izugbe was taken from Owerri Igbo which is totally false. The syntax or skeleton upon which Igbo Izugbe is built on comes from Onitsha Igbo. Igbo Izugbe is Onitsha Igbo in terms of structure and southern Igbo in vocabulary. Core Owerri Igbo is hardly understood by a first-time Igbo visitor to Owerri while Onitsha Igbo/Igbo Izugbe is easily understood by any Igbo speaker. Onitshans say, 'A na m eje afia ka m gote ife', Igbo Izugbe says, 'A na m eje ahia ka m gote ihe', Owerri Igbo says, 'E jega m ahia ma zuta he'. Anoter example, Onitshans would say, 'Ife I na-acho a diro', Igbo Izugbe would say, 'Ihe I na-acho a dighi', Owerri Igbo would say, 'he I choga a rihu'. Owerri Igbo is in no way similar to Igbo Izugbe in sentence formation or structure. In other words, Onitsha Igbo was taken and its skeletal structure retained but stripped off majority of its vocabulary and replaced with vocabulary from Southern Igbo. Igbo Izugbe is spoken in the same way Onitshans speak Igbo and not the same manner Owerri people speak Igbo. People should learn to recognize these subtle differences.

Personally, I think Onitsha Igbo would have been left as the official Igbo dialect.

Onitsha Igbo is like a shiny marketable champagne while Owerri Igbo is an earthy brandy. Igbo Izugbe is like a generalised version of the dialects spoken around the areas where northern Abia and Imo meet.

1 Like

Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by Nobody: 1:25am On Oct 24, 2015
ezeagu:


Onitsha Igbo is like a shiny marketable champagne while Owerri Igbo is an earthy brandy. Igbo Izugbe is like a generalised version of the dialects spoken around the areas where northern Abia and Imo meet.
This is where I was driving at. Now to buttress my point on Igbo-Izugbe being Owerri Igbo 80% and put an end to this argument for once, let's take a look at the following:
Note: when I mean Owerri-Igbo, I'm talking about the main dialects spoken in old Imo state that formed the bulk of what we know as Igbo-Izugbe. A typical Owerri dialect is heavy and is not even the language of communication spoken by Imolites in the city. The northern Imo dialect of Ohuhu and Orlu is the generally spoken Igbo in both Owerri and Aba.
Some of my samples have already been noted by BigFrancis. But it is my hope to correlate both the Umuahia (Ohuhu) and Orlu (Isu) dialects to prove my point, in relation to Igbo-Izugbe.
Igbo Izugbe says, ' A na m aga ahia
ka m gote ihe
',
Ohuhu says A na m aga ahia ka m zute ihe.
Orlu says A na m aga ahia ka m zute ihe.
Second sample.
Igbo-Izugbe says Ihe I na-acho a dighi.
Ohuhu says Ihe I na-acho a dighi.
Orlu says Ihe I na-acho a didhi.
Third sample.
Igbo-Izugbe says Ole ebe I no ubochi ahu.
Ohuhu says Ole nga I no ubochi ahu.
Orlu says Ele nga I no ubochi ahu

1 Like

Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by mandax: 5:28am On Oct 24, 2015
Orlu would also say: Ihe I n'etu anodu. Interpretation: what you are looking for is not available.

1 Like

Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by Ihuomadinihu: 6:39am On Oct 24, 2015
Nobody said Igbo Izugbe is an Owerri dialect. Prior to independence, people from Owerri and Imo down to Northern Abia were put in the political Owerri division before the creation of Bende division for Northern Abians. So Owerri here just stands for a class or general name for people from this area.
Igbo izugbe is basically derived from Ohuhu Umuahia dialects along with sprinkles of other general Igbo lects spoken in Imo and Abia states. We have a different central igbo spoken in metropolitan Anambra and Enugu which is basically the Onitsha dialect.
There is no resemblance of Onitsha dialect in Southern Igbo - Owerri, Aba and Bende division. I don't underestand what the issue is about sef. If Onitsha dialect was anything close to igbo izugbe, Chinua Achebe wouldn't have expressed displeasure over the issue of southern derived igbo izugbe. Abeg,i have interacted with many Onitsha igbo speakers,what i speak as a Southern Igbo is no way similar to how they speak their dialects. Even the dialect sounds strange in my ears.
I'm very content with the izugbe spoken in Abia and Imo,pls be content with the variance spoken in Anambra and Enugu without pushing what the rest of us don't know or understand.

1 Like

Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by Nobody: 7:11am On Oct 24, 2015
@ihuomadinihu nwannem nwanyi, biko were ya nwanyo inugo. You seem a little irked about this whole issue and it's really not that serious.
In my humble opinion, the Onitsha dialect is quite intelligible to most Igbo speakers and I think it should be adopted as Igbo Izugbe. On the other hand, I think our different Igbo dialects should be promoted 'cause they all have their unique flavors. I personally LOOOVE the owerri dialect and all the other dialects spoken in the Imo and Abia areas. I will give anything to learn how to speak Igbo ndi Owerri, eziokwu.

1 Like

Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by Ihuomadinihu: 7:24am On Oct 24, 2015
nwanlecha:
@ihuomadinihu nwannem nwanyi, biko were ya nwanyo inugo. You seem a little irked about this whole issue and it's really not that serious.
In my humble opinion, the Onitsha dialect is quite intelligible to most Igbo speakers and I think it should be adopted as Igbo Izugbe. On the other hand, I think our different Igbo dialects should be promoted 'cause they all have their unique flavors. I personally LOOOVE the owerri dialect and all the other dialects spoken in the Imo and Abia areas. I will give anything to learn how to speak Igbo ndi Owerri, eziokwu.
Nne, i'm only stating a fact. Igbo Izugbe is not Igbo ndi owerri,it is the general igbo spoken in different parts of Imo and Abia.
Why wouldn't i be irked? I thought at this point we will all be comfortable with what is spoken in our regions,so why are people pushing Onitsha dialect on others? There are two central igbo dialects: the one spoken in Enugu and Anambra towns and the one spoken in Aba,Owerri and Umuahia down to Ebonyi to some extent and both have served their purposes till date. The rest of us that don't know anything about Onitsha dialect are very happy and comfortable with our Southern Igbo izugbe. You have to be from the Onitsha axis area to be advocating for promotion of Onitsha dialect as igbo izugbe....sorry, those of us from other places in the South with a different Igbo izugbe are not comfortable with that.

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Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by oboy3(m): 8:20am On Oct 24, 2015
Yes ofcourse,the Onitsha dialect is very sweet to speak and sweet to listen to,i enjoy when umu-otu use their slangs,its out of this world
Kam mu na awa
nwanne pasa godi

I remember the day i went over to my Inlaw's in Imo,everybody were all twisting their tongues to speak igbo which i would understand eventhough i understand their dialects

Onicha dialect is Bam
No wonder its used 90% in Nollywood

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Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by Nobody: 8:42am On Oct 24, 2015
ezeagu:

Igbo Izugbe says, ' A na m aga ahia ka m gote ihe ',
Ohuhu says A na m aga ahia ka m zute ihe.
Orlu says A na m aga ahia ka m zute ihe.
Owerri: "Agaje m ahia, m'azuta ihe."

ezeagu:

Second sample.
Igbo-Izugbe says Ihe I na-acho a dighi.
Ohuhu says Ihe I na-acho a dighi.
Orlu says Ihe I na-acho a didhi.
Owerri: "Ihe ichoga anoghi"

ezeagu:

Third sample.
Igbo-Izugbe says[b]Ole ebe e no ubochi aghu.
Ohuhu says[b]Ole ebe e no ubochi ahu.[/b]
Orlu says Ele ebe e no ahu[/]
Owerri: "[b]Olee nga I no ubochi ahu?"
Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by Ihuomadinihu: 8:43am On Oct 24, 2015
oboy3:
Yes ofcourse,the Onitsha dialect is very sweet to speak and sweet to listen to,i enjoy when umu-otu use their slangs,its out of this world
Kam mu na awa
nwanne pasa godi

I remember the day i went over to my Inlaw's in Imo,everybody were all twisting their tongues to speak igbo which i would understand eventhough i understand their dialects

Onicha dialect is Bam
No wonder its used 90% in Nollywood
Lol,haha. But it all depends on the actors in a particular movie. There are numerous actors in nollywood that don't use or speak onitsha dialect. Most of our top nollywood actors like Gen Nnaji, Oc Ukeje, Rita Dominic, Step Okereke,Ezuruonye etc are not yet in the full igbo movie industry, with time we are going to find out that everyone sticks to his/her igbo izugbe dialect.

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Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by Nobody: 9:03am On Oct 24, 2015
Ihuomadinihu:

Nne, i'm only stating a fact. Igbo Izugbe is not Igbo ndi owerri,it is the general igbo spoken in different parts of Imo and Abia.
Why wouldn't i be irked? I thought at this point we will all be comfortable with what is spoken in our regions,so why are people pushing Onitsha dialect on others? There are two central igbo dialects: the one spoken in Enugu and Anambra towns and the one spoken in Aba,Owerri and Umuahia down to Ebonyi to some extent and both have served their purposes till date. The rest of us that don't know anything about Onitsha dialect are very happy and comfortable with our Southern Igbo izugbe. You have to be from the Onitsha axis area to be advocating for promotion of Onitsha dialect as igbo izugbe....sorry, those of us from other places in the South with a different Igbo izugbe are not comfortable with that.
Good bless you my sister for buttressing my point

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Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by ChinenyeN(m): 12:02pm On Oct 24, 2015
So many assertions to correct in this thread, that I don't even know where to really begin.... I guess I'll start with what Izugbe is, as opposed to trying to explain what it is not....

Over the course of Igbo language studies, many 'standards' have come and go. Izugbe is the latest iteration. Izugbe is artificial. It was not sourced from any one or collection of dialects. Anyone who hears Izugbe will easily pick it out, and there is no serious way you can confuse Izugbe with a natural dialect, not even Ohuhu Umuahia.

And now, to correct the confusion... Igbo Izugbe and Central Igbo are two different standards. Much of the development of Izugbe took place in the 1980s. Central was the prior 'standard', which was in place from the 1940s. Izugbe and Central are not the same, though in common speech the two are called "central Igbo" for obvious reasons. Central Igbo [standard] fell because it followed in the mistake of previous iterations (it based itself on a dialect or collection of dialects). In the case of Central, the basis was presumably Ohuhu Umuahia with Owere. 'Til this day, I'm still unsure of how they used Owere and Ohuhu Umuahia as a basis. The two lects would have to have been significantly oversimplified to be intelligible enough to be used as a 'standard'.

Now, in terms of what Izugbe sounds most like, that would be the generalized mode of speech found in the Onicha-Idemili axis. In a short and oversimplified description, Izugbe mimics the morphology of that Onicha-Idemili axis, but maintains a more southern characteristic with respect to the lexicon (ie. Izugbe has a preference for h as opposed to f and r as opposed to l, etc.). Izugbe also mimics northern voicing by neglecting altogether the contrastive feature of nasals and aspirants; a feature that is very prominent among southern lects. Izugbe also maintains its own sense of uniqueness in that it adheres strictly to the rules of vowel harmony.

Now, addressing the topic: It does not make sense to me that Onicha be uplifted to the position of 'standard'. If people do not already know, that was attempted in the early-mid 1900s. The failure of that attempt gave way to the Union Igbo 'standard'. However, people should not be ignorant of history, and should give credit where credit is due. The majority of the credit for the pervasiveness of Onitsha goes to the Catholic ministry. While the Anglicans adopted Union and the Methodists, Central, the Catholics kept Onicha, and a staggeringly large percentage of Igbo Christians are practicing Catholics.

Onicha is a small region, compared to the rest of the Igbo-speaking area. Any critically-thinking person would wonder how Onicha became so 'popular' when it doesn't account for much in landmass or population. Igbo people nowadays seem to have this understanding that intelligibility for certain dialects is inherent, but fail to give credit to the long and complex history of Igbo language studies that allowed for certain dialects, like Onicha, to gain exposure. Without that exposure, we wouldn't be having this discussion right now.
Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by Ihuomadinihu: 12:33pm On Oct 24, 2015
^I think I and Chiwude are of same opinion...some of us don't have the discipline to sit and write long post. There is a standard Igbo Izugbe dialect which seems to a mix up of both Southern and Northern Igbo speech forms which tends to use h in place f and r instead l. This izugbe seem to be the standard igbo used in Waec and Neco etc. But as far as both regions are concerned,there are two different central dialects. The Northern central igbo which is more like Onitsha dialect and Southern Central Igbo which is a combination of what is spoken in Aba, Owerri and Umuahia towns.
What's the point of calling out Onitsha dialect since both regions already have developed speech forms? How many people in the south can speak proper onitsha dialect. Not the compromise onitsha dialect spoken in the north. O di egwu!
Re: Should Onitsha Igbo Be Igbo Izugbe? by ezeagu(m): 1:29pm On Oct 24, 2015
Onitsha Igbo is popular today because of the strategic point where Onitsha is, especially between the Niger, and also because of its economic power and the power of those towns that surround it. I say this because the 'southern' Igbo that speak Onitsha dialect as their main language have usually travelled around there to work and have retained the dialect even though they can still speak their own dialect. It's even kind of the same for people who go to Enugu which uses an Onitsha-like dialect because the people who populated there as coal miners were from towns in Anambra.

Igbo Izugbe does sound like some Umuahia and northern Abia dialects that has been mixed with Onitsha and generalised. When you hear a generalised Umuahia dialect, you hear Igbo Izugbe for the most part. But before this, and till now, many people from Agbor to Aro, use Onitsha to communicate with each other. If somebody from Bende met somebody from Aniocha they'd probably use Onitsha Igbo because it has become a common ground.

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