₦airaland Forum

Dr. Frances W. Pritchett is Professor Emerita of Modern Indic Languages Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies. In this article, she talks about how she learnt Igbo and her experience with umuigbo that changed her life.

HOW I BECAME AN IGBOPHILE

Back in 1976, I was just another "working girl." Fate had brought me to Arkansas via New York and Illinois, my children were out of school and on their own. I had finished a term as secretary with the 1968 Arkansas Constitutional Convention, whose delegates crafted a fine document to replace Arkansas' antiquated Constitution of 1874, only to have it turned down by the voters. I had then settled into a clerical position with an outstanding law firm that represented labor unions in Arkansas and elsewhere.

I was enjoying my work, but feeling the need for some kind of enrichment in my life. I found what I wanted when I joined the Host Family Program at UALR (University of Arkansas in Little Rock). I took a Nigerian student as my "friendship partner" because I was told that it was hard to find families who would accept black students. Over supper at a cafeteria, my student, Richard Chime, told me that his country was in West Africa and contained three large ethnic groups plus many smaller ones. He himself belonged to the Igbo group inhabiting the southeastern part of Nigeria--the same group that had been involved in the Biafran War (1968-70).

Finding the post-war Nigerian educational system unable to accommodate all of themn, many Igbo, especially Biafran War veterans eager to make up for lost time, left for other parts of the world. Hundreds of them landed in Arkansas to enroll at Philander Smith College, which actively recruited them. I was appalled at my ignorance about Nigeria and Africa in general, and shamed by this young man who had traveled thousands of miles from a place that many Americans thought of as one big jungle, or the "dark continent," yet who spoke my language so well.

I had always been a lover of languages, but had been exposed to only European ones, so when I heard the strange-sounding tongue spoken by Richard and his roommate, I longed to be able to converse with them in their own language. I told Richard I wanted to learn Igbo, and he recommended someone who would be willing to start me off. I managed to round up some grammar books, and soon I was making headway in a course of study that continues to this day. In learning about a language one also learns about the culture that produced it--the beliefs, traditions, habits, attitudes, ways of making a living, interpretations of natural surroundings, ideas about marriage, children, etc.

Continue Reading: http://igbobia.com/?q=how-i-learnt-to-speak-igbochinua-achebe-changed-my-view-may-2000-article-of-american-writer-frances

Who doesn't know that Igbo amaka ?

Good one.

Ok

What does that mean?

ISDKING:
Who doesn't know that Igbo amaka ?

God bless u Prof,they will conquer Africa not by sword or gun as the Fulanis do,but by their soft power,which has proven to be more effective.

Igbo Amaka ooooooh........Igbo atogbulanum oooooh........igbo,umu Chineke kworo aka kee,jiri amamihe na idi mma choose mma......Igbo ga adiriri oooh

Igbo is a heavenly language...We are going to speak igbo in heaven..abi una no know?

There is even igbo in the bible...

Malachi..is that one not igbo?

Gene sisi..is that not igbo?

Abegii

Youngadvocate:
Dr. Frances W. Pritchett is Professor Emerita of Modern Indic Languages Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies. In this article, she talks about how she learnt Igbo and her experience with umuigbo that changed her life.

HOW I BECAME AN IGBOPHILE

Back in 1976, I was just another "working girl." Fate had brought me to Arkansas via New York and Illinois, my children were out of school and on their own. I had finished a term as secretary with the 1968 Arkansas Constitutional Convention, whose delegates crafted a fine document to replace Arkansas' antiquated Constitution of 1874, only to have it turned down by the voters. I had then settled into a clerical position with an outstanding law firm that represented labor unions in Arkansas and elsewhere.

I was enjoying my work, but feeling the need for some kind of enrichment in my life. I found what I wanted when I joined the Host Family Program at UALR (University of Arkansas in Little Rock). I took a Nigerian student as my "friendship partner" because I was told that it was hard to find families who would accept black students. Over supper at a cafeteria, my student, Richard Chime, told me that his country was in West Africa and contained three large ethnic groups plus many smaller ones. He himself belonged to the Igbo group inhabiting the southeastern part of Nigeria--the same group that had been involved in the Biafran War (1968-70).

Finding the post-war Nigerian educational system unable to accommodate all of themn, many Igbo, especially Biafran War veterans eager to make up for lost time, left for other parts of the world. Hundreds of them landed in Arkansas to enroll at Philander Smith College, which actively recruited them. I was appalled at my ignorance about Nigeria and Africa in general, and shamed by this young man who had traveled thousands of miles from a place that many Americans thought of as one big jungle, or the "dark continent," yet who spoke my language so well.

I had always been a lover of languages, but had been exposed to only European ones, so when I heard the strange-sounding tongue spoken by Richard and his roommate, I longed to be able to converse with them in their own language. I told Richard I wanted to learn Igbo, and he recommended someone who would be willing to start me off. I managed to round up some grammar books, and soon I was making headway in a course of study that continues to this day. In learning about a language one also learns about the culture that produced it--the beliefs, traditions, habits, attitudes, ways of making a living, interpretations of natural surroundings, ideas about marriage, children, etc.

Continue Reading: http://igbobia.com/?q=how-i-learnt-to-speak-igbochinua-achebe-changed-my-view-may-2000-article-of-american-writer-frances

nonsense the owners of the language felt ashamed of that language that sound from nouse to the extend of naming their children Yoruba name and learning Yoruba language acidiously.

disumusa:
nonsense the owners of the language felt ashamed of that language that sound from nouse to the extend of naming their children Yoruba name and learning Yoruba language acidiously.

True talk!

I have to bow to her. Igbo is a very hard language to learn.

disumusa:
nonsense the owners of the language felt ashamed of that language that sound from nouse to the extend of naming their children Yoruba name and learning Yoruba language acidiously.

I feel your eternal pain and misery.

I know how it feels that the language of of some ewedu munching tree-jumping apes was not selected here.

You are so pained it is not the language of the fallen demon.

You may wish to end it all.

disumusa:
nonsense the owners of the language felt ashamed of that language that sound from nouse to the extend of naming their children Yoruba name and learning Yoruba language acidiously.

Afonja, appreciate good things for you to see one.

ImperialYoruba:
True talk!

imperialewedu right now.

Igbo is an ancient language... Spoken in almost the same form since 1000BC, even the name Igbo itself means "ancient".
Its rare to find languages these days whose origins are from the 10th century BC and even if you find they're dead languages eg Sanskrit and Geez.
If we can reach out to blacks of the Caribbean, within half a century they'd be totally Igbonized.
Shoutout to all proud speakers of Igbo!!

kingzizzy:
I have to bow to her. Igbo is a very hard language to learn.

Really?

The hit against yorubas today was a back-to-back hit.
First Isrealis falling over themselves to claim Igbos as Jews.
Second, Oyinbo professors thanking God for making speak Igbo.

The hit against yorubas today was a back-to-back hit.
First Isrealis falling over themselves to claim Igbos as Jews.
Second, Oyinbo professors thanking God for making speak Igbo.

attacker321:
imperialewedu right now.

Lol @ imperial ewedu.

Laugh wan make me slap shekau.

disumusa:
nonsense the owners of the language felt ashamed of that language that sound from nouse to the extend of naming their children Yoruba name and learning Yoruba language acidiously.

If there's any language to be ashamed of, it's yours....Your language(Yoruba) is filled say 70% with curses and insults...d reason you guys find it difficult to converse devoid of filthy words...I mean dahs d major ingredient of d language and has been accepted as a norm in ur land...It calls for urgent attention

disumusa:
nonsense the owners of the language felt ashamed of that language that sound from nouse to the extend of naming their children Yoruba name and learning Yoruba language acidiously.

who ever told you that Igbo's hate their language, is it your language that sounds better than Igbo language?

In learning about a language one also learns about the culture that produced it--the beliefs, traditions, habits, attitudes, ways of making a living, interpretations of natural surroundings, ideas about marriage, children, etc.

It is the language itself that is the culture!!. Every other thing she mentioned; like, attitude, tradition, habits, are expressions of language that words cannot express.

Culture = condensed language. If she actually keeps speaking Igbo passionately she would eventually become an Igbo woman, even if she hasn't been in Nigeria before.

Culture is not one big monolithic thing that could not be broken down. Like the "atom" in our science classes, you can break down the building blocks of culture to its basic structure. And when you break culture to it's simplest form you'll get language. The only thing there is in a culture is language.

One Yoruba man speaking Yoruba language is one unit of Yoruba culture. One Yoruba woman speaking Yoruba language is one unit of Yoruba culture.

One Igbo man speaking Igbo language is one unit of Igbo culture. One Igbo woman speaking Igbo language is one unit of Igbo culture. E. T. C.

It's time Africans wake up and take our languages serious in schools and society, cause if we don't, we would eventually become foreigners right here in our own lands in the long run.

For details see the extended version of this theory on the link on my signature.

Afonjos will be like.........

Proudly ONYE IGBO
NWA AFOR

.
Just one person?

DocHMD:
Lol @ imperial ewedu.

Laugh wan make me slap shekau.

shekau? oh no btid that ll be suicidal

I won't blame the man our language in sw sounds like incantation ,too noisy to hear

Everyone knows there are two languages in Nigeria. Yorùbá and the rest!