₦airaland Forum

"2000 years ago there were no human settlements in West, Central and Southern Africa."

What the feck is this?! 2000 years ago = 17 AD.

There was no one here in 17 AD?! Son, you need to immerse yourself in African prehistory. The efforts of archaeologists and historical linguists cannot be in vain.

And someone needs to start a campaign to bring history - serious history - back to the classrooms.

ariesbull:
Onitsha doesn't and have never used dein before...Jesus

How can you be this way

Dein is dialectical version of Dee used in Owerri

Can you please read up owerri migration to present Agbor


It's a historical fact

It is not historical fact. The Owerri migration is historical speculation by Onwuejeogu and nothing more.

ariesbull:
And this igalla Prince forgot to impose igalla langaguage in his domain for Igbo


It doesn't add up

This logic is so faulty

The problem is that most of you do not have a sense of history. Marseilles in France was founded by Greeks. The natives today don't speak Greek. They haven't spoken Greek in centuries. The same can be said of Alexandria in Egypt founded by Greeks, Barcelona in Spain founded by Carthage, Fatima in Portugal founded by Arabs. All these places have made a complete switch from the languages of its founders.

You cannot use the language spoken by Asaba people today to make conclusions on the language spoken there 500 or so years ago.

laudate:
Which one of your Igala villages have Igbo origins? And what are these exact origins?? Please clarify. In many parts of the world, border communities that straddle different states such as the one you mentioned are usually bilingual or even tri-lingual in order to facilitate ease of communication, trade and commerce. It does not mean that they always share the same ancestral origins as the ethnic group whose language they speak, as their second language.

Heard of Odeke in Ibaji?

ianSweet:
A N I O M A !
I have many anioma friends.
Truly i heard Illah people have igala origin.
Why is it that most of your people say u are not Igbos when your names appear very igbo-ish?

Not an easy question to answer.

First, we take our traditions quite seriously. Our traditions trace us to many different cultures, not just Igbo. As a result we tend to feel that calling us Igbo is over-simplifying our identity.

Also, in the olden days Igbo for us meant the people across the Niger. The name also has for us a negative connotation, but I don't want to get into that.

blues20:
Oh, my apology, please. This solidify my position on the fact that Delta Igbos are migrant from different direction, but Igbos having the upper hand because of proximity, early aboriginal movement and population. So, ibu diali.

Actually, Illah's name is from the Igala word is Alla, which means temporary settlement. Probably because it was originally a stop-over post for Igalas travelling up and down the river. The fact that the name of the town is Igala indicates that Igalas were there first. Igbo elements came later.

blues20:
Are you from Ebu?

I just mentioned my community up there. Illah

ianSweet:
Hmm, you really know so much about both igalas and igbos. Are u igbo?

Illah. Delta State. My people claim dual origin - Igbo and Igala. You can call me Igbo, i really don't mind.

ianSweet:
Most of these words are correct.
Igalas share many words in common with yoruba but we also share so many words in common with the igbos too and the shift is gradual. The more southern u go in Igala, the more igbo the words become due to our boundary with Igbos.
I am not so fluent with igala because i grew up in the north speaking more of hausa but i can also make a very long list of similar igbo and igala words.

Do u know that we southern igalas (Ibaji people) are called ORLU? because we are riverine people and this is exactly the name for riverine Igbos.
Igala and igbos share the same market days with exactly the same names for instance.

Abacha is Cassava in Igala/Igbo
Osikapa is rice in igala/igbo
Oko, Okoro/Okolo is same in Igala/Igbo
Akpati is box in igala/Igbo
Ajogwu is warrior in both igala/igbo
Atama is used as chief priest in both lang
Achadu/Asadu means same thing in both lang

Infact if u compare Igala and Enugu dialects of Igbo especially, the similarities in words are innumerable. Not to talk of similarities in names with Igbos. Most igala names sound igbo, however many also sound like Yoruba too.
In terms of language, Igala sounds more like yoruba but as u shift into southern igala, it starts sounding more like Igbo, by the time u enter Anambra/Enugu and hear Igala speakers there it is almopst sounding like Igbo and infact most igalas there are becoming Igbonized.
In terms of culture, Igbo and igala share so much similarities, infact u may not be able to differentiate Nsukka igbos and Igalas, the masquerades we use are almost the same.

The truth is that Igalas are the connectors (bridge) between yoruba and Igbo cultures and languages and should be appreciated by both, we shared boundary with both yorubas and Igbos for centuries until the Igbirras came and cut us off with the yorubas. That is why u see that Egbirras do not have much in common with yorubas except in clothes.

Sis, I do not dispute anything you have said. Igala no longer shares geographical continuity with Yorubaland. They have been in direct contact more with Igbo and Idoma than with Yoruba for many centuries. As a result, their language has been undergoing modification under Igbo and Idoma exposure. I am aware of many words shared in common with the Igbos, especially the Igalas of Ibaji area. I also know that in Aguleri, they call Ibaji Olu people. Ibaji and Aguleri are in fact, practically kin.

So i am in no way denying southern Igala's connection with Igbo. Despite this, the overall structure of Igala language is basically Yoruboid.

Attama and Asadu are not Igbo words. Nsukka people borrowed it from Igala. You will not find them outside Nsukka area. Igala and Igbo borrowed or corrupted osikapa from Hausa shinkafa. But I do get your point. I don't dispute the main premise of your write-up.

hammerF:
WAT U DID WITH IGALA LANGUAGE AND YORUBA, COULD BE REPEATED WITH IGBO AND YORUBA.

THERE ARE MANY WORDS IN BOTH LANGUAGES THAT ARE THE SAME.

HERE IS JUST A FEW.

English: Ear
Yoruba: Eti
Igbo: Ntị


English: Nose
Yoruba: imú
Igbo: Imi

English: Stone
Yoruba: Okuta
Igbo: Okute

English: Amen
Yoruba: Ase
Igbo: Ise

English: A Twin
Yoruba: Ejire
Igbo: Ejime/Ejima

English: What
Yoruba: Kini
Igbo: Gini

English: He/she said
Yoruba: Oso
Igbo: Osi

I feel like telling you how Yoruboid-Edoid-Igboid are related languages, which are in turn related to Nupoid-Oko-Idomoid, but I know I will be wasting my time because, clearly you do not know anything in the field of African linguistics.

Yoruba's relatedness to Igala (a Yoruboid language) is much more closer than its relatedness to Igbo (a non-Yoruboid language). Just like Bini's relatedness to Urhobo (an Edoid language) is much more closer than its relatedness to Igbo (a non-Edoid language). On a more removed plane, all these languages are ultimately distantly related.

Do you understand this simple explanation?

hammerF:
IANSWEET ABEG CONFIRM THAT THIS IS CORRECT.

@Redbonesmith1, SO 4 UR MIND BECOS OF THESE FEW SIMILAR WORDS IGALA NOW SOUND YORUBA?

MY ADVICE TO U IS TO ACTUALLY GO ON YOUTUBE AND LISTEN TO WAT IGALA ACTUALLY SOUNDS LIKE.

THEN LISTEN TO YORUBA.

Boy, go and rest. You asked for a word. One word. I gave you over 40. You come back and say it is few. Do you want a dictionary? Go online or to a freaking library and read about how West African languages are classified, and the constituent languages in the Yoruboid language cluster. In the 21st century, no enlightened Nigerian should still be questioning whether Igala is Yoruboid or not.

hammerF:
Itsekiri and Olukumi are very bad examples.

Let me ask u? How did Olukumi or wateva u call them get into Anioma? That is very suspicious.

As for the Itsekiri, they are Ijaw mixed with yoruba and that is y u get Ijaw groups separating them from mainstream yoruba.

I hope u understand the difference between these scenario and the Igala. Igala is not a yoruboid language, that is certain.

They are not mixed with yoruba.

What are you talking about here, please? How is it related to what I am saying? I was talking about languages, you are telling me about mix and non-mix. How's that relevant? Olukumi is a Yoruboid language seperated from mainland Yoruba by both Aniocha and Edoid groups . Itsekiri is a Yoruboid language seperated from mainland Yorubaland by Ijaw groups. The same as Igala which is also a Yoruboid language seperated from mainstream Yoruba by Ebira groups. That is the thrust of the gist. Not mixed and non-mixed.

hammerF:
@RedboneSmith: send me the material or better yet post it here.

Tell me one similar igala and yoruba word? Just one is all i ask.

How do u equate two separate entity that dont even share border as similar?

That is just propaganda and lies.

I tried posting links to two articles. Spambot hid my post and banned me. If you still want to see the articles, it has to be by e-mail as Spambot seems to have a problem with me posting links.

You want one word? I'll give you dozens.

1. Two is eji in both languages.
2. Three is eta in both languages.
3. Six is efa in both languages.
4. Eight is ejo in both languages.
5. Ten is ewa and egwa in Yoruba and Igala respectively.
6. Mother is iya/iye in Yoruba/Igala.
7. Child is omo/oma in Yoruba/Igala
8. In-law is ana in both languages.
9. Face is oju/eju in Yoruba/Igala.
10. Eye is oju/eju in Yoruba/Igala
11. Nose is imu/imo in Yoruba/Igala
12. Ear is eti in both languages
13. Tooth is eyi/ehi in Yoruba and enyi in Igala.
14. Hand is owo in Yoruba and Igala
15. Shoulder is ojika in Yoruba and ejika in Igala
16. Liver is edo in Yoruba and odo in Igala
17. Urine is ito in both languages
18. King is Olu in Yoruba and Onu in Igala
19. Friend is Oluku in some Eastern Yoruba dialects and Onukwu in Igala
20. Water is Omi in both languages.
21. Day is ojo in both languages.
22. Evening is ale in Yoruba and ane in Igala.
23. Year is Odu in Yoruba and odo in Igala.
24. Fire is ina in Yoruba and una in Igala.
25. Flower is ododo in both languages.
26. Farm is oko in both languages.
27. Crocodile is oni in Yoruba and onyi in Igala
28. Snake is ejo in both languages.
29. Frog is akere in Yoruba and akele in Igala
30. He-goat is obuko in both languages.
31. Fish is eja in both languages.
32. Palm-oil is okpe in Yoruba and ekpe in Igala.
33. Oil is ekpo in both languages.
34. Kolanut is obi in both languages.
35. Corpse is oku in Yoruba and okwu in Igala
36. Cough is iko in Yoruba and uko in Igala
36. Market is oja in Yoruba and aja in Igala
37. Boat is oko in both languages.
38. Hunger is ebi in both languages.
39. Shadow is ojiji in both languages.
40. White is fufu in Yoruba and efufu in Igala.
41. Black is dudu in Yoruba and edudu in Igala.
42. Red is kpukpa in Yoruba and ekpikpa in Igala
43. Smaller is kekere in Yoruba and kekele in Igala


The list doesn't end! You should have known this if you had 'researched' as you said.