Grammar: Language and Pronunciation
Igbo language is one of the many languages spoken in Nigeria. Since its independence, the main languages in Nigeria have been Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, also known by the word ‘wazobia’, i.e. ‘wa’ in Yoruba, ‘zo’ in Hausa, and ‘bia’ in Igbo, all meaning ‘to come’. Igbo is predominantly spoken in Abia, Imo, Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi and parts of Rivers and Delta states. Speaking English, you can get by in most parts of Igboland, though in some very remote areas, only Igbo is understood.
Igbo language is classified as a Niger-Congo language and belongs to the Kwa sub-group of languages spoken in sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that some of these Kwa languages have been spoken in roughly the same locations as today for over 4,000 years. Main characteristics for the Kwa languages are the tones and vowel harmony.
Tones (also called contrastive pitch) are used to differentiate words that are written identically. For example, the same word in Igbo may have four different meanings depending on its pitch. In tone languages, pitch is a property of words, but what is important is not absolute pitch but relative pitch. Igbo language makes use of two main tones: the high tone (such as u as in “rule”) is pronounced with the tongue bent towards the roof of the mouth. The low tone (such as a in “father”) is produced with the tongue flat and low in the mouth and with the mouth a bit wider than for high tones. Considering the high and low tones, akwa can mean either weeping (high-high tone), cloth (high-low), egg (low-high) or bridge (low-low).
Vowel harmony involves words which are either built up of a combination of syllables with an i, e, o or u vowel, or on the other hand a combination involving syllables with an a, ï, ö or ü vowel, for example:
Igbo Igbo anü meat, animal
ezi pig ülö house
Syllables with both combinations of vowels rarely occur in one word, unless it is a compound word or compound verb. Also, some of the suffixes do not harmonise with the verb stem.
Vowel Harmony
Many words in the language are built up from smaller words, not to say for a few English words that have been copied directly. There are a wide variety of dialects, some of which resemble each other, though others might have totally different vocabularies and pronunciations, though word order and tone are consistent throughout the grammatical Igbo structure. The two main dialect zones, Onitsha and Owerri, have most words in common, but there are some differences in the vocabulary, for example:
Onitsha Owerri kedu olee what, which one ole how many fa ha they afa aha name
Igbo written language is phonetic and it uses most of the English alphabet. The consonants are similar to the use as in the English language, though there are separate combinations of consonants, i.e. gb, gh, gw, kp, kw, nw, ny and sh, which are official recognised letters. The sh combination is hardly used. In addition, there is one other character, ñ, which is a voiced nasal ‘n’. These characters and some of the various combinations are listed with their pronunciation below:
as in pronounced as meaning gb egbe e-gbe hawk gh agha a-ga war gw gwa g-wa to tell kp akpa a-pa bag kw kwaa kwaa also, too mm mmiri m-miri water nn nna n-na father ñ añülï anju-li happy, merry nw nwa n-wa child ny nyaa n-ya to drive
For the vowels, the difference is more distinguishing. Some of the vowels have an umlaut (this is according to the New Standard Orthography; in previous versions of Igbo orthography there was a dot below the vowel) above the letter indicating a different pronunciation:
vowel pronounced as in a arm e set i see ï pit o go ö author u put (verb) ü shot
The Igbo alphabet as found in dictionaries, is in the following order:
a, b, c, ch, d, e, f, gb, gh, gw, h, i, ï, j, k, kp, kw, l, m, n, ñ, nw, ny, o, ö, p, r, s, sh, t, u, ü, v, w, y, z
Grammar: Personal Pronouns
| Separable | Inseparable | ||
| mü, m | I, me, my | (verb) + m | I |
| gï | you , your | i, ï | you |
| ya | he, his, him, she, her, it, its | o, ö | he/she/it |
| anyï | we, us, our | ||
| unu | you, your (pl.) | ||
| ha | they, them, their | ||
The pronouns in Igbo language have two forms: separable and inseparable. The inseparable forms only apply to the singular pronouns and are found as the single subject in direct combination with the main verbs of a sentence, as in
bi live (verb stem) ebi m I live i bi you live o bi he/she lives
Note that for the first person singular, the m follows the verb stem.
Separable pronouns are not confined to its sole purpose as a subject with a verb and can be used as a subject, direct and indirect object, for example:
buru carry (verb stem) anyï buru gï we carry you unu buru mü you carry me mü na gï buru ya me and you carry him
They can also follow a noun in possessive relationship:
di husband di m my husband di gï your husband di ya her husband nwa child nwa m my child nwa anyï our child
Grammar: Present Tense and Imperative
For the present tense of verbs, the verb stem is used. If the personal pronoun follows the verb (which is the case for the first person inseparable pronoun), an a- or e- prefix is attached to the verb stem in line with the vowel harmony, i.e. an a- prefix for verb stems with an a, ï, ö or ü vowel; an e- prefix for verb stems with an i, e, o or u vowel:
| bi | live (verb stem) | chï | carry (something in the hand) (verb stem) |
| ebi m | I live | achï m | I carry |
This prefix falls away with the other pronouns. The second and third person inseparable pronouns harmonise with the verb stems:
| i bi | you live | ï chï | you carry |
| o bi | he lives | ö chï | he carries |
Separable pronouns do not require harmonisation:
| anyï bi | we live | anyï chï | we carry |
| unu bi | you (pl.) live | unu chï | you carry |
| ha bi | they live | ha chï | they carry |
| mü na gï bi | me and you live | mü na gï chï | me and you carry |
Other example:
| bü | be (verb stem) |
| abü m Mike | I am Mike |
| ï bü emeka | you are Emeka |
| ö bü emeka | he is Emeka |
| anyï bü Mike na Emeka | we are Mike and Emeka |
| unu bu Mike na Emeka | you are Mike and Emeka |
| ha bü Mike na Emeka | they are Mike and Emeka |
The negative present tense is formed by harmonising the verb stem with the harmonising prefix a or e and suffix ghi or ghï in the following manner:
| abüghï m Nick | I am not Nick |
| aha m bü Michael; aha m abüghï Nick | my name is Michael; my name is not Nick. |
| anyï chï anü | we carry meat |
| unu akwöghï anyï | you do not carry us |
| ebi m na Achara Layout | I live in Achara Layout |
| ebighi m na GRA | I do not live in GRA |
The imperative uses the verb stem without any prefix:
nye give gwa tell
The imperative can be followed by a noun or pronoun:
| nye m ego | give me money |
| gwa m | tell me |
| kwuo ya | say it |
| züö akwa | buy a cloth |
| unu zaa ala | you (pl.) sweep the floor |
| ka ha gaa | let them leave |
| ka anyi laa | let us go (home) |
| ka anyi gaa | let us leave |
The negative imperative is formed with the prefix e- or a- and suffix –ne or –la, both harmonising with the verb stem:
| erine | do not eat |
| azala | do not sweep |
| unu azala | you do not sweep the floor |
Grammar: Numerals
otu 1 abüö 2 atö 3 anö 4 ise 5 isii 6 asaa 7 asatö 8 itolu 9 iri 10 iri na otu 11 iri na atö 13 iri abüö 20 iri abüö na otu 21 iri atö 30 iri atö na otu 31 iri asatö 80 iri itolu 90 narï 100 narï abüö 200 puku 1,000 puku atö na iri abüö na iri 3,210 nde 1,000,000 ijeri 1,000,000,000 ökara half
Only otu and ökara precede the noun; the other numbers follow the noun:
| otu ülö | one house |
| ülö ise | five houses |
| otu naira | one naira |
| naira abüö | two naira |
| ökara naira | half a naira |
Note that the noun does not change if it is in plural.
The ordinal numbers are as follows:
| mbü | first |
| nke abüö | second |
| nke atö | third |
| nke anö | fourth |
Examples:
| ülö mbu | the first house |
| ülö nke abüö | the second house |
| abü m mbu | I am first |
Grammar: Infinitives, Participles and Auxiliaries
Infinitives have a vowel prefix, i or ï, harmonising with the vowel of the verb stem.
Examples:
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The negative infinitive has the e- or a- prefix and ghi or ghï suffix, both harmonising with the vowel of the verb stem:
| emeghi | not to do | azaghï | not to sweep |
| etoghi | not to grow | amüghï | not to learn |
Participles are formed by a preceding vowel, e- or a-, and the verb stem:
| esi | cooking | aga | going |
| eme | doing | amü | learning |
The participle is used with an auxiliary to specify its action. The auxiliary precedes the participle and is connected with it through a hyphen if immediately followed by the participle.
Examples:
na used as auxiliary to specify continuing action in the present:
ana m azü anü I am buying meat ö na-esi anü he is cooking meat
ga used as auxiliary to indicate future action:
aga m azü anü I will buy meat ö ga-esi anü he will cook meat
The negative form has an a- (or e-) prefix and ghï (or ghi) suffix attached to the auxiliary:
| anaghï m azü anü | I am not buying meat |
| ö anaghï esi anu | He is not cooking meat |
Grammar: Adjectives
In Igbo, adjectives can immediately precede or follow the noun or pronoun to which it belongs. Most commonly used adjectives are:
| öma | good, beautiful |
| öcha | white, clean |
| oji | black |
| öjöö | ugly, bad |
| ukwu | big |
| obele | small |
| niile/dum | all, each, every |
Examples:
| ö bü akwükwö öcha | it is white paper |
| ewu dum nö ebea | all goats are here |
If the adjective is not directly preceding the noun or pronoun, the noun form of the adjective is used:
| adjective | noun form |
| öma | mma |
| öcha | ücha |
| öjöö | njö |
Examples:
| akwükwö dï ücha | the paper is white |
| ewu dum dï mma | all goats are good |
The same principle as described above, applies to demonstrative adjectives, they can only follow or precede the noun immediately:
| -a | this, these | ahü | that, those |
| ülöa | this house, these houses | ülö ahü | that house, those houses |
These adjectives also form the demonstrative pronouns:
| nkea | this | nke ahü | that |
| ndïa | these (group) | ndi ahü | those (group) |
| ihea | this (thing) | ihe ahü | that (thing) |
| ebea | here (place) | ebe ahü | there |
Examples:
| nkea dï mma | this is good |
| nke ahü dï njö | that is bad |
| ndia di mma | these are good |
| ihe ahü dï njö | that (thing) is bad |
| ebe ahü dï njö | there is bad |
Note:
The verb ‘to be’ can be translated by three different verbs: bü, dï and nö. The verb bü is most commonly used for ‘to be’; dï is used with a noun and not adjectives and indicates the quality or location of something ; nö is used for the presence of someone in a location:
| ö dï mma | it is fine |
| ö dï n’elu akpati | it is on top of the box |
| ö nö ya? | is he in? |
| ö nö ebe ahu? | is he there? |
Grammar: Tense and Suffixes
In Igbo language, verbs do not distinguish between present and past tense. The meaning of the verb is generally changed by the suffix that specifies the action in the present or past. Some of these suffixes harmonise with the verb stem, others do not, and sometimes multiple suffixes can follow each other in a combination.
The most commonly suffixes used are:
|
Examples:
| ö zütara anü | he bought meat |
| o butere ya | he brought it |
| ï bïara? | did you come? |
| o gwüla | it is finished |
| o rule | it is time |
| ana m azübü anü | I used to buy meat |
| o biri ebea | he lived here |
| o riri anü | he ate meat |
| o bigo ebe ahü | he has lived there |
| o rigo anü | he has eaten meat |
| o ribago nrï | he has already started eating |
| anabago m | I am already going |
| ö nabago | he has already gone |
| chelu | wait! |
| weta ego | bring money |
| abukwazi m Mike | I am also Mike |
| Olee ka i mere? | How are you doing? |
There are more verb tenses in Igbo language. One tense is used to start a conversation or speech or is used in a sentence introduced by another verb. This tense is formed by a harmonising a- or e- prefix with the verb stem:
| unu enwere mmiri na ökülatrïk? | do you have water and electricity? (opening question) |
To go in more details would go beyond the scope of this book, and I would suggest to read the grammar books mentioned in the references.
Parts of the Body
Author depicted by young neighbour
| enwere m isi | I have a head |
| o nwere mkpïsï aka iri | he has ten fingers |
Grammar: Prepositions
Prepositions are words used before a noun or pronoun to specify a place, position or time. In Igbo, there is only one preposition na. When preceding a vowel, it has the tone of that vowel and is written n’ instead.
| ö nö n’ülö | he is in the house |
| ö dï n’ala | it is on the ground |
| ö dï na ji | it is on the yam |
In combination with a noun, it can specify the location of the preposition in more detail:
| Noun | Preposition | ||||||||||||||||||
|
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Examples:
| ö dï n’enu akpati | it is on top of the box |
| ö dï n’okpuru akpati | it is under the box |
| ö dï n’ime akpati | it is inside the box |
| ö dï n’ akükü akpati | it is beside the box |
Grammar: Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogatives are used to ask a question. In Igbo, a question can only be initiated by either an interrogative or a personal pronoun.
Following interrogatives are commonly used:
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The pronoun could be followed by ka or ihe in case the interrogative is not the sole subject of the sentence.
Examples:
| olee maka ndi be gï? | how about your family? |
| olee ihe ha kwuru? | What did they say? |
| olee ka i mere? | how do you do? |
| gïnï ka unu na-eme? | what are you (pl.) doing? |
| ebee ka ï nö? | where are you? |
| ego ole ka ö bü? | how much money is it? |
| onye ka ï bü? | who are you? |
| onye mere ihea? | who does this? |
| onye ka ihea mere? | who does this happen to? |
If the interrogative is missing in a question, the verb must be preceded by a pronoun:
| ö nö ya? | is he in? |
| adï m mma? | am I good? |
| ö nö ebe ahü | he is there |
Grammar: Conjunctions
Words that can connect two words or sentences are called conjunctions. Most of the conjunctions start with an initial consonant:
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Examples:
| achörö m anü kama ökükü | I want meat instead of chicken |
| i risie nrï mgbe ahü gaba | you eat, then you go |
| eri kwala nrï, tupu na mü agaba | do not eat until I go |
| maka na ihea dï mma, ka m jïrï goro ya | as this is good, I buy it |
| ö dï mma otu osighi wee dï önü | it is good, as it is cheap |
| ïhea mara mma mana ödï önü | this is good, but expensive |
| mü na gï nö ebea | me and you are here |
Source: igboguide.org/
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