| Also Known As: Ibo
Description:
Igbo (Igbo: Asụsụ Igbo) is a language spoken in Nigeria by around 20-25 million people, the Igbo, especially in the southeastern region once identified as Biafra and parts of Southsouthern region of Nigeria. The language was used by John Goldsmith as an example to justify deviating from the classical linear model of phonology as laid out in The Sound Pattern of English. It is written in the Roman script. There is also the Nsibidi alphabet which is used by the Ekpe society. Igbo is a tonal language, like Yoruba and Chinese. There are hundreds of different dialects and Igboid languages that the Igbo language comprises such as Ikwerre Enuani (linguistics) and Ekpeye dialects.
Igbo has a number of dialects, distinguished by accent or orthography but almost universally mutually intelligible, including the Idemili Igbo dialect (the version used in Chinua Achebe's epic novel, Things Fall Apart), Bende, Owerri, Ngwa, Umuahia, Nnewi, Onitsha, Awka, Abiriba, Arochukwu, Nsukka, Mbaise, Abba, Ohafia, Ika, Wawa, Okigwe Ukwa/Ndoki and Enuani. It is considered to be a dialect continuum. There is apparently a degree of dialect levelling occurring.
The wide variety of spoken dialects has made..... full article at Wikipedia |
Location of Igbo Language Speakers
<googlemap zoom="1" width=400 height=300 lat="8.361977" lon="12.627791" type="map">
7.621857, 6.974333, Nigeria
9.102097, 18.281250, Africa</googlemap>
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