COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ENUANI AND THE NKWERRE DIALECT OF IGBO LANGUAGE
| PAGES = 112 | CHAPTERS = 1 – 5 |
Comparative Study of the Enuani and Nkwerre Dialects of the Igbo Language
Before the 16th century, the Igbo people employed an ancient system of writing known as “Nsibidi ideograms.” Nsibidi was a sophisticated method of graphic communication that originated with the Ejagham people, who lived in the Cross River region of southeastern Nigeria and southwestern Cameroon. This writing system was also used by neighboring ethnic groups, such as the Ibibios and Efik. The Ekoi people, a group within the Ejagham, are credited with the invention of Nsibidi as a means of written communication.
Nsibidi was distinctive for its use of symbols and signs that conveyed complex ideas and information. Despite its innovative nature, the use of Nsibidi gradually declined. One major factor contributing to its obsolescence was that many of its practitioners were affiliated with secret societies like Ekpe. These societies regarded Nsibidi as a confidential method of communication, intended only for internal use among members. As a result, the system was shrouded in secrecy and was not widely shared or discussed outside of these groups. This exclusivity ultimately led to the decline and eventual disappearance of Nsibidi from public use.
Nsibidi, as detailed by the National Museum of African Art and Oraka (1983) in The Foundations of Igbo Studies (pp. 17, 13), represents a significant aspect of Igbo heritage. The first documented use of Igbo words in print occurred in the 1777 publication Geschichte der Mission der Evangelischen Bruder auf den Carabischen (German: History of the Evangelistic Mission of the Brothers in the Caribbean). This was followed by the 1789 release of The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, a former slave’s account that included 79 Igbo words. Equiano’s narrative offered an insightful depiction of Igbo life, reflecting his personal experiences from his hometown of Essaka, as described by both Equiano and Oraka (1983:21; Equiano & Olaudah, 1789: 9).
In 1854, German philologist Karl Richard Lepsius introduced a “Standard Alphabet” designed for all languages globally. However, in 1882, Britain implemented an educational ordinance that mandated teaching reading and writing exclusively in English. This move temporarily stifled the development of Igbo and other West African languages, a situation exacerbated by British imperialism after the abolition of slavery in 1807.
During this period, the Igbo language faced significant challenges. The ‘Central Igbo’ dialect, which emerged as the most widely accepted, is based on the dialect spoken by two members of the Ezinihitte group from Central Owerri Province, situated between the towns of Owerri and Umuahia in Eastern Nigeria. First proposed as a literary standard in 1939 by Dr. Ida C. Ward, Central Igbo was gradually embraced by missionaries, writers, and publishers throughout the region.
In 1972, the Society for Promoting Igbo Language and Culture (SPILC), a nationalist organization that viewed Central Igbo as a product of imperialist influence, established a standardization committee. This committee aimed to make Standard Igbo more inclusive by incorporating vocabulary from Igbo dialects beyond the Central areas and by adopting loanwords.
The diverse range of spoken Igbo dialects has made it challenging to establish a standardized orthography and dialect. The debate over Igbo orthography began in 1927 when the International Institute of African Languages and Cultures (IIALC) released a pamphlet titled “Practical Orthography of African Languages.” This pamphlet introduced the consonants /kw/, /gw/, and /nw/ to represent specific Igbo sounds and incorporated some symbols from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). This shift sparked controversy with missionary societies that had used Karl Richard Lepsius’ orthography for nearly 70 years.
In 1929, the Colonial Government Board of Education attempted to replace Lepsius’ system with the orthography proposed by the IIALC. The new system was accepted and adopted by the Government, along with Roman Catholic and Methodist missionaries. However, it faced opposition from other Protestant missionaries.
By 1962, a compromise was reached with the adoption of the Onwu alphabet, which balanced elements of the older Lepsius system with aspects of the IIALC’s newer alphabet, establishing a standardized orthography that remains in use today.