Volume 2 Articles

1. E. Nolue Emenanjo: TONES, DIALECTS AND MUTUAL INTELLIGIBILITY IN IGBO

Abstract: The paper is in five parts. Part 1briefly discusses tone as a language typology and its place in grammar, while part 2 is on the role of tone in the different Igbo dialects and the relationship between tone and intonation. Part 3 examines tone in Igbo poetics and musicology, in contrast to part 4 which is on tone in Igbo written texts. Finally, we conclude the paper by recalling the perennial question of what constitutes a language or a dialect, in the light of Armstrong’s findings. [Download].

2. Mbanefo Chukwuogor: UNDERSCORING THE CROSS-DIALECTAL UNIFORMITY OF TONE IN IGBO

Abstract: A discussion of the grammar of Igbo is incomplete without the treatment of tone. Tone plays a very vital role in the semantics and grammar of the language. Over the years, several works have been carried out in Igbo dialectology, of course, with the aim of identifying similarities and differences among and between separate dialects of the language. The most notable of the existing literature include Ward (1941), Armstrong (1967), Ubahakwe (1981), Ikekeonwu (1985), Nwaozuzu (2008) and Ohiri-Aniche (2013). In all of these works, tone is given little or no mention. Consequently, this paper attempts to explain the reason behind the omission of tone in Igbo dialectal studies. Using a purely descriptive approach, the paper observes that the extraordinary stability of tone through the different dialects of the language often makes tone to be taken for granted in Igbo dialectology. Based on this, the paper tows the path of Armstrong (1967) and Emenanjo (2015) in re-emphasizing the uniformity and stability of tone in the language. [Download]

3. Victor Manfredi:  ÌGBO SEMISCRIPTALISM — ÌGWE BỤ ÍKE N’ITÍNYE AKÀRÁ Ụ́DÀÓLÚ!

Abstract: Tonemarked Ìgbo texts are as rare as ákpụ̀rụ ézédị́ọnụ ọ́kụkọ̀, but why? Before the British Empire’s Anschluss captured the “Niger area”,various Ìgbo-speaking communities and their neighbors deployed ǹsibidi, an ideographic (non-phonetic) code of gestures and graphic designs which by its nature had no need to represent minimal lexical contrasts of F0, perceived laryngeal pitch (alias tone). Then with colonial government and mission schools came alphabetic literacy and no less than four tonemarking techniques, all of which remain in use for different purposes today. This affluence of means fits the proverbial norm of ìgwebụíke, a watchword of strength in numbers in the SE angle of Nigeria’s geopolitical hexagon, but excess methodological diversity is not about to be simplified by a non-existent central planning office, and there’s no imminent prospect of speakers or linguists spontaneously agreeing on a one way to encode linguistically significant Ìgbo prosody that’s unrecoverable from context. As a first step, let’s review the clashing strengths and weaknesses of each style of tonemarking for various legitimate purposes. An exit from the present muddle needs a more adequate theoretical approach to Ìgbo prosody than linguistic science can offer now, and a greater practical commitment to public education and media than is possible in the currently collapsing political economy of a vanquished province of a neoliberal neocolony. [Download]

4. Chukwunonyelum Esther Okoli: THE TONE MARKING SYSTEM OF THE IGBO LANGUAGE: A DOCUMENTARY OVERVIEW

Abstract: Tone marking system is a system of using pitch levels to indicate semantic differences in lexical items and pitch patterns of grammatical constructions. This paper examines the efforts made over the years by some scholars to develop the Igbo tone marking system. The method of analysis adopted is purely descriptive. From the study, it is observed that the areas where some endeavours can be confirmed towards developing the Igbo tone marking systems can be divided into two broad groups: the grammar books and the dictionaries of the language. In the grammar books, two tone marking systems could be confirmed: (i) level tones (high tone, low tone and downstep and (ii) level/gliding tones (high tone, low tone, downstepped/mid tone, falling tone, rising tone). The dictionaries, on the other hand, are not so transparent; some are tone-marked, while others are not. The conclusion from the overview is that, in their effort towards tone marking Igbo texts, the present generation needs to retain a ‘historical perspective’ by not overlooking much of the honesty and faithfulness to the language data as exemplified in the works of the past scholars. [Download]

5. Linda Chinelo Nkamigbo: VOWEL HEIGHTS, CONSONANT TYPE AND THE REALIZATION OF THE H TONE IN IGBO.

Abstract: Two distinctive tones are often recognized in Igbo – the high tone and the low tone; in addition, there is a third tone, a downstepped high (whose occurrence is restricted). These tones are expressed on the pitch values of vowels. The thrust of this paper, however, lies on the high tone. Tone in Igbo, as in other tone languages, results from pitch variations, and pitch is actually the auditive correlate of acoustic ‘fundamental frequency’. Fundamental frequency (Fo) of a given tone in Igbo varies according to vowel height. Furthermore, consonant types perturb pitch in Igbo. This paper examines the acoustic phonetic nature of the high tone in Igbo with an ultimate goal of contributing to an understanding of degrees of tone height in the language. Four adult native Igbo speakers read CV words for the study. With a reference point at the onset of a vowel, Fo values were measured at the onset and 20msec after this onset. In an attempt to establish the varying heights of the Igbo high tone, this paper examines the correlation between vowel height and fundamental frequency (Fo) as well as the effects of consonant types on Fo. Results reveal varying degrees of the high tone thus: extremely high, very high and normal high. This study contributes to the Igbo phonetic tone inventory size. [Download]

6. Haroldson Aghaegbuna Uwaezuoke: AN AUTOSEGMENTAL ACCOUNT OF GLIDES IN IGBO TONOLOGY

Abstract: For several decades, scholars have tried to develop theories that can account for phonological issues in human language. The autosegmental phonology model of Goldsmith (1976) is one of such theories. Igbo is a register tone language where tones are essentially level (Anagbogu, Mbah and Eme, 2001: 97). There are three tones in Igbo – high tone represented with an acute accent /´/, low tone represented with grave accent /`/ and down-step tone represented with a macron /‾/ orthographically and a down arrow, followed by an acute accent /↓ ́/ phonemically. Igwe (1975) observes that in speech, these tones tend to be phonetically motivated to glide in Igbo. To Eme (2008), this phenomenon is an evidence of a lengthened vowel or two identical vowels with contrasting high and low pitches, while Mbah and Mbah (2010) describe it as being a result of ‘graphological elision’. This paper agrees with Igwe (1975) and uses the autosegmental phonology model of Goldsmith (1976) to account for this kind of behaviour. The tone gliding in Igbo manifests in two ways – rising tone / ᵕ / and falling tone /ᵔ/. It occurs in speech in the language when two adjacent identical vowel sounds or lengthened vowel sounds are not of the same pitch. This paper has demonstrated that in addition to the descriptive approach usually adopted in past literature in describing tones in Igbo, autosegmental phonology model has conveniently handled the issue of glides in Igbo tonology. It is certainly an improvement on the past studies and a challenge to study other aspects of Igbo phonology using the autosegmental phonology model. [Download]

7: Chinedu Uchechukwu: IDEOPHONIC PAIRING AS A PAN-IGBO PHENOMENON

Abstract. The phenomenon of ideophonic pairing in Igbo, first identified in Uchechukwu (2007), is a form of doubling or reduplication of linguistic structures that involves the  forming of an ideophonic pair, IDEO1IDEO2, either from an existing high tone ideophone or from a lexical item with a mixture of high and low tones. The output is IDEO[HIGH]IDEO[LOW] whereby the first component has entirely high tones while the second component has entirely low tones. Also, the second component does not exist as an independent lexical item in the language; instead, the resultant pair is always systematically used together to express a contrastive, rhythmic schema that is meaningful in the language. This paper points to the possibility of this phenomenon being a pan-Igbo phenomenon. [Download]

8. Aloysius U. Umeodinka: THE TONAL PATTERNS OF INVECTIVES IN UMUCHU DIALECT

Abstract: In the social act of doing things with words, speech acts, there is a kind of illocutionary force known as invective. This paper intends to subject the concept of invective in Umuchu dialect of the Igbo language to tonal pattern analysis within the theoretical spectrum of speech act theory and possibly explore the way the change of the pitch forms on syllables can be used to achieve semantic effects. The paper seeks to ascertain the fitting criterion for the classification of the invectives in the dialect. It also seeks to identify the regular sequence of the tones that characterize the invective. The researcher’s intuitive knowledge as the native speaker of the dialect is employed to good effect. The paper finds out that semantics is the suitable basis to classify the invectives. With that as the yardstick, the paper also establishes the many types that abound in the dialect. Among other things, the paper establishes the characteristic prominence of imperative constructions of the invective and also notes that the tone of both low and high tone of the speech act verbs develop into a rising tone. [Download]

9. Adaobi Ngozi Okoye  and Eunice Chidinma Osuagwu: TONE IN IGBO AND ETULO: A COMPARISON

Abstract: Like many other West African languages, Igbo and Etulo are tone languages that require both pitch phonemes and segmental phonemes in the composition of their morphemes. This paper attempts a comparison of tone in Igbo and Etulo. A comparative study of any aspect of two languages is always aimed at bringing to bear the points of convergence and divergence in the languages. This paper would therefore provide an overview of the points of similarities and differences in modification of pitch in the two languages as well as the functions performed by such systematic variation of pitch. Data for the study came from two sources. The Etulo data were collected from Etulo native speakers resident in Adi, Bururku Local Government Area of Benue State, while the Igbo data are based on existing literature on tone and our intuition as native speakers. The data are analyzed following Emenanjo’s (2015) approach to the study of Igbo grammar. Based on the data, the study shows that tone performs lexical and grammatical functions in both languages. However, the point of divergence is seen at the level of grammatical function where Igbo uses tonal change on the third person pronoun to differentiate declarative from interrogative sentences, while Etulo performs the same distinction through what we may term tonal elongation of the final syllabic. Furthermore, although nouns in associative constructions change their inherent tones in the two languages, in Etulo this is marked by rising falling tone changing to high tone, while in Igbo it is often marked by downstepped tone. [Download]

10. B.M. Mbah and Rosemary Benjamin: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE TONE SYSTEMS OF IBIBIO AND IGBO

Abstract: This paper aims at investigating tone in Ibibio, a Lower Cross language and Igbo a Benue Congo language. The specific objectives are to identify the types of tone level that they have. It further examines the tonotactic patterns of the two languages in order to determine their similarities and differences. The study adopts the auto-segmental theory of analysis.  The paper finds out that Ibibio has register and contour tones whereas Igbo has only terrace register tone system. Tone in the two languages perform lexical and grammatical functions. [Download]

11. Chinweude Nwakaego Ugochukwu: ỤDAOLU N'USORO OKWU IGBO: NDỊICHE SITERE N'OLU NANKA

Ụmị: Nchọcha a tulekọrịtara ụdaolu n'olu Nanka na Igbo Izugbe iji chọpụta ma e nwere myiri na ndịiche dị n'etiti ha. A chịkọtara ahịrị okwu iri e jiri mee nchọcha a site n'ọnụ ndị okenye sitere na Nanka ndị o nwebeghi mgbe ha hapụrụ obodo Nanka gaa biri n'obodo ọzọ.  A gbasoro atụtụ akụkụ nnọrọ onwe wee tụchaa ahịrị okwu e jiri mee nchọcha. Nchọpụta gosiri na e nwere myiri na ndịiche dị n'etiti olu Nanka na Igbo Izugbe. A chọpụtara na e nwere ụdaolu atọ n'olumba Nanka dị ka ọ dị n'Igbo Izugbe, mana ụda nsụda na-ewete ndịiche n'etiti mkpụrụokwu ụfọdụ n'olu Nanka. A chọpụtakwazịrị  na e nwere mkpọgo na mkpọda na-abata n'olu Nanka nke na-adịghị n'Igbo Izugbe. Mkpọgo na mkpọda a nke na-apụta ihe na asụrasụ olu Nanka na-eweta ndịiche pụrụ iche nke na-eme na a na-eji ya amata mgbe onye Nanka sụrụ asụsu. Ebumnobi nchọcha a buikwalite asụsụ Igbo nakwa ikpalite mmụo ndị mmadụ ka a gaa n’ihu n'ịtụle olu mba dị iche iche e nwere n'asụsụ Igbo iji chọpụta ihe ndị ọzọ dị omimi banyere ha nke na-anaghị apụta ihe n'Igbo Izugbe. [Download]