www.idosr.org Ukpai ©IDOSR PUBLICATIONS International Digital Organization for Scientific Research. ISSN: 2550-7958. IDOSR JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION AND ENGLISH 5(1) 1-16, 2020. A Comparative Study of the Sound Systems of Ikwo Igbo and Standard Igbo Dialects Ngozi Uka Ukpai Department of Languages and Linguistics Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT Development is often associated with challenges. The inability to study the numerous available dialects of Igbo language is one of the identified challenges facing the development of Igbo language particularly in the area of Igbo language teaching and learning, structural development of Igbo language, computation, and reconciliation of Igbo language with Information and Communication Technologies. Therefore, there is need to study the varying dialects of Igbo language before we can set a standard structure for the language which will facilitate a better teaching and learning of Igbo language, and harness the reconciliation of Igbo language with information and communication technologies. The present study investigated the structural differences between the sound system of Ikwo Igbo and Standard Igbo dialects. Descriptive research design was adopted for this work. However, it was largely discussed focusing on an aspect of generative phonology called feature theory. From this research, we discovered that the sound system of the two dialects are the same, except that while standard Igbo has thirty-six (36) phonemes; comprising eight (8) vowels and twenty-eight (28) consonants, the Ikwo dialect has forty-five (45) phonemes; comprising nine (9) vowels and thirty-six (36) consonants. It was observed that the sounds /s/ and /z/ cannot occur before /i/ or /ị/ in Ikwo dialect, rather /s/ and /z/ changes their forms to [ʃ] and [ʒ] respectively when the high front vowels [i] or [ɪ] is occurring after them. Vowel sounds occurring at utterance final positions in Ikwo dialect is usually elided as utterances are ended more abruptly than in Standard Igbo. Whereas certain phonemes occur in some environments in Standard Igbo, they assume different forms in Ikwo dialect. Apart from these differences, other features of Ikwo dialect, including the tonal structure corresponds with the Standard Igbo dialect sound system. Keywords: minimal pairs, contrastive distribution, complementary distribution, language, dialect, phonemes INTRODUCTION The linguistic diversity dominant in Igbo south by the Cross river state, west by the region led to the development of a Ezza south local government area, and Standard Igbo variety to help unify the north by the Abakaliki local government speakers of the different dialects of Igbo area of Ebonyi state (Izhi), [2]. language. Igbo language is classified as Currently, Ikwo local government area has one of the languages of New Benue-Congo been divided into six (6) developmental under the Niger-Congo family [1]. Ikwo is centers which include: Ikwo south, one of the dialects of Igbo language central, East, south-east, Ndufu Ikwo, and spoken in Ikwo local government area of Ikwo development centers. The structure Ebonyi state, Nigeria. It is important to (phonological, morphological, syntactic, know that Ikwo dialect shares certain etc) of the Ikwo dialect remains the same linguistic similarity with other in all the communities in Ikwo L.G.A, neighboring dialects like; Izhi, Ezza, except in those communities who share Ezzamgbo, Ohaozara, and other Abakaliki boundary with other Local Governments dialects. Ikwo is bounded to the east and and states. For instance, the Opherekpe, 1 IDOSR JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION AND ENGLISH 5(1) 1-16, 2020. www.idosr.org Ukpai Ndegu-Anmegu, and Okpuitumo With the advent of information and communities who share boundary with communication technologies, which has the Cross-river state has dialectal features come today to be a major means of that differ very slightly from the Ikwo determining the development of a dialect but these differences does not country, technology has been introduced exist at the level of phonology. into language use, study, and Linguistically, it is natural to have development. Of course, the Igbo variation in dialect form at boundary language will not be exempted from this. regions. Traditionally, it is divided into We are quite aware that a number of five (5) divisional zones and comprising persons have been working tremendously of seventeen (17) communities. The five to reconcile the Igbo language with divisional zones are; Ụnwẹka zone (it developing technologies (an aspect known comprises three communities), Alike zone as computational linguistics), but because (comprises of four communities), Ẹchara of certain challenges which have been left zone (comprises two communities), unresolved, these woks have many flaws. Mgbabụ zone (has six communities), Therefore, to overcome these challenges Ọkpitumo zone (has two communities). and promote the development of Igbo A white man, Meier organized a team of language there is need to study and Ikwo speakers like; Elder Thomas Uzim, identify the structure of every dialect of Mr. Elias Uguru, and Mr. William Akichi Igbo language, beginning from the sound and collected word lists in Ikwo, from structure to syntactic structure, from which, they developed orthography for such study we can set a standard for Igbo writing the Ikwo dialect in 1972. During language. The Igbo language is one of the this period, they translated lot of books three major languages spoken in Nigeria. from English to Ikwo. Example; they The Igbo land is a common linguistic and translated the holy bible to Ikwo dialect. cultural region in southern Nigeria, They also wrote series of texts in Ikwo characterized by a high degree of cultural dialect like; „Oreke Gụa Ikwo volume 1, 2, and linguistic diversity [6]. [7], claims that and 3‟, since then, no one has attempted a the Igbo people are found at the linguistic study of the Ikwo dialect again. Southeastern part of Nigeria. The branch of linguistics that investigates The dialects of Igbo are; Ngwa, Ohuhu, the sound structure of languages is Onitsha, Orlu, Owerri, Nsukka, Umuahia, known as phonetics and phonology. Nike, Anam, Nzam, Asaba, Agbor, Sound is the basis of every language [3]. Ogwashi-Ukwu, Aboh, Kwale, Ndoni, Language acquisition begins with the Ahoada, Ozuzu, Ibeku, Elele, Ikwere, observation and learning of the sounds Diobu, Ndoki, Azumini, Oratta, Ezinihitte, existing in the particular language of Umunoha, Idemili, Mbaise, Obowo, study. However, the two notable Ndirimo, Amaraku, Agbaja, Okigwe, approaches to phonological study are; the Isuitem, Uzuakoli, Aba, Abata, Ohafia, Classical approach and the Generative Bende, Ihiala, Nnewi, Akaeze, Uburu, approach. These approaches focus on the Awgu, Udi, Enugu-Ezike, Isuama, sound structure of human languages and Umuezeohaka, Ozara, Ogba, Ekpeye, Igbo are both offshoots of structural grammar Izugbe, Eha Amufu, Ikwo, Izhi, Ezaa, [4]. Mgbo, Okposi, Afikpo, Arochukwu, and The early comparative study of languages, Ika, (for more details, see [8] [9]. began with the Indo-European languages, However, [10] presents a classification of but has expanded to several other the Igbo dialects into clusters using both languages [5]. The major goal of the the phonological and grammatical comparative study of languages that criteria. Based on these criteria, she began in the early eighteenth century was grouped Igbo dialects in five clusters to find out the reason for the namely: the Niger Igbo, Inland West Igbo, interrelatedness of languages, establish Inland East Igbo, Waawa Igbo/Northern language families, and reconstruct Igbo, and Riverain Igbo. She noted that prehistoric proto languages. the Niger Igbo cluster is located around 2 IDOSR JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION AND ENGLISH 5(1) 1-16, 2020. www.idosr.org Ukpai the West of River Niger, in what is [11] classified the Igbo dialects into these currently known as Delta state. To her, groups; West Niger group of dialects, East Niger Igbo has two main dialects namely; Niger groups, East Central group, Cross Ika Igbo and Aniocha (Enuani) Igbo. river group, South Western group, North Aniocha has Asaba, Ibusa and others as Eastern group, North group, and North satellite dialects while Ika has Agbo, West group of dialects. Ukwuani, as satellite dialects. MATERIALS AND METHODS The primary method of data collection is The analysis of Ikwo consonantal introspection; selected speakers were phonemes used where necessary. Several trips to all According to [12], consonantal sounds the different communities in Ikwo, were show greater constriction of the vocal made to observe the sound pattern of tract than vowel sounds and have less speakers (male and female, old and young prominence. Consonant sounds are speakers of different ages) in order to described in terms of where constriction validate the true sound structure of Ikwo. is made, how it is made, and what kind of This was done to observe variations in the phonation supports it. speech forms of Ikwo speakers. The data There are 36 consonants observed in is purely analyzed descriptively. Ikwo. Presented as shown below Phonemic Comparison Between Sounds [p], [b], [t], [d], [k], [g], [kp], [gb], [kʷ], [gʷ], Of Ikwo Igbo And Standard Igbo [pʲ], [bʲ], [ϕ], [f], [v], [s], [z], [ɣ], [h], [ʃ], [ʒ], Graphical presentation of the phonemes [ʃʷ], [pf], [bv], [ts], [dz], [tʃ], [dʒ], [m], [n], of the two varieties under study is the [ŋ], [ŋʷ], [ɲ], [ʘ], [l], [ɹ], [w], [j], best way to reveal their similarities or From the 36 consonants, 34 are otherwise. These are shown with the aid phonemic. The consonants are of tables below. phonetically described and their phonemic status justified below [p] and [b] are bilabial stops. While [p] is voiceless, [b] is voiced. They occur as in: Voiceless bilabial stop [p] Voiced bilabial stop [b] [épépé] „half‟ [èbèm] „lightning‟ [òpù] „flute‟ [ ḿbá] „country‟ [m̀pò] „horn‟ [òbòdò] „town [ḿpʲó] „tiny hole or opening‟ [ḿkpótúbó] „navel‟ [m̀pʲà] „secret‟ [bʲá] „come‟ Whenever the bilabial plosives occur before the sounds [i] and [ị] in the dialect, they are usually palatalized.