Tweet

Maazị Ogbonnaya

2 Apr, 10 tweets, 2 min read

Ụtụtụ ọma as good morning
Ehihie ọma as good afternoon
Mgbede ọma as good evening

are not core Igbo greetings. I don't know how people came up with this. You are incapacitating the Igbo language by showcasing we don't have our own greetings aside translating the English

greetings. This transliteration is needless.

In the rule of transliteration, it's needed when there is no option. We have plenty options and what we greet as ndị Igbo.

In the morning:

* Ị bọọla chi?
* Ị saala chi?
* I tetala?
* I tetago
* Ị gbapela? etc.

These are

our core morning greetings. Some dialects of Igbo have their own unique morning greetings aside the listed ones. Nsụka will say: "ị bọọ?". Ngwa have theirs.

In all, one thing appears to be in common. The interrogative nature of Igbo greeting, especially morning.

Why will you be importing English greeting and transliterating it as ours, then leaving ours to die?

Good morning= ụtụtụ ọma.

Ọma is an adjective for "good". Ụtụtụ is "morning". How does that even make sense to you?

In the afternoon, the Igbo don't have exact

greeting in the afternoon. We greet one base on the actions or activities one is carrying out.
* Ndeewo
* Daalụ
* Jisi ike
* Jisie ike

If the person is working
* Daalụ ọrụ
* Jisi ike n'ọrụ.

If the person is traveling
* Ije ọma
* Gaa nke ọma
* Ejealọ

If the person is sick
* Ndo
* Gbakee
* Kaa
* Ọ ga-adịcha mma

If the person is bereaved
* Dibe/Diwe
* Taba nsi/ taa nsi
* Ebezina
* Ọ ga-adịcha mma
* Jide onwe gị

If the person returns from the market or travel.

* Nnọọ
* Ị lọla
* Ị lọtala
* Arinze
* Chidaalụ

* Ị natago (Anambra dialect)
* A zụkwara ahịa?
* Kedụ ije?/ Kee ije?

In the evening

* Ndeewo
* Daalụ
* Jisi ike
* Deeme
* Deeje (Nsụka area)

In the night
* Ka chi foo
* Ka chi bọọ
* Ka ọ dị echi
* Hie ụra nke ọma

Remember that some greetings can be used both

morning, afternoon and evening. Such greetings are:

* Ndeewo
* Kedụ
* Ndaa
* Ọlịa
* Aṅaa
* Daalụ
* Deeje
* Deeme
* I meela.

When you want to appreciate someone for helping you out...

* I meela
* Daalụ sọ
* Daalụ
* Chi m gọzie gị
* Ya dịrị gị mma
* Ya gazie

"ya gazie" is a shortening of "ya gaziere gị".

We have many beautiful greetings I will subsequently write about. I get pissed when I see people teaching "ụtụtụ ọma", "ehihie ọma" and "mgbede ọma".

Ihe ọjọọ gbaa afọ ọ bụrụ omenala. That people are using them

don't make them right.

Our Igbo greetings are deeply rooted in the culture of concern. They open doors for conversations that is why they are mostly interrogative in nature.

We should utilise what we have before borrowing to pose. It's needful I mention this thing.

I pause.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

More from @ogbonnaya_mark

Maazị Ogbonnaya

@ogbonnaya_mark

2 Apr

There is nothing like "nma" but "mma"

* Chidịmma
* Mma
* Nwamma

Some argued that "mma" is knife or mother while "nma" means beauty.

That is very wrong.

Mma is mother in some dialect.
Mma is knife
Mma is beauty

But...

Their pronunciations are different. They have the same

morphological shape but different in phonology and semantics.

A phonological term that helps to solve this puzzle is "tone marking system".

* Ḿmá= Beauty
* Ḿmà= knife
* M̀má= mother

"N" and "m" don't have the same place of articulation.

N can go with N
M can go with M

as in

* Nne
* Nna
* Nnewi
* Nneka
* Nnebụisi

You can't get something like
Nme to mean mother
Nma as father
Nmewi, etc.

Furthermore, "M" and "M" go together as in:

* Mmanụ= Oil
* Mmanya= wine
* Mmiri= Water
* Mmegbu= persecution
* Mmadụ= human being
* Mmụọ= spirit.

Read 4 tweets

Maazị Ogbonnaya

@ogbonnaya_mark

1 Apr

I want to teach the Igbo Pronouns now.

Before then, let's discuss the rules of Igbo Pronouns. They are written independently. There is no gender specific in Igbo Pronouns.

*FIRST PERSON SINGULAR
•M, mụ (Me, I, my, mine)

To form sentences:
—Ana m abịa (I'm coming)

— Mụ na Emeka bụ ụmụnne (Me and Emeka are brothers)

The first person singular "m & "mụ" can occur in the beginning, middle or end of a sentence.

FIRST PERSON PLURAL
• Anyị (we, us, our)

Sentence:
— Anyị na ha bụ enyi (We and them are friends)

—Ọ bụ nke anyị (It's

ours)

Read 10 tweets

Maazị Ogbonnaya

@ogbonnaya_mark

1 Apr

I am excited to bring to your notice my YouTube Channel Ọnụkwube TV. The link to subscribe is youtube.com/channel/UC_IJl…

Over the week, I have received several messages in different social media platforms from different people from different nationalities, tribes and race.

They want to know more about Igbo people, culture, language, history. They are willing to learn. Some Haitians, South African women, Ghanains, etc have reached to me to learn Igbo language.

Many Igbo youths and adults had no privilege of growing up in Igbo land, hence, they know

nothing or little about Igbo culture, history and language. It is on this basis, I've revived Ọnụkwube TV to be a home of Igbo studies. The Channel isn't only teaching Igbo language, but culture, history, literature, folklores, etc.

Everyone who wants to learn everything

Read 8 tweets

Maazị Ogbonnaya

@ogbonnaya_mark

31 Mar

Ike Ekpe: A Pre-colonial Igbo Cultural Practice

Igbo had a very organised society. Some of the things we go to the universities to study today had a place in Igbo cultural society.

What is ike ekpe?

When a man gets old, before he dies , or when a man is very sick,

he will say a lot of things about people who owe him some money, the ones he owe, the lands he did not buy but used as collateral, his properties, how they are going to be shared, the ones to be shared, the ones not to be shared; his lands in the hands of another man.

This is called ike ekpe.

We know in English, there is something like "Will", but I put it to you that ike ekpe in Igbo culture is deeper than will.

In ike ekpe, a man or woman may say how he or she wants to be buried; where he or she will be buried. Some will say: "don't take

Read 9 tweets

Maazị Ogbonnaya

@ogbonnaya_mark

31 Mar

Last year, I wanted to change to another apartment in Abuja. I got a property agent who showed me a house. It caught my fancy. We met the caretaker and agreed on the terms. I paid.

A few days later, I was called to meet the landlady. She saw me and asked:

"Where do you work?"

The question was funny to me. She said she wanted to be sure if one could renew the payment of the house. That she doesn't joke with her money oo.

"What tribe are you?" She asked.

"Igbo"

"What?" She screamed. "I have said I'll never give Igbo man my house. I don't like them"

"There is no problem madam. I'm Igbo and there is nothing I or anyone can do to change it. I will never feel sorry for being Igbo. I am an unapologetic Igbo man. Very proud one at that. You know what, I am not in a haste to look for house. Where I'm living is fine. I still have

Read 7 tweets

Maazị Ogbonnaya

@ogbonnaya_mark

30 Mar

It's very wrong to look down on people whether you know them or not.

So today, I was going to a very important office in Maitama, Abuja for something. I didn't know the actual location. I was asking a driver at the Nicon Junction Park, how I could locate the place...

A poorly

dressed man, sitting on the passenger's seat of the public vehicle stuck out his head:

"What are you going there to do?" He asked.

He's a northern guy. Clad in almost worn out native dress and cap. He was putting on flat footwear.

I smiled and told him that my visit was

confidential, but I needed to meet so so person in so so office for so so thing.

"Ok, I will show you the place".

I thanked him.

We left. The anịkịrịja vehicle swung on the road leading to Maitama District, with beautiful houses waving at us. In a few minutes...he alighted

Read 10 tweets

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!