Hi. This is a thread for those interested in learning Igala Language.
Igala is a language spoken in central Nigeria by about 2 million people, mostly in Kogi East Zone.

Igalas are anong the largest minority ethnic groups in Nigeria, and once had a great and extensive kingdom which exerted considerable influence over all its immediate neighbors in all directions.

Join me, as I introduce you to the Igala language for those interested in learning , and fellow Igalas too.

how do we know the correct pronounciation

oya

Terms Associated with Teaching

Teaching - Ukọ
Student - Ọma Ukọ / Oma Ukochẹ
Book - Otakada
Teacher - Ako Ọnẹ or Akukọ
Pen - Ukọ ẹnwu
School - Unyi Ukọchẹ (Learning house)

Telling Time

Egba yii or Iko yii - This time
Egba le or Iko le - That time
Ojo - Day
Ane - Night
Ona - Tomorrow
Eñini - Today
Otona - Next tomorrow
Iko duu - Every time
Aladi - Week
Aladi ki a wa - the week that is coming
Ochu - Month
Odo - Year
Ochu ekeji - Second month
Aladi yii - This Week
Onale - Yesterday

Counting in Igala (Numbers)

0 - Ofo
1 - Oka / Enye
2 - Eji
3 - Eta
4 - Ele
5 - Alu
6 - Efa
7 - Ebie
8 - Ejo
9 - Ela
10 - Egwa
11 - Egwa Oka
12 - Egwa Eji
13 - Egwa Eta
........
20 - Ogwu
30 - Ogwu Egwa
40 - Ogwu meji (Ogweji)
50 - Ooje
100 - Ogwu melu (20 x 5)
200 - Ideli meji

Pronouns - Using a verb as example

Che - To do, Do something

Naa che - I will do
Uwe che - You will do (Singular)
Me che - You will do (Plural / Respect / Honorary)
A che / Ya che - He/She will do
Awa che - We will do
Ma che - They will do

I.e
Ma/me mo ote ekpe - They drank palm wine
A mo ote ekpe - We drank palmwine

Personal pronouns

A / Awa - We/Our (2nd person pl)
Omi - Me (1st person sg)
Uwe - You (2nd person sg)
Onwu - Him (3rd person sg)

I.e

Obe mi - My knife
Obe we - Your knife
Obe nwu - His knife

Some common verbs in Igala

Je - Eat
Ta - Sell
Lolu- Sleep
Kwu - Die
M’omi - Drink water
W’ane - Fall to the ground
N’eti - Listen
Chi - Open
Ido - Dance
Jo - Burn
Uko- Cough
Gwu - Pound
Kpa - Kill
K’eli - Sing
Ko - Write
Ja - Fight
Umi - Rest
Uche - Work
Gb’ane - Sweep
Lo - Go
Akwu - Cry
Feh - Blow
Y’uyo - Rejoice

More to come

ipobarecriminals:
oya

Oya na come see lesson don full ground

Igala is a tonal language and tones generally come in three forms:

High
Mid
Low

In addition, there are contour tones that typically combines two of the above tones like the nasal Negate (Ñ) which is used to connote a negative statement ... combining two highs

I.e

A ɲa᷄ lò
We are going

A ɲa᷄ lò ñ
We are going Not
= We are NOT going.

Tell me this is not yorubiod

Negation in Igala

The highly Nasal negate consonant (Ñ) used in Igala as demonstrated above also has an oral voiced Equivalent (”No”).
Both connote a negative reply or statement.

I.e

Ocholi, Oma mi kwu no.
Ocholi, My child is dead Not.
= Ocholi, my child is Not dead.

Another Example:

Ene dabu Ojo, enwu ki eju one ma li no.
Who is like God, entity which the eyes of a person can see Not.
= Who is like God, being which the eyes of man can Not see.

step1:
Tell me this is not yorubiod

Yes it is Yoruboid, similarity is about let me say 65%
I once helped a Naija woman at Heathrow airport in the UK who spoke no English.

She spoke only Yoruba, but I helped her get a few things done based on the conversation I had with her.
It was hard, but conversation was achievable.

It was mostly one way though. I could understand her spoken Yoruba, but Yorubas can’t realy understand Igala beyond having a fair Idea of what is being said.

Also, Yorubas who understand their second Yoruba dialects well, understand Igala more than Yorubas who speak just plain general Yoruba

Just my opinion.

IgalaSchool:


Yes it is Yoruboid, similarity is about let me say 65%
I once helped a Naija woman at Heathrow airport in the UK who spoke no English.

She spoke only Yoruba, but I helped her get a few things done based on the conversation I had with her.
It was hard, but conversation was achievable.

It was mostly one way though. I could understand her spoken Yoruba, but Yorubas can’t realy understand Igala beyond having a fair Idea of what is being said.

Also, Yorubas who understand their second Yoruba dialects well, understand Igala more than Yorubas who speak just plain general Yoruba

Just my opinion.

The bolded is true.

Teaching - Ukọ
Student - Ọma Ukọ / Oma Ukochẹ
Book - Otakada
Teacher - Ako Ọnẹ or Akukọ
Pen - Ukọ ẹnwu
School - Unyi Ukọchẹ (Learning house)

Igala-Yoruba
Ukọ- ẹko
ọma ukọ- Akẹkọ (I understand this even though the word is different in Yoruba since "ọma" is similar to the Yoruba "ọmo" which is child. In a lot of Yoruba dialects, ọma is the word for child.)
Otakada- iwe
Akọ ọne/Akukọ- olukọ (I understand ọne meaning person. ọne means person in many Yoruba dialects, even though the general Yoruba equivalence is eyan.)
ukọ enwu- ikọwe
unyi ukọche- ile-iwe (Ile-iwe in Yoruba means house of books. I'm assuming ukọchẹ is from ukọ and ichẹ, meaning education and work. "Ishẹ" in Yoruba means work and "ichẹ" is dialects.)

IgalaSchool:



Also, Yorubas who understand their second Yoruba dialects well, understand Igala more than Yorubas who speak just plain general Yoruba

Just my opinion.

This is true if their second dialects come from the Eastern Yoruba area.

Will it be possible for us to correspond by mail? I have a few questions to ask about Igala words, but I do not want to do it here.

RedboneSmith:
Will it be possible for us to correspond by mail? I have a few questions to ask about Igala words, but I do not want to do it here.

I have a few questions for you too re. similar stuff. You’re more than welcome to drop me an emily too.

RedboneSmith:
Will it be possible for us to correspond by mail? I have a few questions to ask about Igala words, but I do not want to do it here.

Yes
AchileAdejo@gmail

More Igala common Words

We will be using them nore in sentences as the lesson progresses

Land - Ane
Igbi - Snail
Igbili - Forest/Bush
Oko - Farm
Odu - Name
Onobule - Female
Onekele - Male
J’uja - Fight
Ubailo - Danger
Owu - Cotton / Thread
Onukwu - Friend
Ogede - Banana
Ekpo - Oil
Ate- Bed
Una - Fire
Ugba - Bowl
Adagba - Elephant
Ikpa - Bag/Sack
Ochikapa - Rice
Wife - Oya
Oko- Husband
Okö - Vehicle
Okej’omi - Canoe/Boat
Ojale - Sky
Ujenwu - Food
Enyo - Good, Nice, Cool E.tc
Ochu - Month / Moon
Ilawo - Star
Flower - Ododo
Olu - Sun
Egbe - Gun
Ona - Door

Colors in Igala

Black - Dudu
White - Fufu
Red - Kpikpa
Blue - Odufa
Green - Edufa
Pink - Odo

Why do Igala like saying drink blood. As in mebie da more

Igala looks like a type of Yoruba that is trying hard to play Hide and Seek with Yoruba people

scholes0:
Igala looks like a type of Yoruba that is trying hard to play Hide and Seek with Yoruba people

Majority of the words are similar to Yoruba.

9jakool:


Majority of the words are similar to Yoruba.

It looks like heavily modified or very archaic (ancient) Yoruba.

1) I noticed keenly that they have evolved to replace nasal vowel (Añ, Eñ, Iñ, Oñ, Uñ Etc) endings in Yoruba with their oral vowel equivalents.
Because Yoruba has 7 oral and 7 nasal vowels... but seems Igala has only oral ones.

* And also some consonant mutation in Igala , i.e R to L, and L to N

Jeun (eat) - Jenwu
Orun (neck) - Olu
Igbin (snail) - Igbi
Kekere (small) - Kekele
Irawo (star) - Ilawo
Ohun (thing) - Enwu
Erin (four)- Ele
Arun (five) - Alu
Orun (sun) - Olu
Olu (lord) - Onu
Egun (Ancestors) - Egwu
Ra (buy) - La
Erira (Ants) - Elila
Ri (See) - Li
Ro (Cultivate) - (Lo)
Eyin (tooth) - Enyi

Also it seems like there is no “Sh” sound in Igala and all they have is CH... but maybe that is just a dialect/standardization thing .. I think many actually do have "sh" sound.

Sheyi (Yoruba) - Cheyi (Igala)

2) Then like the the South East Yoruba dialects , they have GW and KW, but have no GH.

Ewa (beans) - Egwa
Ku (die) - Kwu
Gun (pound) - Gwu
Ekun - Ekwu
Oogun (sweat) - Uugwu
Egungun (bone) - Ogwugwu
Igunnu (vulture) - Ugwunu

Combining 1 and 2

Oluku - Onukwu

With this, I would give a Yoruba - give or take 6 months to master this language under complete exposure like going to live in Idah or Dekina.

scholes0:


It looks like heavily modified Yoruba.

I noticed keenly that they have evolved to replace nasal consonant endings with their vowel equivalents
And also some consonant modified , i.e R to L, and L to N

Jeun - Jenwu
Orun - Olu
Igbin - Igbi
Irawo - Ilawo
Ohun - Enwu
Erin - Ele
Arun - Alu

Also it seems like there is no “Sh” sound in Igala and all they have us CH.

Then like the South East Yoruba dialecrt , they have GW and Kw, but have no GH

Ewa - Egwa
Ku - Kwu
Gun - Gwu
Ekun - Ekwu

With this, I would give a Yoruba - give or take 6 months to master this language under complete exposure like going to live in Idah or Dekina.

Yoruba- Igala
gu/gun- gwu
ku/kun- kwu

The ch sound like in ochu is similar to how some Yoruba say Oshu. In Ondo state, many people interchangeably use sh and ch. In Western parts of Oyo and Ogun states crossing over to Benin Republic and beyond, the ch sound is heavily used.

I have noticed the addition of m in their counting system like in m + egwa = megwa which is also used in Yoruba.

IgalaSchool:
Hi. This is a thread for those interested in learning Igala Language.
Igala is a language spoken in central Nigeria by about 2 million people, mostly in Kogi East Zone.

Igalas are among the largest minority ethnic groups in Nigeria, and once had a great and extensive kingdom which exerted considerable influence over all its immediate neighbors in all directions.

Join me, as I introduce you to the Igala language for those interested in learning , and fellow Igalas too.

^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^
@IgalaSchool


Good to see you have started this thread.
I've been reading about the Igala people
and history in steady increments since 1991! I find you folks to be a unique
people in the Nigeria because you are
at the epicenter/confluence of a cultural vortex.


The current Attah of Igalaland [HRM
Dr. Michael Idakwo Ameh Oboni] had an interview published on August 26, 2017 in Saturday Punch.
He indicated that Igala language and people evolved from
the migration of a sizeable group of people
from Wukari [Jukunland] in Taraba
and they moved along the confluence
of River Benue to Amagede then to Idah
where they settled and MERGED with a sizeable group or population
of Yoruba people, Bini people, and to some
extent a small group of Ibo.
"So the Wukari migrant population merged
with them to form the language called
Igala as a people."


Wukari Jukun+Eastern Yoruba+Bini/Esan+Ibo
==> [IGALA NATION]


READ MORE HERE: http://punchng.com/im-first-attah-in-igala-history-with-one-wife-ameh-oboni/



This thread and HRM Attah Michael Ameh
Oboni's interview could well shed more light on why Bowen's research classified
Igala (and Itsekiri) as Yoruboid languages.


I look forward to asking you and Igalas
on Nairaland some questions on
linguistic translations of Igala words.


Let's PUSH this thread to the FRONT
PAGE just like the ITSEKIRI thread
created by @onuwaje ["I Want to Learn Itsekiri Language"].


The Igalas on NL that I have been
following on NL should fall in and
bookmark this thread:@Meilyn, @Revolva,
@McSterling, @omaigala, @ednoville
~~~~~

Some Notable/Popular Igalas:
-----------------------------------------------------
[1] Praiz [Praise Egbede Adejo]
He sang "Rich and Famous" in 2014.

[2] Jeff Ufedo Akoh [2015 winner Project Fame]

IgalaSchool:
Hi. This is a thread for those interested in learning Igala Language.
Igala is a language spoken in central Nigeria by about 2 million people, mostly in Kogi East Zone.

Igalas are anong the largest minority ethnic groups in Nigeria, and once had a great and extensive kingdom which exerted considerable influence over all its immediate neighbors in all directions.

Join me, as I introduce you to the Igala language for those interested in learning , and fellow Igalas too.

^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^
Now to my 2nd post, but 1st question
to you @IgalaSchool:

1. What is COCK called in Igala language?
Cock is called Akuko in Yoruba.
Cock is called Okuko in Ibo.

So I believe it is through the Igala land bridge that the near-similarities in spelling
among the Yoruba and Ibo.

There is Igala ancestry/bloodline in 13 of the 21 LGAs in Anambra state alone!


2. What do you call STONE in Igala.
Yorubas call it Okuta.
Ibos call it Okwute.


3. The name Anambra is a British
corruption of the Igala word/phrase:
Omaobala. What does Omaobala
mean in Igala? OMA is child in Igala
so what is the full meaning of Omaobala?


4. I have seen Omambala being used
as the name of the River that Anambra
was named after. I have also seen
another spelling of Omaobala.

Which of the 2 spellings is correct?



5. Praise Ugbede Adejo(Praiz is Igala)
What is the full meaning of Ugbede?
and What does the name Adejo mean?


Ade simply means crown in Yoruba,
so does the "Ade" in Adejo also refer
to a crown?

I'll stop right here and it is my wish that
this thread will serve as a source of
enlightenment for the benefit of all
knowledge seekers.


#Loving Igala Nation

All the best!


PS: It is very clear that Igalas are direct ancestral cousins
to the Yorubas, Jukuns, Binis, and Ibos
from HRM Attah Michael Ameh Oboni's
2-page interview in Saturday Punch of August 26,
2017.

Konquest:




The current Attah of Igalaland [HRM
Dr. Michael Idakwo Ameh Oboni] had an interview published on August 26, 2017 in Saturday Punch. He indicated that Igala
language and people evolved from
the migration of a sizeable group of people
from Wukari [Jukunland] in Taraba
and they moved along the confluence
of River Benue to Amagede then to Idah
where they settled and MERGED with a sizeable group or population
of Yoruba people, Bini people, and to some
extent a small group of Ibo.
"So the Wukari migrant population merged
with them to form the language called
Igala as a people."


Wukari Jukun+Eastern Yoruba+Bini/Esan+Ibo
==> [IGALA NATION]



This thread and HRM Attah Michael Ameh
Oboni's interview could well shed more light on why Bowen's research classified
Igala (and Itsekiri) as Yoruboid languages.

@Konquest, here is a linkt to HRM Attah Michael Ameh Oboni's interview: http://punchng.com/im-first-attah-in-igala-history-with-one-wife-ameh-oboni/

Africaman:



@Konquest, here is a linkt to HRM Attah Michael Ameh Oboni's interview: http://punchng.com/im-first-attah-in-igala-history-with-one-wife-ameh-oboni/

^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^
@Africaman

Brilliant!


Thanks for posting the Weblink
for all to read. It's a very illuminating
article/two-page interview by the Attah
of Igala!

Thanks again.

All the best!

Konquest:

^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^
@Africaman

Brilliant!


Thanks for posting the Weblink
for all to read. It's a very illuminating
article/two-page interview by the Attah
of Igala!

Thanks again.

All the best!

It was my pleasure bro. I also thank you for your valuable contribution on this thread, as it is very educational.

Happy Sunday

Good language. Me likey.

Cool