How to Learn Igbo Language

Tone Distinctions and Patterns

Recognize tonal notes in writing. In written Igbo, low tones are sometimes marked with the grave accent (à). High tones are marked with the acute accent (á). While these accent marks are also used in languages such as French and Spanish, they have a different meaning in Igbo. In French, for example, an accent mark would indicate that you pronounce the letter differently. In Spanish, an accent mark indicates which syllable has emphasis. However, in Igbo, the tone is separate from the pronunciation of the letter itself. Many letters in the Igbo alphabet sound the same in Igbo as they do in English. You can download a free alphabet chart at https://www.omniglot.com/writing/igbo.htm.

Identify high and low tones in speech. Pronounce the high tone with your tongue bent towards the roof of your mouth, such as when you say "rule" in English. The low tone is pronounced with your tongue flatter and lower in your mouth, such as the first syllable of "father" in English. The tone is high or low relative to the other tones around it. For example, "kedu" is a word that means "what" or "how," and is also used to say "hello." Pronounce it keh-duh. For the first syllable, use a high tone with your tongue to the roof of your mouth. The second syllable is a low tone, with your tongue flat. Practice it with the first syllable low and the second high just to see how the vowel sound changes with the different tone.

Use tone drills to identify different tone patterns. Igbo is a highly tonal language. A word with the same spelling can have up to 4 different meanings depending on the tones used. Listen to a native speaker repeating words that are pronounced the same but have different tone patterns. For example, ákwá (high-high) means "weeping," ákwà (high-low) means "cloth," àkwá (low-high) means "egg," and àkwà (low-low) means "bridge." The U.S. State Department's Foreign Language Institute uses a basic Igbo course that includes tone drills. You can download them for free from the Live Lingua Project at https://www.livelingua.com/course/fsi/Igbo_-_Basic_Course.

Listen to native speakers. Simply listening to spoken Igbo may be the best way to understand the tonal structure of the language. If you don't know any native speakers, look online. Sites such as YouTube will have videos of people speaking Igbo. If possible, check the dialects being used. Make sure you're staying consistent within the same dialect. For example, Onitsha and Owerri are the two main Igbo dialect zones. While these dialects have many words in common, even they have some differences.

Grammatical Structure

Recognize patterns of spelling. There are different spellings of words across dialects of Igbo. Any spelling you learn is not necessarily the correct spelling of a word, simply one acceptable spelling. Igbo written language is phonetic, so for the most part you will be okay if you learn the pronunciation of letters and write a word as it sounds. If vowels have either a dot under the letter or an umlaut above, this indicates a different pronunciation of that letter. New Standard Orthography uses an umlaut, but you may see previous versions in writing.

Distinguish separable from inseparable pronouns. In Igbo, personal pronouns are either separable or inseparable. Inseparable pronouns are singular, and appear in combination with the verb. For example, bi means "live." If you want to say "I live," it would be ebi m. For first person singular, the letter "m" follows the verb stem. Separable pronouns can be used as a subject, direct or indirect object, or to show possession. For example, the Igbo word anyï can be used to mean "we," "us," or "our." The word itself does not change regardless of how it's used.

Attach an a- or e- prefix to a verb stem for present tense. To conjugate verbs in present tense, give them a prefix that harmonizes with the verb stem vowel. Use an a- before a vowel stem with an a, ï, ö, or ü vowel. The e- prefix harmonizes with i, e, o, or u vowels. For example: ebi m (I live). You don't have to harmonize the vowels if you're using separable pronouns. Simply use the verb stem. For example: anyï bi (we live).

Add a suffix to specify tense. Igbo verbs do not distinguish between past and present tense. Rather, suffixes are used to indicate when the action took place. The suffix -tara or -tere is added to a verb stem to indicate an action occurred in the past. For example: ö zütara anü (he bought meat). Choose the suffix form to harmonize vowels, not for gender or any other reason.

Use number words to make nouns plural. In Igbo, nouns do not change form if they are plural. You can identify whether a word is singular or plural by looking at the words around it. Number words are found after the noun, while ordinals precede the noun. For example: ülö ise means "five houses." The word ülö means "house" while ise means "five."

Practice talking to a native speaker. Look for an Igbo or Nigerian community group near you and see if they have any language resources available. Ideally, you can perfect your language skills by working with someone who has native fluency. If you find someone who is trying to learn English, you might be able to work out an exchange in which both of you help each other practice. Helping a native speaker learn English will also help you understand the grammatical structure of Igbo. They may make mistakes because some aspect of English grammar is absent from Igbo grammar. For example, they might say "five house" instead of "five houses," because in Igbo the noun form doesn't change when pluralized.

Vocabulary

Start with words that are borrowed from English. There are many words in Igbo that are borrowed from English. Although they may have a slightly different spelling and pronunciation, they'll be some of the easiest words for you to pick up if you already know English. For example, "congratulations" in Igbo is kongratuleshön.

Learn basic greetings. When you have basic greetings down, you can start a conversation with native speakers. Conversing with native speakers can help you increase your vocabulary as well as understanding common words and phrases used. Start with the basic greeting, "hello": kedü. Other common phrases said in greeting are built from this word. For example, "How are you?" is "Kedü ka ö dï?" To ask a person's name, you would say "Kedu aha gï?"

Read stories written in Igbo. Reading can also help you build vocabulary because you can see the words and learn what they mean in context. Children's stories and books can be helpful because they are often illustrated. The pictures can give you a clue as to what the words mean. Columbia University has a collection of Igbo language materials available at http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00fwp/igbo_index.html.

Listen to Nigerian popular music. While a lot of the popular Nigerian music has lyrics in Yoruba, one of the 4 official languages of the country, Igbo-language music has also broken into the mainstream. The rhythm of music and the repetitiveness of lyrics makes music an easy way to learn any language. Additionally, you can have music on in the background while you're doing other things. Identify artists you enjoy, then search for songs and videos on sites such as YouTube.