WEZUOIUI A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO THE IGBO LANGUAGE CHllEMEREM I. IWAIZE I Kwezuonu! A Beginner's Guide to the lgbo Language Chinemerem Nwanze featuring foreword by Okey Ndibe Cover by Ekeocha Nnaemeka 1 Copyright© 2019 by Chinemerem Nwanze. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For more information address YBF Publishing LLC PO Box 361526 Decatur, GA 30036 ISBN#: 978-1-950279-04-3 LOC Number: 2019901065 Edited+ Formatted by The Literary Revolutionary+ Team Manufactured in the United States of America For information regarding special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact The Literary Revolutionary Special Sales T earn at 4 70-396-0660 or [email protected] Follow Chinemerem! lnstagram: @Chinemrm . ~ 2 Kwezuonu! A Beginner's Guide to the lgbo Language Please complete the following sections: This Book Belongs To: My Reason for Wanting to Learn lgbo: Goals for lgbo Learning Journey: •• 3 " 4 Table of Contents Foreword - Okey Ndibe 7 Introduction 11 Part 1: lgbo Alphabet and Vocabulary 15 Chapter 1 - What is lgbo? 17 Chapter 2 - The lgbo Alphabet 23 Chapter 3 - lgbo Vocabulary + Parts of Speech 35 Part 2: Fundamentals of lgbo Grammar 69 Chapter 4 - Tone Marks 71 Chapter 5 - lgbo Pronouns 75 Cumulative Skills Test (Chapters 1 - 5) 88 Chapter 6 - Verbs, Tenses, Commands, and Negations 93 Chapter 7 - Additional Practice 127 Part 3 - Culture and Resources 135 Chapter 8 - lgbo Learning Resources 137 Chapter 9 - List of lgbo Names 143 Chapter 10 - Skills Test Answers 153 Acknowledgements 161 • • • 5 DEDICATION To Ifeanyi, Onyeka, and /zunna 6 FOREWORD The first time I spoke to Chinemerem Nwanze, I became a fan. Three things deeply impressed me about her. The first was the pride she took in her ability to speak lgbo language. Even though she has grown up in the US, she is so versed in lgbo that she and I were able to converse in the language. Anybody who pays attention to the state of lgbo language proficiency knows that the vast majority of children born to lgbo parents in the US are bereft of proficiency in lgbo. For that matter, there are also many lgbo youngsters born and raised in Nigeria who are baffled by the language that ought to be their first. The second reason I admired Chinemerem was her sense of gratitude to her parents for giving her the gift of a mother tongue. It was clear, as she and I spoke, that she recognized the extraordinariness of that gift. She waxed with praise for her parents for taking the time to coach her siblings and her in lgbo. The third factor has to do with this short book, a labor of love and act of generosity. Troubled that too many of her peers lack the bequest of a language that ought to be part and parcel of their cultural kit, Chinemerem chose to do something about it. That something is this small gem of a book. It is Chinemerem's summons to her fellow lgbo-descended young women and men to be more receptive to their cultural heritage. It is also the young author's 7 challenge-rebuke is too strong a word, or I would have used it-it is her challenge to lgbo adults, especially parents. Her message to all of us is rather clear: invest the time to teach your children the language and ways of your people. Much has been made of the lgbo's adventurousness and enterprise. Indeed, the lgbo are dispersed in most parts of the world-and often thrive, thanks to their acumen for industry, adaptability, and innovativeness. Yet, all too often, the lgbo sacrifice their language as the price for success in their new environments. I suggest-and Chinemerem would agree-that this is too high a price to pay. Language is not just a tool for communication. Language is that, but it also embodies a people's cultural worldview. When a young person is unable to speak her parents' natal language, it means that a cultural and conceptual gulf exists between parent and child. It is a situation that can only impoverish, not vitalize, our children and their relationships with us. Even though Chinemerem's book is addressed to youngsters, lgbo adults would do well to heed her message. We all need to be better informed about our inner lives, the values that shape our lives, and the language that makes our world come alive in all its splendor and variety. . " 8