Dishonesty In Igbo Language
By Paul Chika Emekwulu
The Igbos are the most dishonest group when it comes to how they treat their Language. I have my reasons.
On the 11th day of December, 2020, I was at a print shop sitting near the graphic artist while hé was working on a customer’s job. The job was a design fọr a poster.
When sitting there I took a glance on this poster, the text was:
UMUEZEIFEOMAI called the attention of people around and asked them individually to pronounce the twelve letter word.
They took turns and pronounced it the same way. They all pronounced it with the “O” sounding like the first letter Ọ in the Igbo name Ọjugo.
“That is wrong and that is dishonesty,” I said.
The letter “O” and the letter “Ọ” cannot be used interchangeably.
“Why are we wrong?”
They asked in unison.
I gave them a long rope for them to hang themselves because I gave them enough time to discover and correct their mistake.
The mistake was not discovered and consequently, was not corrected.
They were all asking me what was wrong and that was when it was known to me that they did nọt realize their dishonesty. It is better to call a spade a spade because it was not a mistake but dishonesty. When you regard what happened as a. mistake people including some of you reading this and who would have spelt that word the same way will not realize how serious this is.
I said when you pronounce the word honestly, the letter “O” should sound like “O” in the English word “government.”
If you don’t pronounce it honestly, you will sound like a toddler learning how to talk.
True or False?
Everybody said, “true” except the artist himself who doesn’t know how powerful hé is in making a big change in this movement (yes, it is a movement), and we have a lot of these people.
The designer never replied to my question but all he was doing was just laugh. That was very discouraging coming from someone, as I said earlier, who has too much power to make an important cultural change.
It was this time that the boss came out and wanted to know what was amiss.
“What is going on?”
He asked the artist.
That was when I cut in and said, “you ask me.”
People started laughing because they knew why he should ask me or even any of them but not the artist.
He should ask me because I knew the right answer would not come from an artist who was busy laughing when the question was asked.
Honestly speaking, if there has to be a change in this widespread dishonesty among Igbo Language speakers; graphic artists, schools, newspaper reporters, newspaper and magazine editors, the Church etc. have a big role to play, and it is a big challenge.
If this challenge is not taken by these people, the dishonesty will continue and sense impression will continue to be a child’s play.
Happy Christmas to all my Whatsapps contacts!
