Remembering the Originality of Igbo Speaking in Writing: Write with "Virtual Igbo"
This issue I am about to deal with here has nothing to do with the hows and the wheres of the origin of Igbo and its language; we are Igbo and we speak Igbo. That settles it in this context. Bearing in mind that Igbo is a nation of unique brothers who speak different and unique dialects, and for the benefit of those who learn this beautiful language, it is pertinent and timely that we remember that, although we may speak in dialects, the writing of Igbo still carries the originality of its meaning and understanding.
Considering the uniqueness of Igbo language, especially how one word could mean several things in Igbo language, the part of originality in speakning then shows up in its writing. Igbo words contains words which can be termed as being closely similar to the English homographs, only this time, they carry their special characters called macron (akaransụda) ō, acute (akaraelu) ó, grave (akaraala) ò accents eg. ọ́kụ́ (fire), ọ̀kụ̀ (pot), ọ́kụ̀ (fishing) and dotted vowels (udaụme): ị, ọ, ụ. For instance, the word “AKWA” in Igbo language is one word which may be used in up to four or more ways and to describe four or more Igbo parts of speech. For example, “Akwa” in Igbo language may refer to Egg, Cloth, Bed, Cry, Bridge, etc and one who reads it cannot differentiate their differences unless they are maked with their special characters. Another of the several Igbo words like it is “EGBE” which may refer to Gun or Kite. These vowels, Udaụme, help to differentiate between the “UTO” of Growth and that of Sweetness. How then can a learner of Igbo language be able to differentiate between these and understand what the writer in Igbo language has in mind? Here comes the software called “Virtual Igbo” which was created by an Igbo son.
“Virtual Igbo” is a dynamic software that enables you to type the complete Igbo language as usual on your PC. Doted vowels like ị, ọ, ụ are enclosed to help in acurate Igbo spellings eg. udo (oracle) and ụdọ (rope). You can easily tone mark the words using macron (akaransụda) ō, acute (akaraelu) ó and grave (akaraala) ò accents eg. ọ́kụ́ (fire), ọ̀kụ̀ (pot), ọ́kụ̀ (fishing). The Keyboard is simply organised to give you smooth and trouble free usage like your hardware keyboard layout. “Virtual-Igbo” has been optimised for English (QWERTY US) and German (QWERTZ) hardware keyboards. It is designed to be used with any Latin hardware keyboard. It uses simple sequences of symbol and character to type letters and other characters not available on a standard keyboard. Common fonts which fully support this keyboard are Arial, Calibri,Cambria, Cambria Math, Code2000, Consolas, Courier New, DejaVu Sans, DejaVu Sans Condensed, DejaVu Sans Mono, DejaVu Sans Serif, DejaVu Sans Serif Condensed, Microsoft Sans Serif, Segoe UI, Segoe UI Light, Segoe UI Semibold, Tahoma, Times New Roman, Verdena.
The misuse of Igbo language came as a result of the unseriousnessness or the unforseeing decisions of our early fathers to the possibility of language extinction and its consequences for our generations. In neglecting or not giving good credence and attention to the writing of Igbo language, many Igbo today grew up finding it even very difficult to speak their tongues. As this neglects gain time, it affected even the way the Europeans responded to it prompting them to even go as far as altering our common and simplest names to suit their origin and their tongue. This imforms the many strange spellings and pronounciations in many Igbo names like: Anambra, Enugu, Onitsh, Owerri, etc. It has become a dent to our originality and an insult to our Igbo heritage. The British were not satisfied with getting their colonized countries to speak the English language and, for most, even make it their lingua franca, no; they went as further as adulterating the originality of our culture and tradition in naming and in several other things - to the full view of our early fathers. Another step in the adulteration of Igbo tradition and culture came in the form of “Chieftancy titles” which adultrated the true “Nze na Ozor” titleship and relegated it to mere positions of wearing attires – desecrating the core values of Igbo titleship. They, belieiving that we value nothing more than pomp and pageantry[1], alloted “Chieftains” to selected Igbo when they were finding it difficult to control our ancestors and had to compel them by putting chiefs as overseers. As it is today, one cannot find the difference between the “chiefs” in Igbo land and the Jewsih tax collectors[2] who robbed their people in broad daylight in the form of taxes (which they often decided how much one should have to pay) and shared their loots with the Roman authorities. They were hated and seen as terrible sinners in the Israel of those days, for which cause they were also avoided almost as men with plagues would be avoided.
It is important that the Igbo of today, especially the parents and grown-up siblings, do all it takes to bring back the true Igbo essence in, not just the way we speak our language, but the way we pen it down so as to enable learners understand the beauty and the easiness of learning and speaking the Igbo language more correctly. We can recall that it has been quoted that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), in 2011, had assumed that Igbo language (which is our ethnic identity) might become extinct in the next 50 years[3]. In responding to this, Emeka E. Agbaka, an Igbo with a passion for his root, has developed a simple software for those who use the Windows interface (and other operating systems) which enables them to identify with all the originality of spelling and pronounciations in Igbo language. In his developed software called “Virtual Igbo,” those who love to write the Igbo language will be much thrilled with the navigational provisions he made available. Now, I'm aware that microsoft has a similar provision for some of the special characters used in writing the Igbo language correctly; however, the complexity and intrusions that it brings to the default use of your computer keys after configuration make it less attractive and more demanding. “Virtual Igbo” is a seperate, simple software which enable you to toggle it off and on as you may desire without having to overide your keyboard settings. You dont have to be a computer expert to apply “Virtual Igbo,” you simply have to know what you are looking out for. I therefore recommend this awesome software, “Virtual Igbo,” for Igbo positive advancement, to all Igbo (every Igbo of reading and writing age belongs to this group first and foremost) and Igbo language lovers, and encourage all who use the computer in writing Igbo language to go for it and have the thrill of writing Igbo in its originality. You can download “Virtual-Igbo free from Igbogaadị at https://www.igbogaadi.com/virtual-igbo/ It's Virtual Igbo...for Igbo language comeback!
[1] Radio Biafra London, (2012). “Exposing The Fraud That Is Nigeria- Secret British Government Papers On The Biafra-Nigeria War”, http://www.radiobiafralondononline.com/secret-british-papers-released-why-biafra-lost-the-war/(Accessed on June, 11, 2012).
[2] Fr. Emefiena Ezeani (2012), “Igbo Enwe Eze”, You Tube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3536Pf7AxA(Accessed on June, 11, 2012).
[3] Ebele Orakpo (2012), “Why Igbo language movies must survive”, Vanguard Nigeria, http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/01/why-igbo-language-movies-must-survive/(Accessed on June, 11, 2012).
Written by Ikechukwu Enyiagu, [email protected]