Varying Vowels of Igala and English

 English

Vowels

Five (5) English Vowels

A E I O U

a e i o u

Igala Vowels

Seven (7) Igala Vowels

A E Ẹ I O Ọ U

a e ẹ i o ọ u

Aa

The ‘a’ manifests two types of sounds:

• Pronounced / a /. E.g. cat, mat, rat, fat, pat, tract, spat, etc.

• Pronounced /éì/. E.g. say, day, lay, gray, may, hey, etc.

Aa

This tiny phonemic unit, ‘a,’ is capable of altering its tone at three basic levels, namely:

• High-sounding tone (á): E.g. ábíá (dog); álá (sheep); ájá (market).

• Mid-sounding tone ( ): E.g. gba (to read); fa (to sharpen); ka (to go sour); ta (to sting).

• Low-sounding tone (à): E.g. fà (to crawl); gbà (to take); mà (to know); tà (to sell); là (to buy).

Ee

The English ‘e’ manifests two characteristic sounds, namely:

(i) the shrill /i:/ sound. E.g. me, he, we, be, fee, sheep,

etc. It is often confused

with the Igala ‘i,’ which could mislead one to write: ‘éñmí ’ (grass-cutter) or ‘Àmí ’ (Amen), write: ‘éme’ or Àme,

reflecting the English ‘e’ (as in ‘be, he, she). 

(ii) the English ‘e,’  as in: men, pen, send, friend, bend, mend, sometimes, sounds like the Igala /ɛ/. It could be a trap. So, try and avoid the confusion in speech or writing.

Ee

Pronounced /é/ (like the English /ay/). Occurs at three basic levels of tone, namely:

(i) High tone ( ́). E.g. wé (to stop doing something);

égbé (grass); kékélé (to be small). F’álu ná mélémélé.

(to lick the lips with relish).

(ii) Mid tone ( ). E.g. Eee (Yes, Affirmative).

(Synonym ‘Oo’); awa,

agba, mẹ gba (Greetings),

kpologodoo (to be completely empty).

E.g. Éjéefù wẹ tẹ́ kpologodoo.

(Your room was completely

empty).

(iii) Low tone ( ̀) E.g. lè (went) (past tense); dè (to guard); yègèyègè (to be

scanty); etc.

I

The subdued sound, pronounced /i/. E.g. it, pit, fit, with, sit, grit, slit, etc.

Ẹẹ

The sound ‘ẹ,’ pronounced /ɛ/, like other Igala vowels, occurs at three tonal levels, namely:

(i) High tone ( ́). E.g. jẹ́ (to

accept); mẹ́ (to lend or

borrow); kpẹ́ (to share);

fẹ́fẹ́ (to be clean); kẹ́kẹ́ (to be small).

(ii) Mid tone ( ). E.g. ẹ, wẹ (you (singular pronoun);

jẹ (to eat); mẹ (you plural

pronoun); bẹẹlẹ (adverb)

in large numbers). E.g.

Àmonẹ̀ kwú jọ bẹẹlẹ.

May people perished.

(iii) Low tone ( ̀). E.g. dẹ̀ (to

shine); gbẹ̀ (to be great);

gwẹ̀ (to wash); rẹ̀ (to

throw up);

Oo

Pronounced at two levels of tone, namely:

(i) The English sound /ou/. E.g. go, no, woe, foe, goat, moan, foam, etc.

(ii) The sound /ɔ/. E.g. not, cot, pot, rot, dot, hot, lot, etc. It is the equivalent of the Igala ‘ọ’ sound.

Ii

The sound ‘i,’ pronounced /i:/. Like the other Igala vowels, it also occurs at three basic levels of tone, namely:

(i) High tone ( ́). E.g. mí (to rest);    lí (to see);  hí (to

weave);  nyí (to create); pí (to sew masterfully); fí

(to mystify). E.g. Ì ch’ẹ̀fí (Emphasis for ‘It is beyond what words can express.’ etc.

(ii) Mid tone ( ). E.g. fii (distantly); kiili (completely); jimm (lifelessly); etc.

(iii) Low tone ( ̀). E.g. hì (to cook);   jì (to tie/bury); mì

(to swallow); nyì (to breach a trust); etc.

Uu

Oo

Pronounced /o/, this highly musical tone frequents the domains of the three basic tones:

(i) High tone ( ́). E.g. óbó (soup); ógbó (old age);

óló (poison); ólóló (too much); óyó (fatness); Óóó (Oh). (Sound indicating

regret, pity, contriteness, etc.) E.g.  Óóó, m’ú du

baá mi. (Oh, forgive me).

E.g.  Óóó, ú mà nóò. (Oh, I didn’t know).

(ii) Mid tone:  Here, remember our Empty space      (  ) sign.              E.g. Ooo (Okay; alright, I agree,

affirmative). E.g. Ooo, ù che égbọ́. (Alright, I have heard you).

(iii) Low tone ( ̀). E.g. òdò (yellow); ògòdò (to be watery instead of being

solid); òkpò (fright); òtò (a large gourd water).

Ọọ

Pronounced /ɔ/, this tone also functions mostly at three levels:

(i) High tone ( ́). E.g. ọ́dọ́ (year); Ọ́jọ́ (God); ọ́lọ́

(deformity); ọ́kọ́ (money); ọ́rọ́ (flesh); ọ́wọ́ (hand),

etc.

(ii) Mid tone ( ). nọ (to stiffen); rọ (to roast); tọ (to leap); wọ (to pull out);  gbọọlọ (to be long). (Also

kọọlọ); etc.

(iii) Low tone ( ̀). E.g. yọ̀ (to be cheerful);  kọ̀ (to

refuse); nyọ̀ (to be

good/beautiful); nọ̀ (to grind); gọ̀ (to be crooked); ọ̀dọ̀ (wall); ọ̀lọ̀ (yarn); ọ̀rọ̀ (draw-soup);

Ọ̀wọ̀ (Sallah); ọ̀kọ̀nyọ̀ (a cruel look); etc.

Uu

Pronounced /u/, similar to the Englisn /u:/ as in cute, mute, etc. It functions at three tonal levels in Igala speeh, namely:

(i) High tone ( ́). E.g. tú (to untie); gwú (to pound);

kwú (to die); mú (to arrest); úlú (seed).

(ii) Mid tone ( ). E.g. du (to take); tu (of a boil, to burst open); lu (of a light,

to extinguish); kwu (to slaughter); etc.

(iii) Low tone ( ̀). E.g. dù (to defeat); fù (to grow); gwù

(to climb); lù (to smell); èkwùkwù (noise); òjùjù

(consultative meeting).