MYEKEE IGEDE LANGUAGE MONTHLY DIGEST. onakingston@gmail.com 07031870710/08054446801 EDITION 3 FEBRUARY 2021. WELCOME!!! A. OPENING THOUGHT: The extinction of an indigenous language is one of the biggest tragedy that a particular people might experience. The loss of language undermines the people’s sense of identity and original worth. Language extinction starts to occur when rules guiding its qualities are compromised, when quality speaking, quality writing is grossly or partially neglected. We can be speaking the language, but when it is not matched with correct writing, the language is on an edge of a cliff and need just a little push. Speaking correctly only or oral transmissions are not enduring as they are form according to the mould of an individual speaker. Oral transmissions are not guided by general rules; as everybody sits in authority to say what they want and how they want. So it boils down to the fact that, if we like posterity to inherit our language in a proper form; then we have no option than to speak correctly and more importantly write correctly. This will send a caution and plea to all those writing the language wrongly in print and social media. You are rather doing our dear language a disservice. B. IGEDE PROVERBS: On the use of proverbs, situation matters a lot because one proverbs can be used in two different contexts. It is its context or situation that can explain the nature of most proverbs. This contextual level of proverbs also throws more light on the philosophical level, in the sense that it is from the situation of the proverbs that one will know whether the proverb is talking about a traditional wisdom of the people or something else. Therefore, it is very relevant to know the context of a proverb before you can interpret or know the relevance or usage. A foretaste of few proverbs. 12.Ojiga ookpokpo a ju ịgbẹ imiiye ka.
Ehe ohuhu á ri ehe oriri ka.
Ojiga obiri kpang kpa riri kpang kpa da ọhụ.
Ẹla ọbaba a wo ehile ka.
C. STILLWATERS POEM: Theme: M JẸ ANG ODUDU KA. Olịkẹjẹ nyam, ọngọ ham ha M jẹ ang odudu ka. Uka ka chị ọkẹkẹnị. ọkịlẹtụ nyam chị ọkẹkẹnị ịnyịnyị. Ahá ụhyị gu ọkpako-ọkwụrụ-ododo. Ọlịkẹjẹ nyam, ọngọ ham ha m jẹ ang odudu ka. Ụka ka bwu ayiji, ọkịlẹtụ nyam ka bwu ayiji ịnyịnyị. A lá dịrẹ-dịrẹ gu ọhọ nya ụpwụ-enwu. Ọlịkẹjẹ nyam ọngọ ham ha, enyi nyang á ri Ịyẹka-m-hu-ka lẹ.
D. TREASURE FROM THE BIBLE: THEME: ANG ỌLẸ KÁ KPA ME HA ỌNGỊNYỊ, ỌWA, Ị KA KPA ME HANG LẸ ỊMATIYU 7:1-5 –JUDGING OTHERS. IJisọsị myịmyị byaa yẹkẹẹ, “A ye ẹla nya ọngịnyị ehe ọọnang ọkịla ya, juwa ya eje wu ọngọọwa ka. Ó-ri ịnyị ka aalẹ, Ohe Oluhye tịtị ka ya eje wung ahụ ayịdang lọgụ-ọgụ ọọwa ịnyịnyị. Chajị jaabwọ ká wẹẹ ya eje wu ọngịnyị ehe ọkịla wẹẹ, ịnyịnyị, Ohe Oluhye a ka ya eje wung ahụ ayịdang lẹlẹ. Chajị ang ọlẹ ká wẹẹ kpa me ang ha ọngịnyị ehe ọkịla wẹẹ, ụma-ụma nya ang ọlịnyị, ị ka kpa me ang tịrẹkpẹ hang ahụ ku ịwa ịnyịnyị lẹ. Ịịyẹ a tị́ du ká juwa ye ẹla ya rụ́ abyị ọlala nya ọngịnyị ehe ọọnang ọlẹ kọ byẹhị pyịnyẹng lala uhweyi olukilẹhị nyamwụ kpong-kpong? Ụka ọlẹ ká abyị ọlala ọlẹ kọ chụng ahụ ayịdang e-egbeju tị lụmẹ lala ugbile nya okoji ọtụka-ọtụka ọlẹ kaahụ ayịdang kpa u-uhye nya ukilẹhị nya ịlọng ịnyị? Lẹ ya jem wẹẹ. Ó-ri kaahụ ayịdang á rị ugbile nya okoji ọtụka olukilẹhị nya ịlọng ọọwa daarụ kpá, a jẹ́ juwa yọyị yẹẹyẹẹ ene ka, anyanyị, ahụ ayịdang a tị́ ka jẹ́-ẹ juwa byi ọngịnyị ehe ọọnang ọkịla ọọwa yẹkẹẹ, ‘Ẹnwa, kẹwẹ kam gba uhweyi olukilẹhị nyang ọwẹ daarụ hing mẹ!’ myị? Ahụ ọlahị imiiye, maga ká jene gba ugbile nya okoji ọtụka nya abyị ọlala hi ukilẹhị nya ịlọng, ká jẹ́ yọyị cheri-cheri ene ká ka jẹ́-ẹ gba uhweyi nya abyị ọlala olukilẹhị nya ọngịnyị ehe ọọnang ọọwa daarụ hyọọ myị́ mẹ.”
E. ABOUT THE LANGUAGE: IGEDE ORTHOGRAPHY: ITS HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT. The story of Igede orthography dates back to the days when missionary activities began in the land. At that time, there was the need to teach the indigenous people how to read and write their language, so that the experience would be internalized and transferred to the reading of the Holy scriptures. Missionaries with the helpers who are mainly Igbo speaking, devised the first orthography between 1930 and 1950. This pre-independence orthography had six vowels: a e i o o. u and 25 consonants arranged semi-alphabetically: b gb d f g h j k l m n n p kp r s t v w y ch gw kw nw ny. The major defect of this orthography was that many sounds of the language were not symbolized or represented. Therefore, many words could not be properly written. A long while, after the introduction of the first orthography, Dick Bergman, an American, who came to settle in Ibilla Alukpo introduced another orthography in the early 60s. This was just after the nation’s independence. He came up with ten vowel system. Using a spelling, he added an “h” to group one vowels, leaving plain the vowels of group two as follows: ah eh ih oh uh a e i o u. This post-independence orthography has 35 consonants: b bw by ch chw d f g gw h hw hy j jw k kp l m mw my n ng nm nw ny p pw py r rw ry s t w y. This orthography was defective on several counts which should be clearer when crosschecked with the principles of good orthography. Let it suffice us to mention that users of that orthography had often had to double back while reading in order to read correctly because the spelling rule marker appeared only at the end of the words. The spelling rule itself was a “silent” letter, which a good orthography should not have. There were also many inconsistencies where a given word selects vowels from both groups. F. HISTORICAL SNIPPETS: OJU LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCIL OF BENUE STATE. FIRST TWENTY COUNCIL LEADERS SINCE CREATION IN 1976. SNO NAME DESIGNATION PERIOD 1 R.A HUNDU SOLE ADMIN 1976-1977 2 CHIEF O. B ODE CHAIRMAN 1977-1979 3 CHIEF JOHN O. AJA CHAIRMAN 1979-1980 4 SAMUEL K.O ITACHU CHAIRMAN 1980-1981 5 STEPHEN OTOR CHAIRMAN 1981-1982 6 BENJAMIN UGALAHI CHAIRMAN 1982-1983 7 J.O ADIKPE SOLE ADMIN NOV1983 8 W.I UTTAH SOLE ADMIN 1984-1986 9 JOHN E. ENYI CHAIRMAN 1986-1987 10 JACOB A. OGA SOLE ADMIN OCT 1987 11 JOHN E. ENYI CHAIRMAN 1988-1989 12 S.B. ABDULLAHI SOLE ADMIN 1989-1990 13 MRS VICTORIA ENYI CHAIRMAN 1990-1991 14 CHIEF J.O EBA CHAIRMAN 1991-1993 15 E. AGBAJE SOLE ADMIN 1993-1994 16 O. A AGOCHA CHAIRMAN 1994-1996 17 E.O OCHELE CHAIRMAN 1996-1997 18 DAVID O. ONAH CHAIRMAN 1997-1998 19 H.E ADOCHE CHAIRMAN 1998-1999 20 G.I OWULO CHAIRMAN 1999-2002
G. DO YOU KNOW THAT? White man arrived Igede 1918 Ogbuloko war was fought 1927-1928 Catholic Church arrived in Igede 1932 Methodist Church arrived in Igede 1934 Assemblies of God Church arrived in Igede 1950 Bethesda clinic established in Igede 1960 Methodist High school Ainu established in 1970 Oju Local Government Area created in 1976 Obi Local Government Area created in 1996
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