by Paul Chika Emekwulu
The day was Tuesday, March 19, 2024. I have just finished my business with the catechist at my local parish. As I was walking towards my car, a group of bright primary school children walked up to me. They indicated that they needed some water to drink. It was a hot afternoon.
After a few minutes of interacting with them I did a count. They were ten in number.
“Is there anywhere you can buy some water?” I asked them.
“Yes,” they answered in unison. I gave two of them enough money to buy ten sachets of “pure” water. They ran off and came back with ten of these. I ordered the group of ten to be on one side. As I was preparing to hand out the satchets I noticed that other children were coming and joining the group. Few seconds after, the number of children who wanted to drink out numbered the number of available sachets. I felt like a shepherd struggling to control his uncontrollable flock of sheep. At this time I changed my mind. I decided not to share the water just among the ten. Something else has to be done.
“How many of you want to drink?”
Almost every hand went up. I concluded that since the water wasn’t enough there has to be an elimination process. At this time the water was no more just for the first group of ten children. It was for everybody but before you get the water you have to satisfy a condition, a requirement. Familiar faces wanted a special favour but they were totally ignored. Fairness was what was needed at this point.
Now we all know how defaced, how insulted ihe Igbo Language has been, unfortunately in the hands of the very native speakers, not non-native speakers who are just learning the language for the very first time. I saw the hat as a loophole and I decided to link the condition to Igbo Language.
The condition has to be in the form of a challenge, I thought. Making a challenge out of math questions as was my usual habit wasnt appropriate at that time of the day. Moreover, if the time had been appropriate, the questions might not be age appropriate for the various ages of children present.
That was all the more reason why I resorted to Igbo Language. I did so by saying, “Spell your Igbo name and drink some water.” This exercise didn’t help because they were all spelling their Igbo names in English. I was discouraged. I left with the ten sachets and drove off.
As I was still within the school premises I changed my mind and came back. When I came back I met an entire new group of children who were just coming out of their classrooms.
Here is a part of the short interactive session I had with them.
Me: (Pointing at a boy)
What’s your name?
Boy: “My name is Ebuka.”
Me: Ebuka, spell your Igbo name!
Ebuka: “E-b-u…” (He was spelling in English).
Me: No, stop!
Me: (talking to another boy)
What’s your name?
Boy: “My name is Emeka.”
Me: Emeka, spell your name!
Emeka: “Is it in English or in Igbo?”
Me’: Is Emeka an English name or an Igbo name?
Emeka: “It is an Igbo name,” he responded.
Me: Then spell your name!
Emeka: “E-m-e…” (Also he started spelling in English).
Me: No, stop!
To avoid giving others some kind of spelling hints I made each to stop the spelling which was all being done in English (Partial spelling in Igbo and English is not an option). When a combination of alphabets from two different languages is used in spelling names of people, things or places in this case English and Igbo alphabets, that is what I call mixed spelling.
I stopped the spelling for each of these students so that others would get a fair chance in spelling their Igbo names as well or whichever language they want to. When that is done, it is now my responsibility to declare such an effort as successful or otherwise.
Out of other attempts only one boy spelt correctly. Then a few of the boys wanted to go by that name in order to come out in flying colours. Of course that was never allowed, for through discernment their real names were revealed.
The girls spelt the same way.
I did not say, “Spell your Igbo name in English.” Saying so would have allowed them to spell their Igbo names in English. My request is very direct, no ambiguity.
Also, I didn’t just say, “Spell your name.” With this request which name are we talking about? English name or Igbo name? Let’s take note of two things: First, the name to be spelt has to be identified. Second, it is only when the name to be spelt is identified that spelling begins. Not doing so is again leaving room for ambiguity. But why not specify the name at the very beginning and avoid the ambiguity?
Also, I didn’t say “Spell your name in Igbo.” Which name? English or Igbo name? The child has to know which name to spell before spelling begins.
With any of these three requests if a child had spelt his or her name in English or Igbo he or she had spelt correctly. Why? This is because each of the requests has room for ambiguity, each created a room for a choice. Such a child is within his or rights to have asked, “Spell my name in English or in Igbo?”
To such a child I have this to say: Spelling your name in Igbo is not the same as ordering chicken in an American fast food restaurant. Whereas you have a choice while ordering your chicken between “regular” and “crispy”, you don’t have a choice between spelling your Igbo name in Igbo of course using Igbo alphabets or spelling your Igbo name in English using English alphabets.
If we have to halt thesej insults, if we have to contain the disrespect and dishonesty towards the Igbo Language, what’s the other best way to do so if not with school children.
It was Confucius, a Chinese philosopher who said, “If your plan is for a year plant rice, if your plan is for ten years plant trees, if your plan is for a hundred years educate the children.”
But who takes greater blame for this ugly state of affairs?
First, some parents who made a conscious decision to deny their children the privilege of learning and speaking their mother tongue. Second, teachers who teach Igbo Language totally with the aid of English Language. This can be compared to when Jesus was brought before Pilate. At a certain point in Jesus’ trial, he said to Pilate, “He who brought me over to you has the greater sin (John 19:11). “Where are we going with this? When it comes to children not speaking their mother tongue, the parents and then the teachers have the greater blame and not the children.
Here is another story somehow similar to the first. This took place at a mechanic workshop that shares a work area with a panel beater. There I met two young mechanic apprentices. There real names are Ebuka and Sọmeụadịna. I asked each to spell their names. Somụadịna asked the obvious. Of course he asked me whether to spell in English or in Igbo. At this point you should have known what my response was, otherwise you are a part of the problem and not a part of the solution. Do you agree? Please, in the interest of our dear mother tongue answer that question before you continue. It is not about me, it is about our language, the Igbo Language.
Of course they all spelt in English. One of them got into what I earlier referred to as mixed spelling. It is like mixing apples with oranges. It doesn’t add up. When all this was going on little did I know that the panel beater was all ears. He couldn’t have been all eyes as well because he was busy under a vehicle he was working on.
After the mixed spelling session by one of the boys, what the panel beater said in jest got everybody laughing. He warned the mixed speller not to use his spelling to set the vehicle on fire because of the sound of the words coming out of his mouth. I continued to laugh till I left the workshop.
:
In conclusion, spelling an Igbo name, place or thing is not a forked-road situation, one going towards the left, the other towards the right. In other words, you don’t have a choice between spelling your Igbo name in Igbo or spelling your Igbo name in English. Put differently, it is neither an “or” case nor even an “and” case. Furthermore still, It is a one way traffic and not a two way traffic.
It must have to be repeated here that spelling of Igbo names is not a forked road situation where one goes to the left and the other to the right. In other words, you’ve no choice between spelling your Igbo name in Igbo or spelling it in English. Period!
Finally, while we are doing this individually and collectively we are raising the salvation index of the Igbo Language thereby not even delaying it’s extinction but preventing its extinction.
Ndị Igbo ibe m, daalụnụ!
