By Sarah-Claire Jordan
Igbo is the language of the Igbo ethnic group found in the southeastern region of Nigeria. The large majority of Igbo speakers are ethnically Igbo as well, and Nigeria is where most call home. Though there probably was at one time a specific script used for writing Igbo, the British brought with them the Latin script, along with other things, which was adopted. There are more than 20 dialects of Igbo, though many are starting to disappear in favor of a more standardized form.
To have a better understanding of where the Igbo language came from, we must take a look at the history of the Igbo people as well. This will be what allows us to see what the roots of Igbo truly are. The Igbo people didn’t used to be so united, and lived more as the citizens of the same nation, dubbed “Igboland”, than as one whole ethnic group. The land they claimed as their own is almost completely surrounded by rivers on all sides, and is found now in southeastern Nigeria.
That being said, it is important to note that the Igbo language can be said to encompasses many dialects and Igboid languages which vary depending on which part of the region the speaker is from. The arrival of the British spurred unification, both politically and culturally, among the different peoples who lived in Igboland. This also had an influence on the designation of one standard Igbo dialect.
Due partially to British colonization of Nigeria and to conflicts with other ethnic groups, the Igbo people came to stand together as a unified ethnic group and to put a lot of energy into creating and sustaining an Igbo culture and identity. This, of course, included speaking, writing, and teaching the Igbo language. The Nigerian Civil War was the culmination of this process, with many Igbo wanting to secede from Nigeria to create the independent Igbo state of Biafra.
Today, the most widely-accepted form of Igbo is probably Central Igbo. It has its roots in two other dialects, from the Ezinihitte group of Igbo. The dialect was first proposed as a literary language in 1939, where it was accepted and in turn used by writers, publishers, and even missionaries. Two years after the end of the Nigerian Civil War, in 1972, it was decided that Central Igbo should be used as the basis for creating Standard Igbo, which is very similar to Central Igbo except for some words taken from other dialects and languages.
The Igbo were deeply affected by the Atlantic Slave Trade. Many were taken and sold into slavery in the Americas, which led to the adoption of some Igbo terms in other languages, such as Jamaican Patois and some words common in Bajan, or Barbadian Creole. Other Igbo people left Nigeria and Igboland for other reasons, contributing to a diaspora that would leave traces of Igbo all over the world, but mostly in the Americas. This has made some communities consider learning the language of their ancestors and create programs to help others do the same and help get back to the roots of Igbo.