Igbo language
| Igbo | |
|---|---|
| Ásụ̀sụ́ Ìgbò | |
| Pronunciation | [ásʊ̀sʊ̀ ìɡ͡bò] ⓘ |
| Native to | Nigeria |
| Region | Igboland: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo[1] |
| Ethnicity | Igbo |
Native speakers | 31 million (2020)[1] |
Niger–Congo?
| |
Standard forms |
|
| Latin (Ọnwụ alphabet) Nwagu Aneke script Neo-Nsibidi Ndebe script Igbo Braille Akagụ Script | |
| Official status | |
Official language in |
|
Recognised minority language in | |
| Regulated by | Society for Promoting Igbo Language and Culture |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | ig |
| ISO 639-2 | ibo |
| ISO 639-3 | ibo |
| Glottolog | nucl1417 |
| Linguasphere | 98-GAA-a |
Linguistic map of Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. Igbo is spoken in southern Nigeria, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea. | |
| People | Ṇ́dị́ Ìgbò |
|---|---|
| Language | Ásụ̀sụ́ Ìgbò |
| Country | Àlà Ị̀gbò |
Igbo (English: /ˈiːboʊ/ EE-boh,[4] US also /ˈɪɡboʊ/ I-gboh;[5][6] Standard Igbo: Ásụ̀sụ́ Ìgbò [ásʊ̀sʊ̀ ìɡ͡bò] ⓘ) is the principal native language cluster of the Igbo people, an ethnicity in the Southeastern part of Nigeria.
Igbo languages are spoken by a total of 31 million people.[1] The number of Igboid languages depends on how one classifies a language versus a dialect, so there could be around 35 different Igbo languages. The core Igbo cluster, or Igbo proper, is generally thought to be one language but there is limited mutual intelligibility between the different groupings (north, west, south and east). A standard literary language termed 'Igbo izugbe' (meaning "general igbo") was generically developed and later adopted around 1972, with its core foundation based on the Orlu (Isu dialects), Anambra (Awka dialects) and Umuahia (Ohuhu dialects), omitting the nasalization and aspiration of those varieties.
- ^ a b c Igbo at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
- ^ Heusing, Gerald (1999). Aspects of the morphology-syntax interface in four Nigerian languages. Münster: LIT Verlag. p. 3. ISBN 3-8258-3917-6.
- ^ a b "World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – : Overview". UNHCR. 20 May 2008. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ^ "Igbo". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020.
- ^ "Igbo". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- ^ "Ibo". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 25 July 2019.