LANGUAGE HACK
Source: dayjob.com
Unless you are never going to travel outside your country, learning a new language is an indispensable tool. In fact, how quickly you get to learn a new language can determine your survival in a new and hostile environment. Thus, for tourists, it is always recommended that they learn a bit of the language of the place they intend to visit. Imagine you lost a business deal worth several millions of dollars simply because you were defrauded by a better negotiator on one ground: your inability to communicate with the dealer in his own language! That's so not acceptable. Or you couldn't get a job done owing to some language barrier existing between you and your client.
All very frustrating, right?
Source: rtrfm.com.au
Well, I have decided to grow smarter and wake up before the devil. How? This year, one of my resolutions include adding to my arsenal of languages a new language.
To be sure, nothing is more joyous, more enjoyable than the prospect of learning a new language other than one's first language. In Nigeria alone, there are well over 520 languages (See Blench, Roger (2014). An Atlas Of Nigerian Languages.Oxford: Kay Williamson Educational Foundation), making Nigeria third in the world for countries with the most number of languages, according to this review.
Oops! But how can I learn to speak all of that??
Source: robglo.com
Actually, there's no need to learn all. In my country, if you can learn any of Hausa, Igbo and/or Yoruba in addition to your natural language, you are a go, for those are the three major languages in Nigeria and are widely spoken. But there is a fourth:
Efik/Ibibio
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Efik/Ibibio is the language spoken almost exclusively in the oil rich states of Akwa Ibom and Cross River. By the way, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States are in the Southern part of the country. They are widely known for their excellent culinary skills and extremely beautiful girls. Akwa Ibom State was created out of Cross River in 1987. Cross River once served as the nation's capital during the colonial days.
OK I get it. This is not a history class. So let's get down to business!
Today I am going to teach you some few Ibibio words and how to make fairly simple sentences in the language.
Here below are some very simple, every day English words/phrases and their Ibibio equivalents
English | Ibibio |
---|---|
Word | Iko |
Good morning | amesiere |
Go | Ká |
Come | di |
Take | bó |
See/look | Sésé |
Good | éti |
Bad | idiok |
Beautiful | ayaya(for beauty, use uyai) |
Friend | ufan |
Thank | kóm |
Thank you | sesoño or sesongo |
Sleep | daya |
Thing | mkpó |
Body | idem |
House | ufók |
Don't! | Ku |
Answer | ibóró |
Abasi | Abasi |
What | Nso |
And | ye |
Name | Enyiñ or enying |
Know | dióño or dióngó |
Book | nwed |
Human/Person | owo |
Boy/Girl/ | owoden/owowaan |
Food | ndidia |
Please | mbok |
Money | okuk |
Time | nkanika |
Cloth/dress | Ofoñ or ofong |
Love | ima |
Armed with these, let's form a few simple sentences:
English | Ibibio |
---|---|
How are you? | abadie? |
Brown is a good boy | Brown ado(is a) éti(good) owoden(boy) |
My name is Williams | Enyiñ mmi(my name) ado(is) Williams or Enyiñ mmi akere Williams |
Please do you have food? | Mbok(please) amenie(do you have) ndidia(food)? |
Please do you have money | mbok amenie okuk? |
Come here | di(come) mi(here) |
Please what is the time? | mbok(please) nsido(what is) nkanika(time)? or simply,_ifañ(how much) imia(is the time)? |
That person knows book | owo odo(that person) adiongo(knows) nwed(book) |
God is good | Abasi(God) of on(is good) |
Her cloth is beautiful | ofoñ omo(her cloth) ayaya(is beautiful) |
The food is not good | ndidia ado(the food) ifonno(is not good) or ndidia ado adiok(is bad) |
Don't go to that house | Ku(don't) ká(go) ufok ado(that house) |
Take this money | bo(take) okuk ami(this money) |
Dora is my friend | Dora ado(is) ufan mmi(my friend) |
ALL VERY SIMPLE, RIGHT?
Now guess a possible English translation of the following sentences:
• Enying mmi ado John.
• Michael adiongo Abasi.
• Ku boro owo iko.
• Mbok sese ofon ami.
• Kóm Esther ufan mmi.
What?
LANGUAGE HACK!😵
It's possible..!!
That's a nice one
Well...at least i know the first one means..
My name is John
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