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Synopsis: The purpose of this document is differentiate between a sound variant and a lexical variant. Essentially, what this means is what is a “regional sound change” vs. “a completely different word in Igbo”.

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Preface

The concepts detailed here come from *Igbo dialects and the citation-form: the possibility of a standard Igbo dictionary i*ntroduced by Uche Mmụọnagọ. This guide will help effectively include many Igbo dialects as well as make the dictionary pan-acceptable and accessible for all users.

Multi-dialectal Dictionary

Nkọwa okwu is a multi-dialectal dictionary to showcase the wide variety of Igbo words to preserve the entire language.

Main question: Which dialect should be chosen as the dialect for headwords within the dictionary?

Best Answer: Standard Igbo

Why?: Using any other dialect as the dialect for headwords create room for negative sentiments from the Igbo community of other dialects that weren’t chosen as headwords. It’s important to note that Standard Igbo makes for the best option among all dialects:

• It’s a fusion/melting-point of other dialects
• It’s the only dialect that incorporates a metalanguage
• It’s widely used (in media, advertisement, social media, etc.)

Two Major Issues Facing the Dictionary

There are two main issues that currently facing the Nkọwa okwu dictionary due to the support of multiple dialects. This section will explore both these issues and provide recommended solutions on how to address these issues.

1. Sound Variations

Example:

ashu, ehu, ahu, esu, aru, eshu, uhu.

These are words that use a sound pattern, but should also be dialectal variations

Question: Which of these variants should be the headword and which as dialectal variations?

• Answer: The headword should follow Standard Igbo instead of an alternative dialectal