Introduction and Resources

This chapter discusses Igbo, a Bantu language of the Niger-Congo family group which is spoken by over twenty million people, mainly in southern Nigeria. There are many dialects of Igbo, but the Onitscha-Owerri dialect is the basis for standard Igbo. The British colonized Nigeria at the end of the 19^th century and did not leave until the middle of the 20^th century. A number of different cultural groups speak Igbo. It was during colonization that these groups united as a distinct group unified by ethnicity and language. Since there were many different cultural groups speaking Igbo in the country, there were many different dialects. It was not until the 20^th century that the current standard Igbo was developed. Over 250 languages are spoken in Nigeria; English is the official language. Two thirds of the country speaks either Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba or Fulani.