What do you think?
Rate this book
A Grammar of Contemporary Igbo. Constituents, Features and Processes
In twenty-five chapters this book covers phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics. The chapters are organized in four discrete phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics. They are uneven in terms of scope covered, length, the density of their contents and their degrees of difficulty. Each chapter ends with 'Some References' relevant to both the topic(s) treated in the chapter, in Igbo linguistics, and in general linguistics.
674 pages, Paperback
Published December 14, 2015
1 person is currently reading
9 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 25, 2024
This book piqued my interest because it covered topics I'd heard in discussions before but were never fleshed out due to a lack of interest and/or further research, serving just to be favourite myths passed around during downtime. These myths were things like ‘Igbo is an incomplete language’ and ‘Igbo is just a dialect in Nigeria’. Such things diminish the history and importance of the language, regardless of whether it’s Igbo or Ngombale. I knew it was incorrect based on logic, but I didn't have access to the information to prove otherwise. Finally, the book has given me a frame of reference which I can act upon and refer back to.
'A Grammar of Contemporary Igbo' is an excellent frame of reference that one can refer back to depending on which points they wish to expand on. Emenanjo has laid out the structure of the Igbo language, delving into its constituents, features, and linguistic processes. He provides comparisons to other languages, such as Obolo (page 495) and Yoruba (page 498), especially when explaining the relation between verbs and objects. I enjoyed the Yoruba examples given (I’m very vaguely familiar with Yoruba) ‘O ra keke’ (he bought a bicycle) and it made me realise that the vehicle commonly seen in Nigeria called the kekenapepe which looks like the tuk tuk used in Thailand (a tricycle type of vehicle with an engine) has roots in the word bicycle (keke).
I think all linguistical aspects of Igbo were explained well and I like the literal breakdown of sample sentences with the semantic meaning given. I took notes on that to use with my further studies.
The structure of the book is excellent, with a clear writing style, well-chosen font type and size, and diagrams that help readers grasp the application of Igbo grammar. The book is divided into 25 chapters to which each chapter deals with an aspect of grammar. At the end of each chapter there’s a reference section that has the list of all resources used. A sentence that stood out to me was: Tones are one of the principal means to mutual intelligibility across Igbo dialects (Q.Armstrong 1967: 4-5). For instance, chapter 21 ‘Mood and Modality’ which expounds on said elements in the Igbo language has references that one can read up on such as P.E Ejele’s ‘The Semantics of Negation’ (1995) and Noam Chomsky’s ‘Syntactic Structures’ (1957).
The sources cited are vast and allow for further exploration into Igbo linguistics. Emenanjo has really gone all out to lay the skeleton of the Igbo language out linguistically, fully justifying its completeness as a language. The book also speaks to terms I've heard used by speakers of European languages who seek to reduce the relevance of African languages based on linguistic politics, instead of looking at each language with the same lens afforded to others.
I would highly recommend this book to those who wish to delve into Igbo from a linguistical standpoint. Whether you are a linguist, language enthusiast, or someone interested in African languages, this book offers a robust foundation for understanding Igbo. I would caution newbies to linguistics that the book is written for one who has a reasonable understanding of linguistics. Total beginners would very likely be overwhelmed by the writing style. The book was written for a particular purpose. With that being said, provided that one has familiarity, both language instructors and scholars would find this book very useful.
Overall, A Grammar of Contemporary Igbo serves as a critical resource for anyone looking to study Igbo linguistics in depth. It definitely left a lasting impression on me and I will look up the sources cited going forward for further reading. Emenanjo's work is a thorough examination of the language's structure, supported by substantial comparative analysis, making it an indispensable reference.
'A Grammar of Contemporary Igbo' is an excellent frame of reference that one can refer back to depending on which points they wish to expand on. Emenanjo has laid out the structure of the Igbo language, delving into its constituents, features, and linguistic processes. He provides comparisons to other languages, such as Obolo (page 495) and Yoruba (page 498), especially when explaining the relation between verbs and objects. I enjoyed the Yoruba examples given (I’m very vaguely familiar with Yoruba) ‘O ra keke’ (he bought a bicycle) and it made me realise that the vehicle commonly seen in Nigeria called the kekenapepe which looks like the tuk tuk used in Thailand (a tricycle type of vehicle with an engine) has roots in the word bicycle (keke).
I think all linguistical aspects of Igbo were explained well and I like the literal breakdown of sample sentences with the semantic meaning given. I took notes on that to use with my further studies.
The structure of the book is excellent, with a clear writing style, well-chosen font type and size, and diagrams that help readers grasp the application of Igbo grammar. The book is divided into 25 chapters to which each chapter deals with an aspect of grammar. At the end of each chapter there’s a reference section that has the list of all resources used. A sentence that stood out to me was: Tones are one of the principal means to mutual intelligibility across Igbo dialects (Q.Armstrong 1967: 4-5). For instance, chapter 21 ‘Mood and Modality’ which expounds on said elements in the Igbo language has references that one can read up on such as P.E Ejele’s ‘The Semantics of Negation’ (1995) and Noam Chomsky’s ‘Syntactic Structures’ (1957).
The sources cited are vast and allow for further exploration into Igbo linguistics. Emenanjo has really gone all out to lay the skeleton of the Igbo language out linguistically, fully justifying its completeness as a language. The book also speaks to terms I've heard used by speakers of European languages who seek to reduce the relevance of African languages based on linguistic politics, instead of looking at each language with the same lens afforded to others.
I would highly recommend this book to those who wish to delve into Igbo from a linguistical standpoint. Whether you are a linguist, language enthusiast, or someone interested in African languages, this book offers a robust foundation for understanding Igbo. I would caution newbies to linguistics that the book is written for one who has a reasonable understanding of linguistics. Total beginners would very likely be overwhelmed by the writing style. The book was written for a particular purpose. With that being said, provided that one has familiarity, both language instructors and scholars would find this book very useful.
Overall, A Grammar of Contemporary Igbo serves as a critical resource for anyone looking to study Igbo linguistics in depth. It definitely left a lasting impression on me and I will look up the sources cited going forward for further reading. Emenanjo's work is a thorough examination of the language's structure, supported by substantial comparative analysis, making it an indispensable reference.
Displaying 1 of 1 review