By Ozah Michael Esq.

The publication of Ukwuani-  English Dictionary by author emeritus, Francis Omili, is a landmark milestone, if one is permitted the use of that double barrel phrase, in Ukwuani literary circle. A giant step for the author, the new work can aptly be described as an enormous leap for the Ukwuani ethnic nation, nay, for the comity of languages globally. It is a chart buster.

When it is recalled that not much has been written on the Ukwuani ethnic nation, and much less on Ukwuani language, one begins to profoundly appreciate Omili’s painstaking effort at elevating Ukwuani language and literary studies to global scholarship.

Though he had authored two major preceding works – Imu Asusu Ukwuani and Iwu Onu Asusu Ukwuani: Olu Grama – which are by no means mean jobs, Omili’s recent work, Ukwuani-English Dictionary, stands him prominently out as the foremost author in Ukwuani language. This is not just because he has maintained a consistency and profligacy of literary works in Ukwuani language but also because he has produced a literary foundation that will for all times, furnish a reference point for any subsequent research into Ukwuani lingual and literary art studies. The dictionary is no doubt the foundation for literary development in any language.

Colonialism led to the imposition of a foreign language on us and the submergence of our local language by a process of language substitution which resulted in the distortion of perceptions of the value of our indigenous language which today threatens our entire culture with extinction. We will eternally remain grateful to author’s like Omili for steering us away from the slavish uncritical patronage of Western culture and tilting us towards self recognition, self appreciation and self determination to unearth our indigenous identity and assert our collective right to express, sustain and develop our God-given lingual heritage which remains our “origo” badge of identity.

Language is a common denominator for understanding and comprehension. It is only through it that one can unveil the hopes and aspirations of a people and appreciate their history, culture, poetry and songs. In his foreword to my first book, Proudly UKWUANI: A History and Culture, (p. iv), my childhood friend, Dr. Ikenna Kamalu asserted that “identity reconstruction (or construction as the case may be) has become the dominant motif in defining inter-group relations among the various groups in contemporary Nigeria. Identity reconstruction finds strong and fervent expression in the discourse of the oppressed/ minority of the world….

The oppressed group is cast in the mould of the Shakespearan Caliban, who has no language and as such, has no history and identity…. Post-colonial discourses aim at shattering the “myths of the historylessness or non-achievement” being constructed by the dominant groups to justify their continued oppression of the minority. It involves … the desire and assertion of the subordinated people to retrieve and reassert their oppressed indigenous cultural traditions and histories.” Omili’s Ukwuani-English Dictionary is a fundamental post-colonial discourse in every sense of the word aimed at proudly retrieving our Ukwuani language either from subordination or annexation by the dominant groups and placing it on a pedestal of its distinct identity for global scholarship and thereby re-assert our Ukwuaniness.

On his historical perspective on the Ukwuani nation, Omili (p.xiv) drew a clear distinction between Ukwuani as a language and ethnic nation and Ndokwa as a territorial (administrative) name. Our name and language as an indigenous ethnic nation is Ukwuani, not Ndokwa. The latter is neither synonymous with nor a supplant for the former. Ndokwa is the administrative unit created by modern government. As I observed in chapter one of my book, UKWUANI Proverbs as Treasure, (p.6), “Some people also erroneously call the language, Ndokwa which is the name by which the old Aboh Division became known in 1976 following the local government reforms.

There is no language called Ndokwa which is merely an acronymic political moniker for the two peoples, Ukwuani and Ndosumili, who inhabit the territorial boundaries of the erstwhile Aboh Division. Ukwuani language is indigenous to Ukwuani people.”

Ukwuani is a God-given name which, as I noted in Proudly UKWUANI: A History and Culture (p.3) and UKWUANI Names & Meanings (pp. vi & vii) grew “out of and with the cultural traditions of the people. The name Ukwuani is an outgrowth of our time immemorial culture and tradition attaching on us as the nomenclature by which we identify ourselves as a people to outsiders.”

In his Introduction, the author said the Ukwuani language has 40 alphabets made up of nine vowels, 19 consonants and 12 diagraphs or compound letters. Though ostensibly writers are arguably not agreed on the number of alphabets, I am of the opinion that this is a superfluous overloading of the alphabet, as some of the letters included actually have no utility and are mere embellishments whose supposed functions can be properly taken by some other alphabets. The vowel i, the consonant r and the diagraphs mm and nn are of no probative value to Ukwuani orthography.

The distinction between the sounds i and i is like that between six and half a dozen, a distinction without a difference. This is evident in the mix up in the i entries in the dictionary. The letter i can ably represent the vowel sound i as it is not uncommon to have one letter representing more than one sound. The letter r  has no place in Ukwuani orthography as the r sound is taken by the letter l. The few Ukwuani words that bear the letter r today are mere Anglicization. The fact that there are no meaningful entries in the r column of the author’s work proves this point

The diagraphs mm and nn are also superficial as they have the same sound as m and n respectively. As I pointed out in chapter one of my work, UKWUANI Proverbs as Treasure, p.8, “Some authors list R, MM and NN as part of Ukwuani alphabets. Ukwuani language does not have R, as all R  sound is taken by the letter L sound. The R sound in the words “Obiaruku” and “Ekeruche” for instance is the product of Anglicization, the original spellings being “Obialuku” and “Ekeluche.” MM and NN are also not diagraphs.

They are rather repeat of letters M and N for emphasis as is the practice in English language. Thus, we have MMA, NNA, NNE and NNUNU just as the English have IMMENSE, IMMERSE, IMMEASURABLE, INNATE, INN, INNER, ACCEPT, SUCCEED, CROSS, ISSUE etc. Authors who list these as diagraphs are not agreed on their pronunciation or on their use. Thus, some spell “deity” as NMOR while others spell it as MMOR, some spell “beauty” as MMA, others as NMA. Others still spell “matchet” as NMA or as MMA. The attempt to include R, NN and MM as Ukwuani alphabets is borne out of improper understanding and appreciation of Ukwuani orthography and undue foreign influence.”

I am of the view that Ukwuani orthography consists of 36 alphabets made up of “eight vowels (a, e, e , i, o o , u, u ), eighteen consonants (b, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, ñ, p, s, t, v, w, y, z)  and ten diagraphs (ch, gb, gh gw, kp, kw, nw, ny, sh, zh).” See UKWUANI Nursery Rhymes pp. 3 & 4. Perhaps, it is important at this juncture to draw attention to the fact that there is no word as ngozi in Ukwuani language. Rather, it is ngozhi. The zhi sound is a major distinction between Ukwuani and Igbo languages. Note ezhioku, ezhigbu, ezhi etc.

These notwithstanding the dictionary contains an amazing array of entries in alphabetical order for ease of reference. Each entry consists of the headword, phonetic transcription for ease of pronunciation, the main English translation of the headword and the part of speech to which the headword belongs. This is finally followed by the explanation of the meaning of the main word using the English language. Sample sentences in Ukwuani language are sometimes employed to illustrate usage. The author’s effort at furnishing the phonetic sound symbols of each word entry is quite commendable as it makes for easy pronunciation of Ukwuani words by first time learners of the language. The author noted, rightly, that there is no perfect synchrony or coincidence in translation or sentence construction between Ukwuani and English languages.

As a pioneer, Omili had an uphill task. A pacesetter (okwaniuzo) with an amazing blaze he has set an enduring precedent which will remain a resource material for many authors for generations to come. It is my fervent prayer that libraries will stock and properly preserve this work for posterity and that charity minded persons (nde eka ofigbo a kpo nku) will come to his financial aid to enable further research into this ever evolving book called language dictionary. Ukwuani-English Dictionary is a must read for every Ukwuani person and everyone interested in the Ukwuani language and I unequivocally and unreservedly recommend it to all.