By Chukwuma Ajakah

In his new book on the language of the Lelna people of Northwestern Nigeria, prolific writer and historian, Prince Bawa Amos reveals the multidimensional nature of language as the live wire of every society.

The book titled, “Origin of C’Lela: Language of the Lelna Zuru People of Northwestern Nigeria” is a non-fictional narrative that depicts the language of the people of Lelna from diverse perspectives.

As unveiled in its 15 chapters, the book reflects the interconnectedness between a people and their language in relation to socio-cultural worldview.

From its rather broad title, the author provides a glimpse into the rich content of the book and guides the reader to explore the following subtitles: Geography of Zuru, Introducing the C’Lela Shrub, Historical Background of the C’Lela Shrub, Naming of the C’Lela Shrub, The Etymological Development of C’Lela as a Language, The Family Tree of Lelna, Evolution of Dialects of A’Lela from the Family Tree Ce-celela,

Evolution of Writing in C’Lela, Concept of Speech Sound in C’Lela Language, Phonology of C’Lela, Word Formation Processes in C’Lela Language, Offshoots of Lelna People, Etymology of the Words: Dukkawa, Yanne, and Hunne, The C’Lela Language, and the Classification of A’Lela Tribal Clans.

The book published in Nigeria by Wadmaryamu Services Enterprise (2022) addresses the urgent need to reposition C’Lela as the language of the brave people of Lelna.  The author submits that such repositioning is  necessited by the fact that the original language has been corrupted due to the emergence of pseudo languages and prejudices orchestrated by predatory external forces .

Tracing the origin of the C’Lela Language to a famed shrub named C’Lela, Amos emphasizes  the significance of the shrub (Klali) in the evolution of the language and its relevance to diverse aspects of the people’s lives.

The central theme explored within the first five chapters is the Etymological Development of C’Lela as a Language. The thematic concern is realized through the use of biblical allusion, linking the language to the great flood. The author admits that it is difficult to tell whether Lelna left Babel as speakers of C’Lela or that the language evolved naturally as a result of the experiences of their progenitors who had migrated over the years from the Middle East through parts of Northern Africa.

“One may assume that Babel was the nucleus of all languages on earth as revealed in our religious books,”  he states, explaining that “It is evident that out of the various languages of the world, new ethnic lingua-dialects have emerged over the years”  and wonders at what point the Lelna named the shrub “C’Lela” and themselves, “Lelna” while developing new lexis. “Could it be that C’Lela was one of the unique languages that evolved as the then?” He muses.

The author expressed his conversational intent in the preface thus: “This book is intended to create awareness and facilitate greater understanding between the speakers of proto C’Lela and the various ethnic groups that constitute the population of A’Lela and their neighbours.”

Chapters 6 to 10, which focus on the grammer and sound system of the language encompass such subtopics as: The Family Tree of Zuru: Ce-K’lali, Ce-lela/ C’lela How the Dialect of A’Lela Evolved, C’Lela or K’Lela as a Noun, K’lali/K’Lela as Pronoun,  Standard Orthography for C’Lela, Symbolic Writing, Basic Phonology, C’Lela Consonant Charts, Vowels, Allophones,  Noun Classes, Affixation, the Alphabet, and Matching Words with Sounds.

The family tree, graphically captured in a pictorial representation of the “Various Clans”, is ingrained in the Ce-c’lali shrub, suggesting their common identity as a people.

In chapters 11 to 15, the author treats the morphology of the C’Lela language, Syntax, and etymology of select words under the following topics: Word Formation Processes in C’Lela, Notable Towns/ Tribal Names and their Meanings, Derivatives of A’zugru, Zuru and other C’Lela words, Derivatives of Dialects of Lelna Offshoots, Derivational and Inflectional Morphemes, Lelna and Other Cluster Tribes such as Gbagi, Kembari, Adara, Kamuku, and  Dukkawa, Counting in the languages, Etymology of Dukkawa, Yanne, and Hunne, The C’Lela Language-Pronunciation and Writing, C’Lela as a Parent Language, Language or Dialect Cluster, C’Lela and Related Dialects, Accent in C’Lela, Classification of A’Lela Ethnic Groups, Genetic Classification of  Proto Lelna Family Stock, and Population of Lelna. 

Among other things, the author advocates peaceful co-existence between the people of Lelna and all other tribes, especially the offshoots of A’Lela irrespective of any existing differences.

Calling for a united front against the forces that divide the people, the author implores: “We should all look beyond linguistic and ethnic pluralism in our fight against stereotypes, stigmatization and dehumanization… We should uphold and celebrate our cultural heritage and fight against the misleading idea that “Lelna and Dukkawa are not one tribal entity”  which has denied us the right of brotherhood.”

Moreover, the author observes that selfish interests based on the falsehood that “linguistic affiliation” is a prerequisite for political and economic growth, accounts for the backwardness the people were experiencing in A’Lela.

The book further reveals that language is so intricately interwoven with socio-cultural identity that losing it would mean losing the very essence of their existence.

“Our culture and history are encapsulated in our language,” he argues, pointing out that people lose their cultural heritage, sense of belonging, and tribal identity when their language is dysfunctional.

The author admonishes his people to be proud of their language and culture, but wary of religion which some antagonists exploit to divide them, saying: “If you take religion away from your life, you are left with”self”, an aggregate of your cultural representations. Why then are you ashamed to be K’Lela?”

He warns that intruders  would pretend to accept some persons due to the religious affinity they share, but would abandon them when they face challenges.

In this extraordinary book, the K’Lela born Zuru Prince of Senchi extraction, challenges his tribesmen at home and in the diaspora to unashamedly identify with their culture, stressing that “A tribesman who pretends to be either English or Hausa has lost his cultural identity.”

Moreover, the author discusses the core groups that make up Lelna, namely: Dukkawa or the Saare, Hunne, Et-Hune, Kamberi and others with emphasis on their inseparable historical and  cultural ties.

The author’s pioneering efforts at documenting information on the origin of C’Lela as a language began with first book titled,”The Zuru People of Northwestern Nigeria” in which he links the origin of the C’Lela language to Babel, narrating how the word had evolved from the name of the shrubs, “C’lali” and “C’C’lali”.

As there are no previous documented materials to support his claims, Amos had relied on facts gleaned from oral narratives to develop the novel piece, which is cited today as a reliable source on the etymology of C’Lela words.

In Chapter 1 of his current work, the writer discusses about the population size, land mass, historical development, and the migration stories of Lelna  through various routes such as Egypt, Ethiopia, and parts of Northern Nigeria, from where some towns and states  like Katsina, and Kebbi developed.

Origin of C’Lela: Language of the Lelna Zuru People of Northwestern Nigeria covers the  graphological, phonological, grammatical, and morphological features of C’Lela Language.

The book provides insightful lessons that both Lelna and non-Lelna readers will find useful. The book will also serve as an ideal reference material to students of language, history, and political science. Except for the vernacular words which the author purposively injected into the narration, the book is written in a simple conversational language.

Explanations, pictorial illustrations, diagrams, descriptions, and a glossary are provided to help the reader navigate through difficult words.