
05/06/2025
How many of you know that the Izzi dialect is actually one of the original and purest forms of the Igbo language? The so-called “Central Igbo” we speak today was influenced heavily by the British during colonial times. When they tried to learn and speak our dialects, they couldn’t pronounce many words properly, so they used their own versions, and over time, our people adopted those mispronunciations as standard.
Take for example “Danu ge ime?” in Izzi, this means “How are you?” But the British couldn’t pronounce “Danu” properly, so they said “Kedu” “ka ime?” and that version spread.
I personally feel that colonialism didn’t just affect our politics and economy, it also touched our tongue, our identity, and the way we now see ourselves. Izzi, like many other core dialects, carries the ancient tone and structure of the Igbo language, before it was diluted.
This is why I don’t joke with our dialects I never see it as as inferior. It’s not the broken version of Igbo, it’s the roots.