Social grammar in Igbo phrasebook
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Greeting others
Using special greetings when addressing elders of the society and those generally significantly older than you is expected in Igbo society. In smaller communities such as villages, it is also expected of non-elders to greet every elder whenever you first see them in a day. Here are some of the greetings used between different levels of the society.
Formal
- kedu (kay-DOO)�
- the most common formal greeting equivalent to 'hello'
- ndéewo (in-DAY-woah)�
- A formal greeting that can be used to greet anyone
- ma-mma (MAHM-MA)�
- this is the most common polite term when addressing an elder or important person in society, this is used alongside the persons name and an honorific
- nnọọ (in-NOORE)�
- a greeting mostly used in the northern part of Igboland
Informal
- nda (in-DAH)�
- can be an equivalent of 'what's up'
- ani (AH-NEE)�
- more direct, used only by friends, insulting if used on someone older than the greeter
- olea (aw-LEE-yah)�
- more direct, mostly from a friend to a friend
- ogini kwanu/gini mere (AW-gee-nee KU-wa-NOO/GEE-nee meh-reh)�
- very direct and informal, literally 'what's happening'.
Group
There are greetings usually made to a group of people which can also be used to boost morale.
- Kwenu (QUAY-noo)�
- The most common group greeting, used only by males.
- Daalu nu (DAH-LOO noo)�
- Meaning literally 'thank you all', this can be used by anybody.
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In Igbo society there are different ways of addressing people depending on their status in society. In order to show good manners and politeness, Igbo speakers are expected to use honorifics to address those that are significantly older than them (usually those old enough to be an uncle or grandparent, sure enough 'uncle' is sometimes used as an honorific). Here are some of the basic honorifics used in Igbo society.
mazi- (MAH-ZEE)�
The most basic honorific for males, about equivalent to Mister. Mazi Ibekwe: Mister Ibekwe
da- (DAH)
The most basic honorific for females, about equivalent to Misses, Miss, and most similar to madam or ma'am. Da Mgbechi: Madam Mgbechi
de-de- (DEH-deh)�
Another honorific for males, usually used in an informal setting, may be seen as the male equivalent of 'da', it has no equivalent in English, but is similar to saying 'big brother'. It is usually shortened to 'de'.
ichie- (EE-CHEE-YEAH)�
literally elder, used to address male elders.
nzè- (IN-zay)�
a noble title for males found in the northern parts of Igboland.
lọlọ- (LOH-LOH)�
can be interpreted as 'dane' or 'dutchess', a title given to the wife of a titled man.
For those younger than yourself, they can be called by their gender, 'nwoke' male or 'nwanyi' female, or by 'nwa' (WAHN) meaning child. This form of address can be patronizing.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Igbo phrasebook
