Izon language
| Izon | |
|---|---|
| Ịzọn | |
| Native to | Nigeria |
| Region | Bayelsa, Delta, Ondo, and Ekiti States |
Native speakers | unknown (1 million cited 1989)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 |
ijc |
| Glottolog |
izon1238[2] |
Izon (Ịzọn), also known as (Central–Western) Ijo, Ijaw, Izo, and Uzo, is the dominant Ijaw language, spoken by a majority of the Ijaw people of Nigeria.
There are over two dozen dialects, all mutually intelligible, of which the most important are Gbanran, Ekpetiama and Kolokuma. Kolokuma is the language of education.
In June 2013, the Izon Fie instructional book and audio CDs were launched at a ceremony attended by officials of the Government of Bayelsa State.[3]
See also
- Eastern Apoi tribe and Western Apoi tribe
- Arogbo tribe
- Bassan tribe
- Boma tribe
- Egbema tribe
- Ekpetiama tribe
- Furupagha tribe
- Gbaran tribe
- Iduwini tribe
- Kabo tribe
- Kolokuma tribe
- Kumbo tribe
- Mein tribe
- Ogbe tribe
Bibliography
- ↑ Izon at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
- ↑ Nordhoff, Sebastian; Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2013). "Izon". Glottolog. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
- ↑ Garba, Kabir Alabi (2013-06-08). "Izon Fie… Popularising An Indigenous Tongue". The Guardian Nigeria. Retrieved 2013-06-15.
- Williamson, Kay, and A. O. Timitimi (edd.). 1983. Short Ịzọn–English dictionary. (Delta Series No. 3) Port Harcourt: University of Port Harcourt Press.
- Williamson, Kay. 1965 (2nd ed. 1969). A grammar of the Kolokuma dialect of Ịjọ. (West African Language Monographs, 2.) London: C.U.P.
- Williamson, Kay. 1975. Metre in Ịzọn funeral dirges. Ọ̀dụ̀má 2:2.21–33.
- Williamson, Kay. 1991. "The tense system of Ịzọn." In: The tense systems of Nigerian languages and English. Edited by Okon E. Essien. Afrikanistische Arbeitspapiere (AAP) 27.145–167.
- Williamson, Kay. 2004. "The language situation in the Niger Delta." Chapter 2 in: The development of Ịzọn language, edited by Martha L. Akpana, 9–13.