ADDRESSING THE MISWRITING OF ‘MAỌBỤ’ IN IGBO

Abstract

It needs no advertisement to know that written Igbo is now having the indiscriminate combination of words or word elements, which are treated as one word. Many words, which are supposed to stay separate, are written together in many Igbo textbooks, essays and journals. This paper is set to theoretically and grammatically look into this anomaly. The topic of study here is “Addressing the Miswriting of ‘Ma á» bụ’ in Igboâ€. The objectives of the study are: to trace the causes of the miswriting, establish the implications of the anomaly and offer solutions to remedy the situation. The method of the study is descriptive. And the study resorts to the Theory of Descriptive Grammar and the Use Theory of Meaning to guide it. The study discovers that one of the causes is the habitual carryover of the grammatical patterns of English into the Igbo language. Other causes are the inattention to the peculiar nature of the Igbo language and the negligence of grammar and its applicable theories. The researcher establishes the problems of this miswriting to be the disregard of the independence of the Igbo grammar. Again, it does not permit Igbo language pupils and students to understand an average Igbo man’s mode of understanding of the meaning of words. Through this miswriting, the writing of the Igbo language is derisively perceived to lack uniformity. From all these findings, it is obvious that the appreciation of the need for continuous research to overturn some old assumptions will help improve written Igbo. Also, according the Igbo language its peculiarity and independence from English is foreseen to help secure the intrinsic identity of the Igbo language.