May 2016

Ibeme as a dialect of Igbo: A lexicostatistic analysis

Ibeme is a variety of Igbo spoken in Ibeme clan comprising four vast autonomous communities namely Ibeme, Abala, Oberete-Isiala and Abala-Nkamiri in Obi-Ngwa Local Government Area, Abia State. Previous studies have classified Ibeme as a patois of Ngwa dialect and it is often glossed over with Ngwa. This study attempts to show that Ibeme is a distinct dialect. Lexicostatistics method using Swadesh wordlist comprising 100...

Author(s): Chimaobi Onwukwe, Roseline Ihuoma Ndimele and Onukawa Edith Ngozi