A Lexicostatistics Comparison of Yoruba, Igbo and Olukumi Dialects

Abstract

This is a preliminary report on an ongoing research work on Olùkùmi, a Yoruboid language enclaved by the Igbo communities in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta state of Nigeria. The paper examines Olùkùmi as it is spoken today; an amorphous language on the verge of extinction. We examine the Ugbodu and Ukwunzu varieties of Olùkùmi along with Yorùbá and Igbo languages. With their location, the effect of Igbo language and culture on the Olùkùmi language and people cannot be over-emphasized. Olùkùmi is a language struggling for survival. The paper carries out a comparative and lexico-statistical analysis of two varieties of Olùkùmi; Ugbodu and Ukwunzu with Yorùbá and Igbo, drawing data from the Ibadan Four Hundred (400) Word List of Basic Items. The data were collected from native speakers of the languages. The essence of the comparative work is to discover the similarities and differences that exist among the languages. It also made it possible to examine the level of mutual intelligibility that exists among them. We found that the two varieties examined are very different from each other. The Ugbodu variety of Olùkùmi is closer to Yorùbá while the Ukwunzu variety is closer to Igbo. The lexicostatistic analysis show higher percentage (77.61%) of cognates between Ugbodu and Yorùbá and between Ukwunzu variety and Igbo (82.1%) thereby betraying closer affinity between the two sets. The effort of the Ugbodu community in reviving the language is also examined. The language as it is spoken now is a hybrid of Yorùbá, Igbo, Igala and Esan languages.