Igbo is a tonal language. The pitch pattern of a word is part of the word. Echeruo describes Igbo as a two-tone language (High and Low) with a third feature, downstep, in which a High tone is pitched slightly lower than the High before it. Obia’s learner’s guide instead teaches three marks: high (´), low (`) and flat or mid (¯).
The classic example is akwa. Echeruo gives four words with four tone patterns: akwa “tear, cry; also funeral lament” (High-High), “cloth” (High-Low), “egg” (Low-High) and “bridge” (Low-Low).
| Tone pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
| akwa [High-High] | tear, cry; funeral lament |
| akwa [High-Low] | cloth |
| akwa [Low-High] | egg |
| akwa [Low-Low] | bridge |
Obia gives other pairs: égbé “eagle” and égbè “gun”; ényì “friend” and ényí “elephant”. Echeruo adds that afọ means “year” with one pattern and “belly” with another.
Most everyday writing leaves tones unmarked and readers resolve the meaning from context. Echeruo’s dictionary records the “default lexical tone”, that is, the tone a word has when said alone, and not every change caused by the surrounding sentence. He also warns that tone marking is not obligatory in Igbo and that there is no agreement on whether to mark all tones or only the low ones.
Sources for this article
- Echeruo 2001, introduction on tone; entry akwa
- Obia 2020, tone marks and examples, pp. 1–4