Look up Igala in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Igala is a Yoruboid language, spoken by the Igala ethnic group of Nigeria. In 1989 an estimated 800,000 spoke Igala, primarily in Kogi State, though current estimates place the number of Igala speakers at upwards of 1.6 million. Dialects include Ibaji, Idah, Dekina, Ogugu, Ankpa, Ebu, and the Olumbanasaa group (Anambra West); it is believed that these languages share some similarities with the Yoruba and Itsekiri tribe.^[2]

Igala, living on the left bank of the Niger River below its junction with the Benue River. Their language belongs to the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo family. Their ruler, the Àtá, traditionally also governed two other groups, the Bassa Nge and the Bass Nkome, who live between the Igala and the Benue River.^[3]

Phonology

Igala's phonology is as follows:^[4]

Alphabet

The Igala alphabet has a total of thirty-one (31) letters, composed as follows:^[5][6]

a b ch d e ẹ

f g gb gw h i

j k kp kw l m

n ny ñm ñw o ọ

p ñ r t u w

Vowels

The Ígálá language has seven vowels: “a,” “e,” “ẹ,” “i,” “o,” “ọ,” “u”.^[7] The tones that represent this “rise, fall or neutral” movement of the voice are differently represented by tone marks (or accent marks) discussed below. Five tones have been identified as characterizing the Igala speech, namely:

1. The High Tone, represented with an acute accent mark: a short stroke tilting upwards to the right (´).
2. The Mid Tone, indicated by a blank space on top of a vowel in a word.
3. The Mid-High Tone, which is an infrequent tone, occurs between the High and the Mid tone and is recognized through a macron (¯), a horizontal stroke.
4. The Low tone, as its name indicates, is a low or grave, subdued tone and is recognized by a grave accent mark: a short stroke tilting downwards to the left (`).
5. The fifth tone, which is usually found in negative statements, is called the Extra-High Tone and is indicated by a dot on letter ‘ṅ.’^{[8] [9]}

Homographs

1. The word spelt, agba, depending on the tones used to pronounce it, may have four different meanings, namely:
   1. agba (casual greeting); pronounced with static, sustained Mid or Neutral tone – / ̩a ̩gba/
   2. àgbá (hand-cuffs); pronounced with Low-High tone combination / ̩à ‘gbá /
   3. àgbà (chin); pronounced with Low tone replicated – / ̩à ̩gbà /
   4. ágbá (Balsam tree); pronounced with the High tone duplicated – / á gbá / –
2. The bi-syllabic noun spelt, iga can generate three other words pronounced differently each having its distinct meaning as follows:
   1. ìga (Weaver bird); pronounced with Low-Mid tones – / ̩ ì ‘ga / – and a secondary-primary stress pattern.
   2. ìgà (net); pronounced with the Low tone duplicated – / ̩ ì ̩ gà / – and a secondary-secondary stress pattern.
   3. ìgá (estate); pronounced with the Low-High tone combination – / ̩ ì ‘gá / – and a secondary-primary stress pattern.^[10]