Izon is a member of the Ijaw branch of the Ijoid group of Niger-Congo languages. It is spoken by about 1 million people in Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Ondo and Edo States in southern Nigeria.
Izon is consider "at risk", and Izon families tend to speak more Nigeria Pidgin-English with their children rather than Izon. Efforts are being made to preserve and revitalize it. In Bayelsa State, for example, the language is taught in primary schools, and instructional materials and other books in Izon have been produced.
Izon is also known as (Central-Western) Ijo, Ijaw, Izo or Uzo. Dialects include:
A way to write Izon with the Latin alphabet was first developed in 1912. A different alphabet for the Egbema dialect was introduced in the 1970s by Richard O Nwaufa. Another alphabet appears to be in use currently.
Download an alphabet chart for Izon (Excel)
Keni ifie maa ikiaotu tiimi. Omini keni wari ko tiimi. Bisa ikiaotu Ikpaikpai mo Ifurunfurun mo. Kenibai, baara ifie Ifurunfurun gba naki Ikpaikpai bii amee, omini kiriama din inda fiyaiama gboro-e. Ikpaikpai wo ikiaowei dii inda kia-kia-kia mo deridou ni fi pami. Eri mu zoru, duma tun sei timi miinii wai wari gho bodou. Ifurunfurun ma ereinmo se si kiriama din, buruama, kukuundukuama, apapaama, igina, tuofituoama gboro tiimii.
Once upon a time there were two friends. They lived together in a room. Those friends were Grasshopper and Ant. On a certain day, Ant told Grasshopper that they should go to the farm to plant crops. Grasshopper looked at his friend and began to laugh hysterically. He went out to play, sang songs and danced before going back home. Ant went to the farm every afternoon to clear the ground and planted yams, cocoyams, groundnuts, pepper and leaves.
Cohesion in Izon Texts (PDF). Isoun, Seth Tolumoye Ph.D. 2022.
Information about Izon | Numbers
Information about Izon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izon_language
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Изон
https://www.academia.edu/14525359/THE_EGBEMA_ORTHOGRAPHY
http://www.language-archives.org/language/ijc
https://www.facebook.com/izonlanguagemadeeasy/
Languages written with the Latin alphabet
Page created: 16.07.24. Last modified: 18.07.24
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