Some common words still used in Caribbean English[es] that come directly from the Igbo language or are influenced by it.
Unu/Wunna
โYou [plural]โ, the same in Igbo, รบnรน, wunna may be used, in Nigerian pidgin English una is used.
Soso
โOnlyโ, โsingleโ, in Igbo orthography itโs sแปsแป [saw-saw] meaning the same. [Not to be confused with English so-so, meaning average or mediocre]
De
โIsโ, โpresentlyโ / โpositioned inโ, in Igbo orthography dแป [dih], also in Nigerian pidgin as de.
Se
โsayโ, โsaidโ, also from English, Igbo sแป.
Atoo
โchewing stickโ, Igbo atแปฅ [atuh]
Bรฉkรฉ
โWhite personโ, in Igbo orthography bรจkรฉ, meaning white person but also generally western or European, used in the French Antilles including Dominica [Roseau].
Big Eye
โgreedyโ, โenviousโ, a calque of Igbo รกnyรก รบkwรบ [lit. โeye bigโ] meaning the same.
Poto poto
โmudโ, โmuddyโ, Igbo mkpแปtแป mkpแปtแป, meaning the same.
Okro
Igbo แปkrแป [aw-kraw] or แปkwแปฅru, plant known to some as โlady fingersโ.
Obeah
โshamanismโ, โwitchcraftโ, in Igbo orthography แปbia [aw-bia] meaning โoracleโ or โdoctoringโ, practitioners in Igbo are known as dibia [di แปbia].
Possibilities:
Awoh
An exclamation, in Igbo itโs ewo and usually used in the same context. Ex: Ihe แป dere ebe a hikwara nne, ewo! [This list is quite long, ewo!]
Ah
[particle] โisโ, โwillโ, in Igbo orthography รก [alternating tone], gรก in Igbo is โgoโ in the example: โto goโ, CE: ah go; Igbo: a ga. / โis he going?โ, Caribbean English (CE): him ah go? Igbo: แป na ร ga?.
Nah
โwill notโ, in Igbo nร is โisโ, ร at the end makes it negative, together itโs na with a long โaโ, same meaning. Example: โIโm not goingโ CE: Me nah go; Igbo: A naโm a ga.
Go
โgoing toโ,ย โwillโ, Igbo โgaโ, Example: โhe will comeโ CE: him ah go come; Igbo: แป ga a bia [which is word for word if you switch around the โahโ and โgoโ].
Repost from Ukpuru
Source: Holloway, Joseph E. (2005). Africanisms in American culture; Cassidy, Frederic Gomes; Page, Robert Brock Le (2002). A Dictionary of Jamaican English; McWhorter, John H. (2000). The Missing Spanish Creoles: Recovering the Birth of Plantation Contact Languages; Menz, Jessica (2008). London Jamaican-Jamaican Creole in London.
