Customer Reviews

Igbo-English English-Igbo Dictionary and Phrasebook (Hippocrene Dictionary & Phrasebook)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a welcome addition to a very scanty body of work about the Igbo language. The grammar and pronunciation are very well explained, there are good illustrative examples, and the phrasebook is extensive and useful. There is also interesting material about the Igbo history and culture.

However, the included dictionary gives no guidance about the tones used in pronouncing the words it defines. Words are NOT marked for tone in the dictionary. Since tone is phonemic in Igbo (as in Chinese, for instance) this is a very serious limitation and it prevents the reader from building up a vocabulary by browsing the dictionary and plugging new words into sentences introduced in the phrasebook and grammar sections. If there was a lot of other material available for learning Igbo one wouldn't need to use the dictionary this way, but there really isn't.

Hopefully in a future edition the authors will rectify this sin of omission.

I am 50% Nigerian Igbo, and was born in Imo State. I grew up in America, and had lost my native language. This book has helped me regain the language I thought was gone forever. I think everyone interested in the Igbo Language should read it.

This is an great book. It gives a good introduction to the history and language of the Igbo people and is a dual phrassebook and dictionary. The tones and dots are shown clearly and distinguishes between different pronunciations. (please ignore the review at the bottom; it's probably an old edition that doesn't have the tone markings) However, the vocabulary doesn't seem to be complete, as there are some figurative, modern, and colloquial terms that aren't given. For example, the book says "mgbada" means "deer", but "mgbada" may also mean "victim". Some other words are also not given. Overall, this is a great book that is affordable and suitable for both native and foreign speakers. A great buy.

This Igbo-English Dictionary is the best resource I have so far, besides my mom. It really helps, you can go look up words or simply use the back, which shows you how to say tiny phrases such as "Help me" "I'm hungry" "I'm Hot". The back also gives the consumer some cultural insight and history.

My only problem with it, is that verbs are not displayed as either i-dot or i-dotless.verbs should be explained in more detail if you are going to do a section on them in the front, and most dishearting of all is that the top page markers are wrong. on some pages you will find the bolded word in the middle instead of at the end.

However all things considered this is a great assest for anyone wanting to learn Igbo.

Having been to Nigeria and having stayed among the Igbo, Though most of them know English I greatly desired to express to them my gratitude for their hospitality. To converse with someone in their own tongue shows them just how much you care. Also 25% of all African Americans as well as some Haitians and Jamaicans are of Igbo descent and it is a good way for some one such as this to begin to get back in touch with their roots and heritage. It is wonderful to know that with a pocket-sized product such as this the language will not die. It is thorough, yet concise with all the basics you need to know in order to converse in Igbo and move around confidently in Igboland. It also has a nice brief history on the Igbo as well as their customs and culture. I plan on going back to Nigeria in the near future and this product will always be very close at hand.

This is a very useful book. I'm looking to learn something new and, lo and behold, I find this. It's very useful.

While this dictionary was some help, I guess what I really needed was a resource where I could look up phrases. I can see how it would be helpful to people traveling, but not so much for a literature teacher teaching a book with Igbo words in it.

My folks are from Anambra State...Awka to be exact. This reference is just okay. The lack of accurate/efficient Igbo language learning tools is frustrating. None of my home dialect is really reflected in this dictionary...nor are many others. It's nice to look through, however, you won't be teaching your children or yourself much in the way of meaningful conversation.

This dictionary is a great resource and will help formulate my sentences when speaking Igbo.

This dictionary is great if you want a little pocket size Igbo dictionary. I like the fact that it has a very handy and useful phrasebook in the back. This would be very useful for anyone that is traveling to Igboland. The dictionary is not a complete dictionary and does not have all Igbo and English words. Nevertheless it is great. I would recommend it.