The awaited Elementary Aro-Igbo Dictionary is now available for sale from this Christmas season.
This announcement was made by the author of the book, Professor Joseph Nwankwo.
However, in obedience to the ban on elaborate public events by Nzuko Aro over the Eze Aro ‘Ovia Uwasi’ situation, the launch earlier planned for this Christmas period has been postponed indefinitely.
The dictionary is nonetheless available for sale at Chibless bookshop, Oror, and St. Luke’s Chemist, Amikpe, at an affordable cover price of two thousand naira only.
Prof Nwankwo said interested distributors for other towns can contact him directly (+234-706-267-7888).
He also assured that the Elementary Aro-Igbo Dictionary will soon be available on network outlets for the benefit of Aro Diaspora communities.
Meanwhile, Elementary Aro-Igbo Dictionary, according to Prof Nwankwo:
- Employs full spelling of words, according to normal pronunciation by resorting to double vowels where necessary.
- Full tone marking allowing facile appreciation of variations in high, flat and low tones as crucial for differentiating between word meanings in spoken Aro-Igbo.
- Due to the limitations imposed by the current Microsoft Word keyboard for a proper representation of Igbo letters, special characters from the same programme have been adopted to overcome this problem resulting in a unique but attractive system.
- Significant variations between Aro- and Central Igbo are indicated which helps to cement the peculiarities of spoken Aro Igbo in the user.
- Word entries are not only provided their meanings in English, but specific examples of Aro-Igbo sentences are employed to illustrate such uses, in many cases.
- At the end of the dictionary compilation, special sections have been added which are considered useful in re-establishing the diminishing Aro cultural heritage such as: Everyday, and special occasion greetings in Aro; Numerals in Aro-Igbo; Typical Aro names and their meanings, Ikeji Aro festival, etc.
- An index of English equivalents of Aro-Igbo word entries is provided at the end to facilitate identification of such word meanings.
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