User:Ota Ogie

Ota Ogie.Ph.D is affiliated with the Department of Language and Communication Studies.NTNU E-mail: otao2001@yahoo.com

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Ọ́bókhiàn.

Òtà Ògiè ọ̀ré ènì mwẹ́n. Òtà ọ̀ré érhá mwẹ́n vbé íyé mwẹ́n hé mwẹ́n rè. Ògiè ọ̀ré ènì ẹ̀gbẹ́ érhámwẹ̀n. Èhàníré ọ̀ré ènì ẹ̀gbẹ́ ọ̀ghé íyé mwẹ́n.Vbè èvbó mwẹ́n ìmà yàyí wèé ọ̀mwán ghá khín ọ́màí ọ̀ré ọ̀mwán ná hẹ̀wẹ́. Dè bàá ọ̀ní á ghà wìnná vbè ówiẹ́ á ghí dòó hẹ̀wé vbè òtà (àkòtà). Érhá mwẹ̀n tàmàá mwẹ́n íghé èmwín hiá wá dúnnà nè írẹ̀n vbè ẹ̀ghẹ̀ nè à ná biẹ́ mwẹ́n óní ọ́ zẹ̀ẹ́rè nè ìrẹ̀n ná hé mwẹ́n Òtà. Ọ̀ tàmàá mwẹ́n ìghé ègbé wá fú írẹ̀n rré.

Welcome. My name is Ota Ogie. My first name is Ota and my surname is Ogie. My father comes from the Ogieirhiaxi family while my mother comes from the Ehanire family. In my town, we believe that the name given to a child plays a part in the child’s destiny.. The name Ota means 'evening'. It is believed that the best part of ones life is when one is old. Also people work during the day and rest in the evening. My father told me that the reason he named me Ota even though he was only 30 years old when I was born was that he felt at peace and was satisfied with all he had achieved as at the time I was born. My father`s famlily name ogieirhiaxi means the king never takes revenge on his subjects. He always forgives. My maternal grandfather the late Chief Ehanire(the Obaraye of Benin) told me that the name Ehanire is derived from i hanno rre meaning I select pleasure, that is, before coming into the world the child asks for all the good things of life from God.

Ẹ̀dó à ná biẹ́ mwẹ́n.Àvbé èbó ní ká gbẹ́n ẹ̀dó yè òtọ̀ tiè ìmà Bíní sòkpán ìvbíẹ̀dó tiè ègbé íràn Ẹ̀dó. Ẹ̀dó ọ́ ré èkápítá ọ̀ghé Ẹ̀dó state vbè Nigeria. Èstètí Ene ei rrọ vbe iyi-eva ọ̀ré ọ́ rré Nigeria. Nigeria rre West Africa. Ètẹ́n ìhínrọ́n ọ̀ré í mwẹ́n. Ìmẹ̀ ọ̀ré ọ̀mọ́ úkpógièné. Érhá mwẹ́n Èvbìnmá Ògiè yé rré àgbọ̀n sòkpán íyé mwẹ́n Ruth Adidi Èhàníré Ògiè wúrù vbè 2003. Èrhá mwẹ́n ọ̀ré ùsún èmwàn nè ọ̀ suẹ́nrẹ̀n Èdó language department vbè esuku nè à ghà!á tié department of African languages vbè University of Lagos vbè èstétì nè à tié Lagos state vbè Nigeria.

I was born in Benin City, Edo Nigeria.Èdó is spoken by about a million and a half people (1991 census) in Mid-Western Nigeria. It belongs to the Edoid group of the Benue-Congo subfamily of the Volta-Congo family (see Ethnologue classification). Èdó appears in the literature under three different labels. These are: Benin, Èdó and Bini. In early European literature, the language is often referred to as Bini , while Thomas refers to it as Èdó. These labelling differences are explained by the fact that the language is spoken in the region formally known as the Benin empire which had its capital in the city Èdó. The Edo people find the term Bini offensive and prefer both the language and the people to be called Èdó . Nigeria has 36 states and lies in West Africa. I have 7 brothers and sisters. I am the 4th child. My father Evbinma Ogie is alive while my mother Ruth Adidi Ehanire Ogie died in 2003. My father was one of the founding members of Edo language study in the department of African languages. University of Lagos, Nigeria.

Èmwán nè ì rré Nigeria zẹ̀ ẹ̀vbó níbún. Èmwán nè ì zẹ̀ èháúsà kèvbé ìyórúbá kèvbé ìgbó ọ̀ré ọ́ bún sẹ́.Àvbé èlínguístí kà èmwán nè í zẹ́ ẹ̀dó bàá èvbó ìgbé nè ọ́ díbàá sèé vbè Nigeria. Àrriọ̀bá Nigeria wẹ̀ẹ́ nè èmọ́ hiá wọ̀ọ́ ọ̀kpá vbè ẹ̀vbó èhá ná vbè èsúkú dèbàá ẹ̀vbó íyé íràn sọ̀kpán ẹ̀vbó níbún vbè rrọ̀ nè à mà ré yé gbẹ́n yé òtọ́. Ọ̀ kpẹ́rè nè à ké gbẹ̀n Ẹ̀dó yè òtọ́. Anthropologisti nè à tiè Northcote W. Thomas ọ̀ rré ùsún èmwán nè Ọ̀ ká gbẹ́n ẹ́dó yè òtọ́ vbè 1910. Àvbé èmísiònárí vbé yé ẹ̀dó gbẹ́n èbìábò yè òtọ́.Èbó nè ọ́ ké Eportugal rré Ruy de Sequeira vbé òdédé 1472 rré ùsún àvbé èbó nè ọ́ ká sé Ẹ̀dó. Àvbé eportuguesi ọ̀ré ọ́ suẹ́n èsọ́sí èkátólíkì vbé òdédé 1515-1516. Èbó nè à tiè Windham nè ọ́ ké United Kingdom rrè, rré vbé òdédé 1553 (Egharevba 1934).Òvbí ẹ̀dó nè ọ̀ ká wà gbẹ́n èbé ẹ̀dó ọ̀ré J.U. Egharevba (1933), Erkerhe vbe Itan Ẹdo. Ẹ̀vbó ọ̀mwá nè á zẹ́ ọ̀ré ọ́ tàmàá àgbònhiá èkè nè à ké rré. Ẹ̀dó wẹ̀ẹ́ té á má zé èvbó ọ̀mwá té á wìírì. Èbó ọ̀ré á yá má èmwán èmwín vbè èsùkú kèvbé ọ̀ré ọ̀ rè èvbó nè à zẹ́ vbè ísí ìwìnnà. Rhúnmwúndá ọ̀ní èmọ́ níbún í sétín zẹ́ ẹ̀vbó íràn.

Nigeria is a populous nation with over 131 million people . There are over 300 languages spoken in Nigeria and many do not have a writing system. Of these, the three largest language groups consist of the Hausa (northern Nigeria), Yoruba (western Nigeria) and Igbo (eastern Nigeria) people. These languages have the status of national languages and are the languages of integration. The national language policy states that children should be taught their mother tongue in the primary schools and one of the three national languages as compulsory languages up to junior secondary school.However, due to the fact that many of these languages have no writing systems,the former National Language Center(current Language Development Center (LDC)), suggested a review of the policy in 1976 stating that in addition to the three national languages, 9 (Edo included) other languages should be taught in the primary schools . A modification that gave rise to debates about language policies, cultures and identity. Edo is classified by linguists as one of the 9 major languages in Nigeria. The first scientific study of Edo was carried out by an anthropologist Northcote W. Thomas in 1910 followed by many others. Missionaries have also documented the language through the writing of the bible in Edo. Ruy de Sequiera is one of the first Europeans from Portugal to visit Benin City around 1472. The Portuguese established the catholic mission in Benin around 1515-1516. In about 1553, Windham from the United Kingdom visited Benin city.The first school called Government school was built in 1901 .The first in-depth comprehensive Edo work written by a native speaker was by J.U. Egharevba Erkerhe . Nigerians believe that language is a tool that serves to identify the individual. Thus the Edos have a saying á má zé èvbó òmwá té á wìírì meaning the people who do not speak their language are a lost people. English is the official language and the language used in educational teaching and is therefore seen as the language of prestige. Due to this fact a trend is developing in the southern part of Nigeria were children cannot speak their mother tongue giving urgency to the need to document these languages within a system like that provided by the typecraft In-depth annotation of multi-verb constructions in Èdó.

Àvbé èná hiá ọ̀ré ọ́ zẹ́ nè ì nà tié Ẹ̀dó Linguistics vbè euniversiti nè à tiè University of Benin kèvbé èmasters vbè euniversiti nè à tiè University of Ilorin vbè Nigeria. Ì vbé tié èbé nè à tiè Masters in Business Administration dèbàá ọ̀ré. Ì ghí tié èbé fòó nẹ̀ ì nà suẹ́n íwínnà ètísà vbé òwá èbé nè ọ́ yó nè à tiè University of Benin vbé Nigeria. Èvbá nìí ọ̀ré ì ná wìnná ì ké dòó ghá rhié ẹ̀vbó nè à tiè Norway nè ì dòó tie ePhDi vbè òwá èbé nè ọ́ yó nè à tiè Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Eprofessor Lars Hellan à tiè ètísà nè ọ̀ tiè èbé nè ì gbẹ́n.

These are some of the reasons I decided to study B.A. linguistics at the University of Benin Nigeria and M.A. linguistics at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria. In addition, I studied for a Masters in Business administration at the University of Benin, Nigeria. I worked as a Lecturer at the University of Benin, Nigeria until I came to Norway where I obtained my Ph.D degree in Language and Linguistics at NTNU . I was supervised by Professor Lars Hellan and the title of my dissertation is Multi-verb constructions in Edo. Selected publications and current research can be downloaded from the following websiteOtaogie.weebly.com.

Alfabelti nè ì yà gbẹ́n nà, vbè 1974 ọ̀ré àvbé èlínguístí ná kòkó zẹ́ írò ìghé èrhiọ́ ìmà khián yàá gbẹ́n Ẹ̀dó. Agheyisi 1986 vbé fí èmwín èsó wèrriẹ́.

The alphabet I have used in writing Edo is the one recommended by the 1974 Edo language committee and modified by Agheyisi 1986a.

Ù rúẹ̀sé. Òtà rué ghá má ísẹ̀.

Thank you. May your evening be good. Amen.