Standard Ịzọn Orthography
Keywords:
Standard orthography, Ịzọn language, language development, documentation, standardizationAbstract
Languages are primarily spoken and produced as sound but are usually reduced to written symbols based on conventionally accepted orthographies. This is an indicator of the level of development of a language. Orthographies are important because they enhance and facilitate the discrete representation of sound and meaning in readable symbols. Indeed, research has shown that there exists a positive relationship between language orthographies and acquisition, development and enhancement of literacy. Ịzọn language spoken by the central Ịzọn people of the Nigerian coastline from Bayelsa State in the east to Ondo State in the west has not had a standard orthography that would facilitate the proper documentation of the language primarily due to conflicting dialectal interests. This short research paper addresses the issue of a harmonized or unified Ịzọn orthography that would be applicable to and incorporate all the dialects. The study reveals that all the numerous dialects have a common orthography and recommend a thirty-one (31) letter alphabet that can be used as Standard Ịzọn Orthography.
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*†The Stakeholders Meeting was convened by NT ENYIA, PhD, Consultant, Bayelsa Languages Development Project in collaboration with the Institute of Niger Delta Studies, Niger Delta University
