Thursday 19 April 2012

Proverb #510


Ndị Enugu si ... Ọ n'arọafịa~arụ, Ọ fịawaa~arụ !” 

  This proverb or saying shows an example of a language construct known as parallelism. Parallelism makes use of a juxtaposition of similar, opposing or just curious ideas, for show and emphasis.

See parallelism defined here. This type of language device is shared by a lot of languages, English, old Hebrew, are a few examples. In fact our language - is replete with instances  of  parallelism.

This is one comparison which scholars have made with old languages and some cite it  in evidence suggesting kinship with Hebrew or Hebrews, also called Habịru (or Habụibo?).  As for evidence of Igbo language parallelism being discussed in this specific connection and context.  See 1


This particular piece of Igbo rhetoric is beautiful not just for the sense it contains and denotes but for the poetic way in which the phrase itself rolls off the tongue and strikes the ears. It means 'It usually isn't hard for it to suddenly become hard' and it is a truly beautiful construct and yep ! it is a proverb.

 Murphy's Law anyone? 


Editorial.



Proverb Contributed by  Kelechi Isiodu, Umunjam, Mbieri.
for iFaT at ifont@groups.facebook.com
e-Mail: ifont.groups.facebook@gmail.com
© ifont 2011, as it appears here.






1  See A book written by Major Arthur G. Leonard, The Lower Niger and its Tribes, Pages 44,45. Written a few years into the past century (1906, London, Macmillan and Co, Limited).  ↩

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