Where does this 'sh' factor originate? Why is it that in random parts of Igboland you find the 'sh' sound? Why do some people speak with 'sh' and others with 's'?

In my part of Igboland, we use "sh" instead of "s".

Central Igbo - Ha si na(they said that)

Nkanu - Ha shi na(they said that)

LOL sounds like a case of Hausa influence (I'm joking lolllll). But to be honest, I think a lot of Nigerian based languages have Hausa influence sadly. Yoruba does, Fulfulde (Fulani tongue does). It would not surprise me if some Igbo dialects do as well.

Fulaman198: LOL sounds like a case of Hausa influence (I'm joking lolllll). But to be honest, I think a lot of Nigerian based languages have Hausa influence sadly. Yoruba does, Fulfulde (Fulani tongue does). It would not surprise me if some Igbo dialects do as well.

This has absolutely nothing to do with Hausa or Fulfulde.

Afam4eva: In my part of Igboland, we use "sh" instead of "s".

Central Igbo - Ha si na(they said that)

Nkanu - Ha shi na(they said that)

I know. The strange thing is that this phenomenon is found sporadically throughout Igboland.

Same for /n/ and /l/ or /r/ and /h/ or /h/ and /f/.

I doubt there is an origin we can point to. I am also inclined to believe that the appearance of sh is not as random as we might think. The way I see it, sh is a legitimate phoneme, quite possibly with a forgotten history. Many communities still speak with sh. It isn't as limited as some may think, and in many instances sh can even be contrastive with s, meaning the presence of sh as opposed to s can actually change the meaning of the word. That there exists instances in which sh stands on its own and not just as a synonym for s could suggest a more pervasive usage of sh in the past (at least, for some communities). Clearly, sh has for the most part lost out to s, for reasons we can only speculate on.

Then there is the h/sh dynamic in which some communities have developed an sh in contrast to the h found in some other communities.

ChinenyeN: I doubt there is an origin we can point to. I am also inclined to believe that the appearance of sh is not as random as we might think. The way I see it, sh is a legitimate phoneme, quite possibly with a forgotten history. Many communities still speak with sh. It isn't as limited as some may think, and in many instances sh can even be contrastive with s, meaning the presence of sh as opposed to s can actually change the meaning of the word. That there exists instances in which sh stands on its own and not just as a synonym for s could suggest a more pervasive usage of sh in the past (at least, for some communities). Clearly, sh has for the most part lost out to s, for reasons we can only speculate on.

Then there is the h/sh dynamic in which some communities have developed an sh in contrast to the h found in some other communities.

So you're saying that it's possible that 'sh' might be the remains of some proto-Igbo language(s)? You said "many communities still speak with 'sh'" which suggests that its presence was perhaps greater in the past. If such a scenario actually did exist, what could've caused the shift from 'sh' to 's'?

It's interesting, but then again there are dialects in which the 'sh' sound is entirely non-existent. What's the explanation for that?

ezeagu: Same for /n/ and /l/ or /r/ and /h/ or /h/ and /f/.

My question is: what is the cause(s) of these varieties?

Igbo n'asu n'olu n'olu. Igbos speak in different tongues.

Stealing = Osi, Oshi, Ohi, Ori .

Abagworo: Igbo n'asu n'olu n'olu. Igbos speak in different tongues.

Stealing = Osi, Oshi, Ohi, Ori .

Why is it so?

And stealing is also 'nzi' (Aro).

odumchi:

My question is: what is the cause(s) of these varieties?

That can be properly be revealed through good research, so not a nairaland thing.

odumchi: So you're saying that it's possible that 'sh' might be the remains of some proto-Igbo language(s)? You said "many communities still speak with 'sh'" which suggests that its presence was perhaps greater in the past. If such a scenario actually did exist, what could've caused the shift from 'sh' to 's'?

It's interesting, but then again there are dialects in which the 'sh' sound is entirely non-existent. What's the explanation for that?

odumchi: My question is: what is the cause(s) of these varieties?

There are a lot of dimensions to this, and considering that none of us here are actual linguists, there's not much any of us can offer up in terms of an explanation (at least, from a linguistic perspective). As far as we know, the interchanging of letters between the different speech forms apparently adheres to no rules. It doesn't mean we can't reasonably speculate though. So, does anyone have any thoughts?