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The Origin Of The Word Oyibo - Education - Nairaland

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The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by Bolt3(m): 3:25am On Aug 08, 2014
The origin of the word is difficult to ascertain, some people believe the name is coined from the Yoruba translation of "peeled skin" or "skinless" which in Yoruba translates to "yin" - scratch "bo" - off/peel. In Igbo language demonym takes the form " onye + the place of origin" of the person, hence, and Igbo person is called " Onye Igbo". A Yoruba person is called " Onye Yoruba". A German is "onye Germany". Thus the first white people were called "onye ocha" for singular and "ndi ocha" for plural meaning "white person and white people" respectively. This was because the Igbo people of those days did not know from where the white people came. Interaction between the Igbos and the white people resulted in the white people trying to refer to the Igbos with a name similar to what the Igbos called them, but there was problem in pronouncing Igbo words due to presence of double lettered alphabets which involve nasal pronunciation,in some of the consonants such as 'ch', 'gb', 'gh', 'gw', 'kp', 'kw', 'nw', 'ny', 'sh'. These were not present in English language hence the difficulty in the white man's effort in giving the Igbos similar demonym as the Igbo people had given to him, instead a name resulting from a mutilation of Igbo words was produced "Oyi ibo' instead of " onyi igbo' meaning 'Igbo person' just as he 'the white man' was called ' onye ocha' meaning 'white person'. It was this 'oyi ibo' that the Igbos later started referring to as 'white person' in a way of mocking the white man for his inability in saying "Onye Igbo". This would later be adopted by other Southern Nigerian tribes as the standard name for the white man and coupled with dialect variance one obtains different pronunciations such as "Oyinbo' in Yoruba and other western Nigerian tribes. Also, 'Oyibo' means English Language in Igbo. In general usage it may refer to individuals with various skin complaints such as vitiligo or genetic conditions such as albinism.

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Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by neuljosh(m): 3:38am On Aug 08, 2014
wow astonishing... Thanks op for this info. I'm pretty sure most of us had no idea of the origin of that word.

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Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by Bolt3(m): 3:51am On Aug 08, 2014
^^^ your welcome. Am really glad you like it.

8 Likes

Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by mumubynature(m): 4:45am On Aug 08, 2014
Ehn hen!tell me more

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Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by kenono(m): 6:19am On Aug 08, 2014
Eheee, i said it! when i was serving in Ibadan, me and my yoruba peeps discussed this, and they won the day.

But it makes more sense now!

1 Like

Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by nwaobitex: 6:37am On Aug 08, 2014
Okay

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Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by ajoguegbe(m): 7:06am On Aug 08, 2014
What's the origin of Oga is it Igbo or Yoruba?

1 Like

Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by zendy: 7:50am On Aug 08, 2014
ajoguegbe: What's the origin of Oga is it Igbo or Yoruba?

Oga is definitely not an Igbo word, I have always thought it was a Yoruba word but I could be wrong. I'm not sure about the origins of the word 'Oyibo' but in Olaudah Equianos book (Olauda was an Igbo slave who was sold off in the West Indies in the 18th century but later regained his freedom and wrote about his experience) he stated that Igbos called foreigners who came to trade in the market place 'Oyibo'.

12 Likes

Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by priscaoge(f): 9:05am On Aug 08, 2014
Beautiful Thread like this will not make FP undecided unless it's Ebola. Very soon they will push this poo "Bath with warm water n Salt as Ebola vaccine " to FP. Not only Salt n water undecided add Cameroon or yellow pepper to the bathing water n drink Izal sad angry Ignorance is a disease that is worst than Ebola itself.


@Op Nice thread. It's quite educative, we learn everyday n I just did. Thanks grin

7 Likes

Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by Waspy(m): 9:30am On Aug 08, 2014
Stop deceiving yourself OP angry angry.... Ya'll don't have to make it look as if Igbos gat things to prove always or needs to be seen as winners/contenders in some kind of imaginary rat race. Stop the unneccesary aggrandizement angry angry. Its kinda annoying and basically for losers.

For the records tho....Bini and Yorubas had an earlier and longer contact with the whites.. It would make more sense if we agree that they came up with a name for the whites. In fact, the whites wouldnt have called themselves a misnomer of Onyi Igbo, why would they call themselves that or learn to call Igbo pple that??. This is not to add the fact that they felt the slavery blow more too.

66 Likes

Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by Nobody: 10:03am On Aug 08, 2014
OP, if you are going to copy a topic verbatim, give some credit to the [url=en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyibo] SOURCE [/url]

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Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by omowolewa: 11:05am On Aug 08, 2014
Nice one

But I think 'Behkkeh' is the Ibo word for Oyinbo.

Or can we say 'Alubosa' (Onion) has an Ibo origin due to the fact that there is a word 'Alu' in Ibo language?


If 'Onye-Ibo' refers to someone from Ibo land,

'Onye-Behkkeh' should be the Ibo word for people of western nation origin.
(No offence intended pls).

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Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by nerodenero: 11:55am On Aug 08, 2014
The OP is a joke.Lifting a writeup that isn't his and not acknowledging the source is criminal in nature.
careytommy: OP, if you are going to copy a topic verbatim, give some credit to the [url=en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyibo] SOURCE [/url]
In my NYSC days in Anambra State,my Local Government Inspector's name was Oyibo Okolo.This claim could be true about oyibo being an Igbo name for whites.

8 Likes

Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by homerac7: 3:56pm On Aug 08, 2014
omowolewa: Nice one
But I think 'Behkkeh' is the Ibo word for Oyinbo.
Or can we say 'Alubosa' (Onion) has a Ibo origin due to the fact that there is a word 'Alu' in Ibo language?
If 'Onye-Ibo' is person from Ibo land,
'Onye-Behkkeh' should be the Ibo translation of person from western nation
(No offence intended pls).

It does not in anyway discredit the postulation of OP.

Alubosa is part of Nigera north-south acculturation . ALUBOSA is onion in Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba along with hundreds of other minority languages. Same as box for APOTI in Yoruba, AKPATI in Igbo and AKWATI in Hausa. Rice is SHINKFA in Hausa while it is OSHIKPA/OSHIPAKA in Igbo. Numerous words as such aren't peculiar to a language.

6 Likes

Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by omowolewa: 4:08pm On Aug 08, 2014
homerac7:

It does not in anyway discredit the postulation of OP.

Alubosa is part of Nigera north-south acculturation . ALUBOSA is onion in Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba along with hundreds of other minority languages. Same as box for APOTI in Yoruba, AKPATI in Igbo and AKWATI in Hausa. Rice is SHINKFA in Hausa while it is OSHIKPA/OSHIPAKA in Igbo. Numerous words as such aren't peculiar to a language.

Noted.

tsolz84:
In Southern Igbo areas e.g Abia, Imo and Upland Rivers state including Bonny and Opobo, Oyibo is hardly used for Europeans.Bekee or Nwabeeke, onye ocha or Ndiocha is used instead of Oyibo.The Igbo groups that uses Oyibo are Western and northern Igbos.The souther Igbo people were the first to encounter the Europeans and they did not call them Oyibos but Ndi ocha...Oyinbo literal meaning is pealed back honey/ Peeled skinned people which is the termed by yorubas to address light skin foreigner..This word Oyinbo is not only used in Nigeria but also by Crelos people in Serri leano and according to them, they got it from the yoruba word..Oyibo is an Igbo way of saying Oyinbo which was originally never an Igbo word. Lets get our facts right here.It iss just like saying the word "na" is orginally hausa or so,we all know that "na" is a corrupt version of "nna" thus of Igbo origin..@OP;pls get ur fact right b4 posting

5 Likes

Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by hensben(m): 4:45pm On Aug 08, 2014
source pls?

1 Like

Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by CharlieMaria(m): 5:29pm On Aug 08, 2014
Picture? lipsrsealed

1 Like

Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by NotNairalandi(m): 5:29pm On Aug 08, 2014
pls how can this solve our current Ebola palava .? op.pls answer me

2 Likes

Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by sammieguze(m): 5:30pm On Aug 08, 2014
history lesson?
Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by 9jahubcom(m): 5:31pm On Aug 08, 2014
.
Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by Nobody: 5:31pm On Aug 08, 2014
hensben: source pls?
Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by priscaoge(f): 5:32pm On Aug 08, 2014
At last grin grin. I thought it won't hit FP undecided
Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by Nobody: 5:32pm On Aug 08, 2014
i was here. grin
Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by Nobody: 5:33pm On Aug 08, 2014
Tell dose Igbos bro
Waspy: Stop deceiving yourself OP angry angry.... Ya'll don't have to make it look as if Igbos gat things to prove always or needs to be seen as winners/contenders in some kind of imaginary rat race. Stop the unneccesary aggrandizement angry angry. Its kinda annoying and basically for losers.

For the records tho....Bini and Yorubas had an earlier and longer contact with the whites.. It would make more sense if we agree that they came up with a name for the whites. In fact, the whites wouldnt have called themselves a misnomer of Onyi Igbo, why would they call themselves that or learn to call Igbo pple that??. This is not to add the fact that they felt the slavery blow more too.

9 Likes

Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by Janiobi(m): 5:33pm On Aug 08, 2014
All i see in this tread nah [size=15pt]SLEEP[/size]

2 Likes

Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by Nobody: 5:34pm On Aug 08, 2014
In Southern Igbo areas e.g Abia, Imo and Upland Rivers state including Bonny and Opobo, Oyibo is hardly used for Europeans.Bekee or Nwabeeke, onye ocha or Ndiocha is used instead of Oyibo.The Igbo groups that uses Oyibo are Western and northern Igbos.The souther Igbo people were the first to encounter the Europeans and they did not call them Oyibos but Ndi ocha...Oyinbo literal meaning is pealed back honey/ Peeled skinned people which is the termed by yorubas to address light skin foreigner..This word Oyinbo is not only used in Nigeria but also by Crelos people in Serri leano and according to them, they got it from the yoruba word..Oyibo is an Igbo way of saying Oyinbo which was originally never an Igbo word. Lets get our facts right here.It iss just like saying the word "na" is orginally hausa or so,we all know that "na" is a corrupt version of "nna" thus of Igbo origin..@OP;pls get ur fact right b4 posting

22 Likes

Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by Afrocatalyst: 5:36pm On Aug 08, 2014
Janiobi: All i see in this tread nah [size=15pt]SLEEP[/size]
because it ain't about Ebola.
Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by Cymbal: 5:37pm On Aug 08, 2014
I don hear.
Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by Codedrock(m): 5:38pm On Aug 08, 2014
What the??

Lets cut the crap now!
Oyinbo or Oyibo which ever one is it everybody knows it is a YORUBA WORD!
stop stealing other people's language!

21 Likes

Re: The Origin Of The Word Oyibo by freshness2020: 5:39pm On Aug 08, 2014
Serious ?

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