Igbo Slang Expressions in Literature: Exploring a New Igbo Literature

Abstract

Over the years, slang expressions generally have been looked at as language of the never-do-good in the society, especially among the youths inspired by constant abuse of hard drugs and other dangerous substance. Yet, these expressions have gained wide acceptance among speakers of the language both home and abroad and even among the adults these days. Igbo slang is not left out of this revolution. In recent times, Igbo Literature has experienced a dwindling growth in readership especially among Igbo youth and young scholars. This has resulted heavily in the decline in production of Igbo Literature thereby fueling the lack of content and thenes in Igbo Literature. This paper therefore,  looked at the possibility of engaging Igbo slang in Igbo Literature to know if this may help attract readership for Igbo Literature. To do this some Igbo slangs mainly used at Sokoto Road Main Market Onitsha Anambra State Nigeria, were collected and analysed. This area was chosen because the city is redpponsible for 90% of the Igbo slang spoken in Onitsha. Other data were collected from Igbo Hip-hop because artistes use these slangs in their craft. It was discovered that indeed if these expressions are brought  into the Igbo Literature; they would make reading more fun for students as they can easily relate with the text’s language. Furthermore, they would be useful to the younger generation of scholars most especially Igbo scholars because it will open a new and better genre of creative writing and encourage others to write.