Voice of Igbo
(Ásụ̀sụ́ Ìgbò)
Explore the vibrant sounds of Igbo, a language widely spoken in Southeastern Nigeria and the African diaspora, rich in cultural expression and history.
Overview
Igbo is a lively language spoken across homes, markets, and community events. Using a Latin-based orthography (Ọnwụ), it features regional varieties and rich oral traditions, including conversation, proverbs, and songs. This page provides curated examples for learners and researchers to experience Igbo in everyday life.
Sample Audio
Transcript: Habari, unaendeleaje? (Hello, how are you doing?)
Writing system
Igbo uses the Ọnwụ orthography, a Latin-based system designed to match Igbo sounds. It includes eight vowels, with underdots distinguishing pairs like e/ẹ and o/ọ, and it writes certain consonants as digraphs (e.g., ch, gb, gh, gw, kp, kw, nw, ny). Tone—crucial for meaning—is often omitted in everyday writing, but educational and linguistic materials may add acute and grave accents (and occasionally a mid-tone mark) to guide pronunciation. The result is a practical script for daily use that can be made highly phonetic when tone marks are included.
What’s Here Now
Urban Dialogue
Transcript: Habari, unaendeleaje? (Hello, how are you doing?)
Market Talk
Transcript: Habari, unaendeleaje? (Hello, how are you doing?)
Community Radio
Transcript: Habari, unaendeleaje? (Hello, how are you doing?)
Why It Matters for AI
Curated Igbo datasets help AI understand the language, improving speech recognition, translation, and digital inclusion.
Speech Recognition
Audio samples capture natural Igbo speech, helping AI systems accurately recognize pronunciation, tone, and conversational patterns.
Translation
Text and audio examples help AI map Igbo words and meanings to other languages, supporting accurate translation and cross-cultural communication.
Information Access
Datasets enable AI to provide Igbo speakers with relevant content and services, improving access to information and digital resources.
Igbo Datasets
Igbo Corpus v1.0
Version: 1.0
Size: 2GB
License: CC-BY 4.0
DOI: 10.1234/swahili.001
Igbo Corpus v1.0
Version: 1.0
Size: 2GB
License: CC-BY 4.0
DOI: 10.1234/swahili.001