Read by the tongue
2 Igbo proverbs read closely — filed under Speech vs Action, Humanism, Humility and Hospitality; set beside cousins in Yoruba, Russian, Latin, Mandarin Chinese and Mandarin (Confucius).
Ilu bu mmanu eji eri okwu
ilu bu mmanu eji eri okwu
An Igbo proverb calls proverbs the palm-oil that makes words edible. Yoruba and Russian sayings about sayings circle the same claim — speech needs a carrier — from three directions.
Onye ọbịa ahụ ihe ụmụ ụlọ adịghị ahụ.
onye ọbịa ahụ ihe ụmụ ụlọ adịghị ahụ
An Igbo proverb says the visitor sees what the household cannot. Latin, Mandarin, and Confucius circle the same blind spot from three directions — and all of them end in the same unsettling question about what it is we stop seeing the moment we call a place home.
The newcomer's eyes catch what familiarity has made invisible.
Onye ọbịa ahụ ihe ụmụ ụlọ adịghị ahụ.
Literally: The visitor sees things the household does not see.
Igbo · Nigeria
Set beside
Proverbs are what make speech go down — the relish that carries meaning.
Ilu bu mmanu eji eri okwu
Literally: Proverbs are the oil with which words are eaten.
Igbo · Nigeria
Set beside
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