Skip to main content

Conversation between John and Nwile

Image Proverbs and Sayings
A photograph of a printed dialogue between John and Nwile in a dual-language format.
Excerpt of the transcription and translation of John and Nwile's conversation from Northcote Thomas's Anthropological Report on the Ibo-Speaking Peoples of Nigeria, Part III.

A photograph of two facing pages, 48 and 49, from Northcote Thomas's Anthropological Report on the Ibo-Speaking Peoples of Nigeria, Part III: Proverbs, Narratives, Vocabularies and Grammar. The pages display a transcribed and translated dialogue between two young men: John, identified as an Onitsha boy, and Nwile, identified as a Nibo boy. The text is organized into two columns with the original Igbo language using specialized diacritical marks for phonetic values, followed by English translations. The conversation documents a visit to the compound of Chief Kanu in Umuchukwu in 1911, including mentions of photographs taken of the chief's wife.

Community Notes

Onyeka Nwokike

Sep 14, 2026

This printed dialogue is the transcription of phonograph sound recording No. 465, captured by Northcote Thomas during his 1910 to 1911 tour of the Awka District in the Protectorate of Southern Nigeria, as detailed by A Conversation. Although Thomas included the text in Part III of his Anthropological Report, he neglected to note the original record number alongside the publication.

Onyeka Nwokike

Sep 14, 2026

The conversation took place in Umuchukwu, also known as Ndikelionwu. While both John and Nwile accompanied the anthropologist on the visit, Nwile acted as an intermediary due to his existing acquaintance with the local chief, according to A Conversation.

Onyeka Nwokike

Sep 14, 2026

The dialogue provides linguistic evidence that the word foto (photograph) had been integrated into the Igbo vocabulary by 1911, as noted in the Umuchukwu Archives.

Log in to add context.

Previous
Speech by Chief Onyeso of Agukwu Nri
Next
Decorated Pots of North Ika

You May Also Like

Discussion

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Discussion

Guest Mode