Endocentric Compounds Denoting Abstract Concepts

The compounds analysed in this section are used to represent certain abstract Christian concepts. These compounds apparently existed in Igbo prior to the Bible translations. Their use in the Bible showcases instances of register extension. They were used for secular concepts prior to the Bible translations where they were given a religious signification.

Compounds in this category include abụ ọma used for psalm, ozi ọma and okwu ọma for gospel, and ezi omume for righteousness. One feature of these compounds is that they all feature the use of ọma and ezi, Igbo words for “good” to describe the head component of the compounds. In other words, there seems to be a conscious attempt at linguistically identifying Christian concepts as good. Although this subtly suggests that non-Christian concepts may not be good, there is no evidence to support the view. That notwithstanding, overtly identifying Christian concepts as good suggests a desire to improve the perception of the concepts so named.

169 a. Abụ Ọma (Psalm)

The Cambridge Dictionary defines psalm as “a holy poem or song, especially one of the 150 collected in the Bible”. Apart from the IIB, all the IBTs use abụ ọma for psalm. The compound abụ ọma is composed of abụ “song” and ọma “good”, literally meaning good song. The use of this compound in the IBTs gives it specificity as a Christian religious term.

Furthermore, the head of the compound is abụ, which makes abụ ọma a hyponym of abụ, contrastable with abụ ọjọọ “bad songs”. As noted above, this does not necesarilly suggest that all other songs are bad songs, but rather it is a conscious step to improve the perception of the concept of psalm. Interestingly, abụ ọma is not used to refer to all forms of Christian songs, as demonstrated in Ephesians 5: 19:

16. nēwere abù ọma na ukwe na abù nke Mọ Nsọ gwarita onwe-unu okwu Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs

“Hymns” and “spiritual songs” are also categories of Christian songs. In the Igbo translation, ukwe, another Igbo word for “song”, is used for “hymns” while “spiritual songs” is translated as “songs of the Holy Spirit”, which, in a way, is another hyponym of abụ (the concept of the Holy Spirit is discussed in Section 5.3.1.1C). In effect, using abụ ọma for psalms does not suggest that all other songs are bad. Rather, it is used to identify the genre of psalms, found mainly within Christian contexts.

b. Okwu Ọma and Oziọma (Gospel)

Gospel is defined in the Cambridge Dictionary as “any of the four books of the Bible that contain details of the life of Jesus Christ”, and as “the teachings of Jesus Christ”. This concept is represented as okwu ọma in the IIB and as oziọma in all the other IBTs. Okwu ọma is a compound created by joining okwu “word/talk” and ọma “good”, thus meaning good words or good talk. On its part, oziọma is formed from ozi “message” and ọma “good”,

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meaning good message. These were terms that were probably in use in Igbo prior to the Bible translations to refer to any well delivered speech or any form of good news respectively. Their use in the IBTs, however, gives them specificity as Christian religious terms, thereby extending the Igbo Christian register.

Etymologically, gospel is derived from the Old English “godspel” meaning “good story/message”. So, both renderings could be said to be based on the etymology of the term. Like abụ ọma, the use of okwu ọma and oziọma in the IBTs entails some semantic restriction of the compounds. Okwu ọma is not used to refer to any positive speech but to the restricted meaning of the teachings of Jesus Christ or to the books of the Bible that contain stories about Jesus Christ. On its part, oziọma is not used to mean any positive message. Rather, it is used to refer to the four Bible stories about Jesus Christ and also to the teachings of Jesus Christ, which are here presented as messages from God. Of the two compounds elaborated to mean gospel, oziọma seems to be the one that has been integrated into the language as the term for gospel. Okwu ọma is a nonce word used only in the IIB, but oziọma is used by all the other IBTs.

c. Ezi Omume (Righteousness)

The noun “righteousness” is derived from the adjective “righteous”, which is defined in the Cambridge Dictionary as “morally correct”. For this concept, all the IBTs apart from the IIB use ezi omume, a compound formed from ezi “good” and omume “behaviour”. Thus, ezi omume means good behaviour. Incidentally, the Christian conceptualization of moral correctness is different from the traditional Igbo conceptualization (see Section 5.3.1.1Ci).

In other words, the compound ezi omume is used in the IBTs to refer to a uniquely Christian conceptualization of moral correctness. For one, this restricts the meaning of the compound from any form of behaviour adjudged to be good, to specifically referring to the Christian idea of moral correctness. In effect, the use in the IBTs is an extension of the Igbo Christian register. The use of ezi omume in the IBTs does not strip the term of its secular

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and more general meaning. It only created a distinct meaning for the term used only within Christian contexts.