Di village where men and women dey speak different language

For Ubang farming community for south of Nigeria, men and women say dem dey speak different language. Dem believe say dis one make dem dey unique and na "blessing from God".

But as more young pipo dey leave dia village go township to find work and English don become popular, dem dey worry weda di language go survive, na so BBC tori pesin Yemisi Adegoke report.

Im wear im colourful traditional dress, wit red chief cap, and for im hand e hold di authority of im office, Chief Oliver Ibang call im two small pikin to come show di difference for di two language.

As Chief cari yam up, e ask im daughter wetin dem dey call am.

"Na 'irui'" she tok, she no tink am twice.

But for Ubang man "language," di word for yam wey bi one of di main di main food for Nigeria na "itong."

And many many oda examples dey, like cloth wey be "nki" for men and "ariga" for women.

E no clear how much of di words different for di two language and e no get any pattern, like weda di words dey common, weda e link di traditional role wey men and women suppose do.

Anthropologist or sabi pesin Chi Chi Undie, wey don study di community say, "plenti words dey wey men and women get in common, then e also get oda words wey dey completely different depending on weda you be man or woman. Dem no sound di same at all, dem no get di same letters and di words dey completely different.

'Sign of maturity'

Chi Chi say, di difference big pass for example America and British English.

But di men and di women dey understand demsef perfectly.

Dis fit also be becos as boys dey first grow, na di women language dem dey speak as dem dey spend most of dia childhood wit dia mama and oda women, na so Chief Ibang explain.

By di time di boys reach 10 years, dem suppose don dey speak "man language" im tok.

"E get stage wey boy go reach, e go discover say im no dey speak di correct language. Nobodi go tell am to change to man language."

"Wen im begin speak man language, you go know say im don dey mature."

If pikin no switch to di correct language wen im reach some kain age, dat mean say dem no normal."

Ubang pipo dey very proud of di difference wey dey dia language, dem see am like say e make dem unique.

But different theories dey unto how e take happun. Most pipo for di community use bible explain na.

"God create Adam and Eve and dem be Ubang pipo," di Chief tok.

God first plan na to give everi tribe two language, but afta im create di two language for Ubang, im realise say di language no go reach to go round, na so im tok.

"So im kuku stop." Dat na why Ubang take benefit two language - we dey different from oda pipo for world."

'Two sex culture'

Chi Chi get her own anthropology theory.

"Dis na two sex culture," she tok.

"Men and women dey operate for two different levels. E be like dem dey for two different worlds, but sometimes dia two words dey come togeda and you fit see dat same pattern for di language too."

She say her theory sha no get all di ansa.

"I call am theory but e weak, she tok, "because for Nigeria two sex system plenti no be small but we still no get dis kain language culture."

Pipo dey worry weda di different language dem go fit survive.

Di two language no dey for writing so dia future depend on di young pipo to pass down to dia children. But dis days, na few young pipo sabi speak di language well.

Secondary school teacher Steven Ochui, say "I dey see am among dis young pipo, dem dey hardly speak dia language wit out mixing am wit English."

'Local language na bad tin'

Dis one just dey show wetin dey happun for all over Nigeria.

For 2016, di Linguistics Association of Nigeria say 50 out of di kontri 500 languages fit disappear in di next few years if dem no do sometin about am.

Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa na di major Nigeria languages plus English - wey use unite di different tribes for di kontri.

Dem dey teach di three languages for school as part of di National Policy for Education wey say e dey important to preserve culture.

E also say, "everi pikin must sabi di language of di place wey im dey live."

But no be so dem dey do am for Ubang where dem dey discourage children and sometimes dem dey even punish dem, for speaking dia language for school.

Ochui say im dey worried about wetin go happun as pipo dey continue to make local language look like bad tin just because dem want make children dey speak English instead.

"For my school here we dey punish students - beat dem, sotimes make dem drop moni - sake of dem dey speak dia language," im tok.

"If you dey beat pikin wey dey use im language, e no go survive."

'Dem need text books'

Ochui say dem need to do more to make sure di two Ubang language no go lose.

"We need text books for Ubang language - novels, art, films - and make dem allow us to teach am for schools," na so im tok.

Stella Odobi, na student for Ubang, she gree say dem need to do more so di language no go die.

"Parents dey cari dia children go different communities go school and dem no dey bother to teach dem dia local language," she tok.

But she add say, she dey among di young pipo for her community wey plan to pass dia language to dia children even if dey leave Ubang.

Chief Ubang dey dream say one day dem go set up language centre wey go show how unique dia community two language dey.

Plus, im confident say di language go survive.

"If di language die, den Ubang pipo no go exist again be dat."