This simply means dividing the Igbo vowels into 2 groups, the “dot” and the “dotless” vowels. “a” and “e”, each becomes the leader of a group. The rule is that in Igbo word formation, words must be formed using vowels of the same group. A word would not have its complete meaning if formed from both groups. “Ndakọrita ụdaume na asụsụ Igbo ga esiriri na otu mpakala were nweta ụdaume ya. Ọ bụrụ na esighi etu a, ọ gaghi enwekwa ndakọrita ụdaume”. 2 Groups of Igbo Vowels: Otu A (Group A) These are the light vowels (ụdaume mfe). A: akụ, anya, akpị, akpa ụ: ụkwa, ụzọ, ụdara ọ: ọkụ, ọchị, ọkpa, ọkpọ ị: ịma, ịmụ, ịṅọ Otu B (Group B) These are the heavy vowels (ụdaume arọ). e: egbe, eju, edo, ewi i: igbe, ikwu, ibe, ibi o: onye, obi, odu u: uwe, udo, ugwu, uri Nevertheless, there are some words in Igbo that are not bound by this rule. 1. Borrowed words e.g. ashawo, agboro 2. Dialectical words e.g. akupe, Ekuma, Agbo, enya 3. Adding suffixes e.g. ebela, soronu, eyighị 4. Words joined together to form another word, as in most Igbo names e.g. Chukwuemeka, Amaechi, Ndubisi, Ndukaku Myiriụdaume (Vowel Resemblance) The English vowels are A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes “Y.” This is also the case for Igbo vowels, where particular letters are vowels in certain cases. Analogous to the “Y” in the English case, “M” and “N” are also considered Igbo vowels. They are called “myiriụdaume,” vowel look- alike.” These two letters act like vowesl in a word, especially if their sounds are prominent in that word. Examples M : mkpumkpu, mgbede, mma, mmiri N: nchọpụta, nna, ntutu, ndị, ndidi, nku