In the quiet hills of Cross River State, tucked away in the Obudu Local Government Area, lies a linguistic marvel that has baffled scholars and intrigued linguists for decades.
The village of Ubang is home to a unique cultural phenomenon: men and women speak entirely different languages.
While most communities around the world share a single language regardless of gender, Ubang stands apart.
In this remote Nigerian village, gender determines how you say everyday words, ranging from clothing and food to nature and daily activities.
For instance, while men refer to clothing as “nki,” women call it “ariga.”
Similarly, the word for “tree” is “kitchi” among men and “okwakwe” among women.
The differences are not just accents or slang, but separate vocabularies that have been passed down through generations.
9News Nigeria spoke to two natives of Ubang, who gave us an explanation for their uniqueness in spoken language amongst genders in the community.
Notably, the whole state of Cross River is accustomed to this intrigue.
“This is not a case of misunderstanding or a dialectal shift.
“It’s our tradition. Boys grow up learning the female version of the language from their mothers but switch to the male form around the age of ten.” Mr. Okim Ojong, a local teacher and community elder said.
The two versions of the language are mutually intelligible, and both men and women typically understand each other despite speaking different words.
This linguistic divide, rather than creating confusion, serves as a symbol of identity and pride in Ubang.
Various linguists and anthropologists from around the world have visited the village to study the phenomenon.
While gender-based language differences exist elsewhere in the world, none mirror the scale and depth found in Ubang.
For example, in Siberia, the Chukchi people show slight gender differences in pronunciation and grammar, but not entirely different vocabularies.
Also, in northern Australia, the Yanyuwa people speak gender-based dialects, with differences in grammar and vocabulary depending on whether the speaker is male or female.
According to researchers, Ubang may represent one of the few remaining examples of gender-specific language use in a single community.
Speaking to some elders in the community, they believe that the practice is rooted in ancient oral traditions, suggesting that when God was distributing languages, Ubang was given a double portion; one for men and one for women.
As modern influences continue to reach rural parts of Nigeria, concerns are growing about whether the tradition will survive.
With younger generations increasingly exposed to English and Nigerian Pidgin, the distinct male and female vocabularies may face the risk of fading away.
Still, in Ubang, the practice remains a living testament to the richness of Nigeria’s linguistic and cultural diversity.
“This is who we are. And we will continue to teach it to our children—boys and girls.” said Elder Ojong.
