Yoruba Language in Brief

1.         Introduction

            Yoruba, a language, which formerly belonged to the Kwa family within the Niger-Congo phylum of African languages, is the language spoken in the LOOKO¹ states  (Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Kwara and Ondo) of Nigeria. It is regarded as one of the major languages of the country. Apart from Nigeria, it is spoken in the East and Central Benin and in isolated pockets in the rest of Benin². Of the unifying traditions among Yoruba in Nigeria, Togo and Benin, Oyelaran (1978:626)³ quotes Igue (1976:10)⁴ as presenting enough linguistic evidence to show that the relationship of the three groups “is more than a mere expression of … interaction with…neighbours” Oyelaran then goes on to use the longitudes between 20'' and 6⁰ 30'' East of the meridian and latitude 6⁰ and 9⁰ 30'' to define the homeland of the Yoruba in Nigeria. The people are highly urbanized and possess a hierarchical social structure.

According to Oyelaran (1978:626)⁵, the dialects of Yoruba can be classified as follows:

(a)        West Yoruba (WY)

(1)               Oyo, Ibadan, Egba, Ohori-Ifohin.

(2)               Upper Ogun.

i.                    Saki, Ijio.

ii.                  Ketu, Sabee.

(3)               Bening and Togo

Ife (Togo), Idasa, Manigi

(b)        South East Yoruba (SEY)

(1)               Ondo, Owo

(2)               Ijebu

(3)               Ikale, Ilaje

(c)        Central Yoruba (CY)

Ile-Ife, Ijesa, Ekiti

(d)       Northern Eastern Yoruba (NEY)

(1)               Igbomina, Kakanda, Igbolo

(2)               Jumu, Bunu, Oworo, Owe Egbe

This classification is referred to as a “dialect continuum”⁶ because the dialects are characterized by a high degree of mutual intelligibility which diminishes with territorial distance. As one moves from one end of the continuum to the other, some phonological, lexical and even some grammatical differences can be found in the dialects. (Bamgbose 1966a:2 Agheyisi 1984:235)^7,8.

 On this standard variety of Yoruba, Bamgbose (1966:2)9 makes the following comments.

           

For the purpose of education, writing and contact between persons of different dialects, the type of Yoruba used is a “Koine” which may be called standard Yoruba. This koine is based on Oyo dialect, but it is not co-extensive with it. For instance,  non-standard forms exist in the dialect, and the Koine has certain form which do not occur in the dialect but which are found in some other dialects.  

The “standard” Yoruba may therefore be considered as that variety of Yoruba employed in school instruction, in public speaking, broadcasting and it serves not only as the written and literary standard for the entire language community but also as the “High” variety in a diglossic relationship with other varieties.

The population of Yoruba speakers is still an enigma. Bamgbose (1966:2)¹⁰ says the language is spoken by about twelve million people in Nigeria alone. Eades (1980:2)¹¹ claims that “a figure of 15 million for the Yoruba peoples as a whole is probably of the right order of magnitude. In her recent writing, Lawal (1983:4)¹² gives the population of the Yoruba speakers in Nigeria as 20 million,  about a third of the Nigerian population:

The International African Institute (1980:60)13 classifies the status of Yoruba in Nigeria as follows:

-                      Yoruba is spoken as a first language by 20% of Nigeria population

-                       The effective speakers of the language in the country are about 25% of the country’s total population

-                      It is used by the Media i.e. the press, Radio and Television.

-                      It is also used as a language of formal instruction and a curriculum subject in the primary school. In the secondary and post-secondary level (including university), it is a curriculum subject.

-                      It has a standard orthography.

The awareness of Yoruba Language and Culture is not limited to Nigeria, Togo and Benin. Turner (1958:45)14 notes that Yoruba is still spoken in Brazil and Cuba and that many surviving speakers of the language can be found in the United States and the New World regions. Watkins (1972:380)¹⁵ also speaks of the preservation of the language by the descendants of slaves in Cuba and Brazil as well as by people whose ancestors entered Brazil as free immigrants. He also notes that specimens of Yoruba culture are generally less difficult to obtain in West Africa  than those of many other peoples of  Saharan Africa. Abimbola’s (1978:2) remark about the Brazilian blacks on his visit to Brazil is worth quoting here. He says:

Lastly, I would like to record here my appreciation of the rousing reception and hospitality which our brothers and sisters ... (gave me) ... and ... (the) ... hearty reception to which I was treated made me feel like I was in a traditional community in the heart of black Africa, and convinced me beyond mere words that the black people of Brazil still share a common world view, thought and behavioural process with their cousins in Africa.

Abimbola’s remark is corroborated by that of Hunt (1977:17&51) who, while discussing how “Yoruba had been championing the cause of cultural redemption” in America, states that ‘Many of the slaves brought to the  Americas were Yoruba, and scarcely any other African people continue to influence New world culture more than they. Descendants of Yoruba slave, some of whom still have a knowledge of the language and customs, are found today in Cuba where they are known as Lucumi, and in Brazil where they are known as Nago”. According to Lasebikan (1963:352), a course in Yoruba Language and culture at the University of Bahia’s Department of Afro-Oriental Studies has helped the growth of Yoruba Language and culture in “the use of Yoruba as a means of communication, the wearing of Yoruba dress at social functions, and the introduction of Ayo, foremost of Yoruba indoor games”

Finally, mention should be made of Oseijeman Adefunmi’s Yoruba Movement which began in 1959 and is centred at Oyotunji village, Sheldon, South Carolina, U.S.A. Here was established the Yoruba Royal Academy where the Yoruba language is taught and one of the qualifications required to become a chief in the village is a good command of Yoruba. (Hunt 1977:82&93)¹⁹.

NOTES AND REFERENCES

1.                 A similar term, “LOOBO” was used by Tai Solarin, an educationist, to describe the States controlled by the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria between 1979 and 1983. “LOOBO” stands for Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Bendel and Oyo States of Nigeria. The states have been divided further. We now have Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Kwara, Ondo, Ekiti and Osun states.

2.                  O.O. Oyelaran (1976:1) “Towards a Yoruba Strandard”, Yoruba 2:1-19.

3.             O.O. Oyelaran (1978), “Lingusitic Speculations on Yoruba Hisotry”, in his DEPARTMENT OF AFRICAN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES, UNIVERSITY OF IFE SEMINAR SERIES 1:624-651. Ife-Department of African Languages and Literatures, University of Ife, Nigeria.

4.                  John Ogunsola Igue (1976), “Quel[…] aspects due peuplement et des population Yoruba en Republic Populaire du Benin”, Paper presented at the Conference  on Yoruba Civilization, University of Ife, July 1976.

5.                  op. cit.

6.                Cruse (1986:71) defines “dialect continuum” as “A situation where “speakers from village A can communicate with those from village B, who are able to converse with speakers from C; these, in turn, can communicate with speakers from village D. However, speakers from A cannot hold a conversation with speakers from D, and without the evidence of intervening stages, on would be tempted to say that they spoke different languages. But it is impossible to say at what point along the continuum the change from one form of the language to another occurs of to determine how many distinct forms there are” (See D.A. Cruse (1986), LEXICAL SEMANTICS Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.).

7.                  Ayo Bamgbose (1966), A GRAMAR OF YORUBA Cambridge: Oxford University Press.

8.                  R.N. Agbeyisi (1984), “Minor Languages in Nigeria Context: prospects and Problems”. WORD 35,2:234-254.

9.                  op. cit.

10.              ibid

11.              J.S. Eades (1980), THE YORUBA TODAY. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

12.       S.N. Lawal (1983), “On Defining Complex Sentences in Yoruba”. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Essex.

13.              International African Institute (19*80), “Nigerian Language”, in PROVISIONAL SURVEY OF MAJOR LANGUAGEWS IN THE INDEPENDENT STATES OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN edited by Philip Baker, pp. 60-61 UNESCO: International African Institute.

14.              L.D. Turner (1958), The Role of Folklore in the Life of the Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria” in MONOGRAPH SERIES ON LANGUAGE AND LINGUSTICS 11-12 REPORT OF THE 9^TH ANNUAL ROUNDTABLE MEETING ON LINGUSTICS AND LANGUAGE STUDY, edited by W.M. Austin, pp. 45-54 Geogetown: The institute of Languages and Linguistics, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University.

15.              M.H. Watkins (1972), “Yoruba Phoneme”. STUDIES IN LINGUISTICS IN HONOR OF GEORGE L. TRAGER Edited by M.E. Smith, pp. 380-394. The Hague: Mouton.

16.              Wande Abimbola (1978), “The Yoruba Traditional Religion in Brazil: Problems and prospects: DEPARTMENT OF AFRICAN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES SEMINAR SERIES 1, edited by O.O. Oyelaran pp. 1-64. Ife, Nigeria: Department of African Languages and literatures University of Ife, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

17.              C.M. Hunt (1977) Oyotunji Village: Yoruba Movement in America Ph.D. Dissertation, West Virginia University.

18.              E.L. Lasebikan (1963) “Yoruba in Brazil”, WEST AFRICA (March 30), P. 352.

19.              op cit.          

20.              Paul Newman (ed) (1979), JOURNAL OF AFRICAN LANGAUGES AND LINGUSTICS 1:1 Dordirecht: Foris Publication for department of African linguistics, University of Leiden.

21.              In line with the Yoruba alphabet, “e” “g” and “o” precede “e” “gb” and “o” respectively in the bibliography. For the English alphabetical guide see the name index.