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7 February 2011
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Yoruba today
The history of Yoruba
Names and writing system

Yoruba today by Viv Edwards

Yoruba is the first language of an estimated 20 million people worldwide; a further 2 million people speak it as a second language. It is one of the six official languages of Nigeria. The Yoruba population in the UK consists of a high proportion of students and professionals who left West Africa for political and economic reasons.

In a 2000 survey of London school children, Yoruba was reported to be the ninth most common language spoken, with speakers scattered across the capital, but with the largest concentrations in Greenwich, Hackney, Lambeth and Southwark.

Many cultural associations and professional networks encourage speakers to maintain their language in the UK, including Egbe Omo Yoruba, the National Association of Yoruba Descendants. Yoruba is closely associated with two genres of percussion and vocal dominated music - Juju, and Fuji.

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Your Comments
What is your experience of Yoruba?

Rufus Orindare
Yoruba language is unique in the sense of its gender neutrality. The word 'o' is applicable to both male and female. It is also true that words have been borrowed from other languages particularly, Hausa. Words like Obangiji, a Hausa word for God, 'sanmo' Yoruba word for sky. It is arguable however that anyone from the Northern fringes of Yoruba kingdom can claim to be of pure Yoruba ancestry. Legend has Sango to have been born of a Nupe woman. Hausas were slaves and farm hands in ancient Oyo and environs. Many of them must have settled down to marry Yorubas judging by the way Yoruba concept of 'eru' and 'iwofa'

B Folarin
From western/south western parts of nigeria. It is a written language and I'm very proud to be a speaker of this language because it is the only language that has better expressions. It is pronouce as written, no twist at all.

Emmanuel OSHII from Cardiff, UK.
Yoruba Language is genuine in it's own sense. It's been spokrn years before the slave trade. New words, introduced through interactions with foreigners might have made some Yoruba words seem borrowed, but factly, it is a long standing ethnicity on its own.

A.Adetunji from Lagos
The Yoruba language like other languages has grown on the back of others, borrowing words etc.However;without a shadow of doubt it is a complete language, proverbs, idioms, figure of speech etc.

Adeole, South Africe
i will agree with omotola, yoruba is one language that is very unique and well spoken all over the worl, have never heard if any borrowed word like Ayomide say.

Ayomide from Belfast
The comment above is completely untrue. Of course Yoruba has borrowed words like almost every language! For example, alubosa, the Yoruba for onion, came from the Arabic for the same object through exposure to the language with trade.

B Omotola from Plaistow
The text used was not well constructed. And it makes no sense.Yoruba language is written the exact way it is spoken and it is pronounced the exact way it is written! no more, no less.Aside, it is the most complete language! it has no borrowed words like other languages.




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