LEARN YORUBA LANGUAGE-THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LANGUAGE!

Came across this sometime back,villagers ,what do you think about it?.

"Kilo happen? Ma worry. Mo understand. Kosi problem. Mo sorry gan. Ma expect me. Ke e nice day" - (a GSM conversation)
Surely this is not Yoruba that this man is speaking? Definitely not! Yet everyday Yoruba speaking people are killing Yoruba like this. Is this the new (English) pidgin for Yorubaland, joining other sections of the country, who have specialised in killing their own Nigerian language by using mainly "pidgin" in the name of "communicating" with other groups? Oyibo culture has brought Nigerian culture to its knees in so many ways - now a foreign language seeks to kill our own God-given languages, using Nigerians as the executioners! Eewo!

That English, the ready-made weapon of British-American cultural imperialism, is not just trying to destroy African languages, but is attacking all other languages worldwide, I agree. Ojoogbon Akinwunmi Isola, the newly-appointed Chair of Oyo State Arts and Culture Board, related to me during a discussion with Ojoogbon Babatunde Fafunwa, the problem the French are having with English. He stated that the French government had recently warned all French broadcasters to stop polluting French with English, as is now popular in general French conversation, or face dismissal. But I doubt whether the French would think of slaughtering their language to the extent that Yorubas daily have begun to do.
The greatest tragedy in Yorubaland today however regarding language is the dominating trend to speak only English to their children, making it their first language, then sending them to private nursery school, who only teach in English and causing Yoruba children to value English above all other languages! (After all their WAEC will not be in Yoruba, one highly-educated Yoruba man told me!) And see the result! These English-speaking children will rudely use English to disrespect all and sundry (after all English does not have pronouns of respect for anybody). Hear them saying "Shut up Daddy! - Give me back my candy!" in an authoritative way. And hear this one told by Oloogbon Ishola - an semi-literate (in English)) parent says to his child, "Say hello to Daddy". The child replies "Ye 'llo Daddy". Olodumare! Yoruba children now do not know proper Yoruba and even as a result of this mixture do not know the real Yoruba words for "ma worry", "check result" etc.. Ask them or some of their parents and they will tell you they don't know the original Yoruba for the popular phrases that many literate and non-literate leaders and followers commonly use throughout Yorubaland.
As a Black-American, who has come back to her Yoruba roots these past 26 years in Nigeria, I want to break down in tears over this "iyonu"! How can Yorubas kill their own language? What sort of curse is this? Obviously the curse of european-american imperialism/colonialism/slavery! As a result I have declared "War Against Destroying Our Nigerian Languages" from today. And it must start from Yorubaland. Are not the Yorubas the "wisest and the greatest"? As everything good seems to start from Yorubaland in Nigeria, "let it be so".
I am appealing to all full-blooded Yoruba, as of today to consciously seek not to mix English with their Yoruba. Yoruba leaders must slowly speak, watching their tongues, not to include any English words inside their Yoruba. It has gotten to a state where such leaders cannot avoid mixing English as they speak Yoruba and their every sentence includes whole English phrases! The late Yoruba leader, Oloye Bola Ige was a pure Yoruba language speaker and other Yoruba leaders should follow his example. This is a "War Against English words entering Yoruba"!
All clubs and organisations in Yorubaland should hold bi-annual and annual Yoruba Speaking Competitions for the "Best Yoruba Speaker", with heavy monetary prizes (N20,000 plus) to get Yorubas to consciously practice speaking Yoruba without any English mixture. Yoruba broadcasters are guilty of promoting this deadly trend. Yoruba stations must have quarterly courses in Correct Yoruba Speaking for they are one of the biggest offenders of mixing heavily English into Yoruba. In schools Yoruba teachers must stress the importance of not mixing Yoruba. All private schools in Yorubaland must be required to have classes in Yoruba language from nursery through secondary school levels. There is a "famous" private school in Lagos, owned by Lebanese (or is it Syrians), which does not teach Yoruba on the secondary school level, as required by law. Law enforcement is necessary with frequent unannounced inspections on this crucial issue. And any student who fails to pass Yoruba in Yorubaland must not be allowed to graduate!
The Yoruba Press must be commended for indeed holding the banner high and not polluting Yoruba with English, especially Alaroye, Alalaye, Ajoro, Iroyin Yoruba, Akede must also continue the struggle to save Yoruba language. More effort however must be made to eliminate "pasito", professor "dokita" words as most of them have genuine Yoruba words that can be enlisted and popularised among their readers. Aworen must be resurrected by Alaroye, for use in all schools in Yorubaland as it was in the '50s to inculcate love of Yoruba language among children. Yoruba departments in Nigerian and foreign universities must start churning out more research on modernising Yoruba for technical, scientific and other vocabulary and making it available through special courses for the media and the general Yoruba public.
Yoruba writers must begin to write and publish bilingual publications. For any publication they publish in English, its Yoruba equivalent must be done. In the same book (Yoruba-from the front, turn upside down, English from the back) is one way to do it or in a title simultaneously released. More books, magazines, other publications like club histories, year books must be published in Yoruba. (Do you know that Alaroye sells many more copies than English newspapers in Yorubaland?) For example why is a prominent Yoruba Club issuing their history in English? If they must have English, then it must be a bilingual edition, in Yoruba from the back. Who but Yoruba should promote publications in Yoruba? We must stop promoting a foreign language over our own God-given language.
Yoruba music too, has been assaulted by Yoruba artists, unknowingly killing Yoruba language. The mixture of English has reached a new high in Fuji, Yoruba Gospel has started mixing English inside Yoruba songs within Yoruba cassettes, adding along side complete English songs! Olodumare! Such artists must be warned - no more killing of the language in this manner. If it is English you want then put that on an English cassette. Do not replace our God-given Yoruba in a Yoruba music cassette!
Yoruba movie practitioners are perhaps the biggest offenders and must take up this challenge to save Yoruba language. English mixing should absolutely be banned in all Yoruba films. I have not researched the topic but I suspect that Hausa, is probably the most unpolluted language in Nigeria, and in all their films that I have seen no English there at all.
The beauty of the Yoruba language must be showcased by having more Yoruba Cultural Festivals to be held by all clubs and organisations in Yorubaland annually. Odua's People Congress and other enforcers of law and order in Yorubaland must be in the vanguard, not only by stressing among its members that Yoruba should not be polluted but by holding bi-Annual Yoruba Speaking competitions for the "Best Yoruba Speaker". They must lead the way in correct Yoruba speaking and have literacy classes for all their members to learn to read in Yoruba and encourage them to speak Yoruba in the home to their children: Yoruba must become again the first language of Yorubas at home and abroad.
Finally a private, Yoruba school system must be set up. These schools will teach all subjects in Yoruba from nursery up to the university eventually. If it must be like a "mushroom school", starting with nursery school first and adding class by class this must be done. This Yoruba Academy can be supported extensively by Yorubas abroad, eventually having board houses were Yoruba children from abroad can join their counterparts here, including all "classes of children, street children etc.) This Yoruba Academy will inculcate Yoruba culture into our children also. With the help of our Yoruba scholars we can build on Ojoogbon Babatunde Fafunwa's successful "Mother-tongue Education" at University of Ife in the 60s. Afterall, even UNESCO has proven that Mother-tongue Education is the best for all children.
Let Yoruba Language not die! God has given the Yoruba race a language to be proud of, anywhere in the world (there are at least 60 million or more Yoruba speakers throughout the world). Let's not destroy it with our own mouths! Let us pass it on in its richness to our children, daily in our home. Let us proudly speak it daily, read it daily, champion it daily. Yorubas cannot remain great without our language. And let us be in the vanguard of saving all Nigerian/African languages.
Biu, Ogoni, Urhorbo, Igele, Ogoja, Ebira, Idoma, Efik, Tiv, Langale, Tangale, Kagona, Kutep, Oron, Legdo, Bubiaro, Esan, Afima, Isekiri, Ijaw, Edo, Ikenne, Joba, Gwari, Ibo, Igala, Hausa, speakers are you listening?
*Mrs Olade is the Chief Librarian of African Heritage Research Library, Adeyipo Village via Ibadan.

Â© 2003 - 2005 @ Guardian Newspapers Limited (All Rights Reserved).
Powered by dnetsystems.netdnetÂ®

__________________________________________________ ______________________

emj · Jul 11, 2006 , 04:41 PM

MrsChocT · Jul 11, 2006 , 05:09 PM

I am as gulity as sin. I don't think I've ever been able to speak my language without putting a lick of English in it. I've tried hard to do this but it's proven more difficult than I had imagined.

Yes, most African languages are constantly ebbing into extinction. Pretty soon, there'll be no language but the ones our colonial masters integrated into our culture (English, French, Dutch). I wonder what'll I teach my kids when they come along, watered down parlance

. God help us all....cos 99.999% of us are guilty!

purple · Jul 11, 2006 , 06:51 PM

I came across this piece earlier this year. I was particularly moved because the author is supposed to be an African Ameriacn female who self identifies as Yoruba and has made Yoruba land her home.

Yoruba will not perish off the surface of the earth, Amin. The enslaved Yoruba that were transported and transplanted to other nations were noted to have been one of the very few ethnic groups that held on to many aspects of their culture despite brutal oppression from their captors. You only need to type the word 'Yoruba' into your computer search engine and you will be amazed at the quantity and quality of materials that comes up.

Yoruba traditional religion is currently practiced in Brazil, Haiti, Trinidad, Tobago, Jamaica, Liberia, the United States and Sierra Leone etc. Yes, there may have been some changes made here and there but the core Yoruba belief systems still exist. On the other hand , Yoruba language is certainly at risk. The Yoruba elite started the trend on looking down on this most beautiful language by being: 'aso' (assorted) or ajebota. This same elite are able to turn this tide around, by speaking the language to the upcoming generation. Have you heard musicians praise God in Yoruba using the Ewi format or heard your own oriki? Nothing compares to it. It is impossible to translate that kind of stuff into English and get the same feel.

DoubleWahala · Jul 11, 2006 , 07:00 PM

Question: Can you define irony?

Answer: A writer, using the medium of English language to appeal to people, asking them not to subsume their indeginous languge, under the English Language.

Culture is not static. Language, being a part of culture, cannot be static. Even the English Language itself is not static. You only need to read(or, should i say attempt to read) literature like the Bible- King James Version, or some of Shakespeare's works, in their original form, to appreciate this simple fact.

However, sentimentally speaking, I agree with you completely.

DoubleWahala

oh baby · Jul 21, 2006 , 01:49 PM

I'm also guilty of this offence,when i was young and was being taught A-aja(Dog),little did i know i was being done a world of good, nevertheless, when i got to secondary school, and the Yoruba teacher wants you to learn the accent, on the Yoruba vowels and all, i was still not too keen.

But now i even find some people that cannot even write a sentence in Yoruba let alone write a letter in Yoruba, this makes me remember when you are called in the neighbourhood by an elderly person to write out minutes of meetings or letter to their loved ones, starting with "Omo mi owon", se alafia le wa gegebi emi na ti wa nihin,idi pataki ti mo fi ko iwe yi si e ni wipe........

In my place of abode now, at a Yoruba meeting it is common-place to hear big-big grammar at a Yoruba meeting,in between you will hear ,e jo e ma fi oyinbo fo wa lori,it will put them in order only for a few minutes,the tide turned when this man started coming and was dishing ogbontarigi Yoruba out, all the professors of english started shouting, e ma fi Yoruba fo wa lori, they are now requesting for lessons.

The one that gets to me is people wanting to write "pele"like this kpele, there is no k before it, i think we need some lessons,yours truly inclusive,before i start saying ,e jo e ma fi Yoruba fo wa lori o.

yankeesha · Aug 8, 2006 , 07:00 PM

Se kosi problem? Ki l'o feel?

Auspicious · Aug 8, 2006 , 07:29 PM

LOL! Article yii wa very interesting gan o! Ooto ni DoubleWhala so; babanla irony. Even oruko e gan (Double Wahala) na irony! Ani o ga ju! Se ooto ni'ipe Oyibo ni woman to ko article yii? Ah, o ga o! Iyen ni'ipe Oyibo lo wa nja fun ede wa bayii? Pekele-pekele, arugbo jegbese! Mo ma ri ire o! Hee-eh? Iyen ni! But anyways, mo sa mo pe ooto ni DoubleWahala so; because tipe-tipe ni ede ti n' evolve. Yoruba Samuel Ajayi Crowther yato si Yoruba aye ode oni. Even sef, ti n'ba so Yoruba Ekiti fun yin, e maa ro pe Russian ni mo n so ni! Hahaha, ooto ni mo so ke! Anyhow, mo gbadun article yii! Very soon, mo maa contribute article si NVS yii in Yoruba; afterall Uche Nworah ti contribute Igbo article, so why not a Yoruba article by Auspicious? Abi? Go on soun o jere! Yoruba for Life! Oduduwa for ever!

Jonathen · Aug 15, 2006 , 04:36 PM

If the Yuroba had their OWN country, their language would have far less chance of dissapearing.

Instead, sitting in the artificial state that is Nigeria, all ethnic groups are watching their indigenous languages dissapear. Get of out the morass that is "Nigeria" and you'll all be better off.

Midlife · Aug 17, 2006 , 01:03 PM

Jonathen,what is your stress, the Language is Yoruba and not Yuroba, i do not know what language you speak, but do not murder ours, if yours is not of importance ,ours is.

We are talking about our own dialect ,the onus is up to you to learn how to speak or write your own language.

Ko ede e ka gbo(write your language for us to see)there are people on the site who does that,emj,ss auspy,oh baby anike,uche nworah,ati bebelo like emj would say,maje ki nbinu fi ede mi ma ko nko nibiyi(don't get me mad that i start posting in my language.

Afterall the writer of the article is not Nigerian born ,only married to us!

Auspicious · Aug 17, 2006 , 01:56 PM

Wo, e ma da Jonathen lohun jare; Biafra (and his digust for Notherners)
feed every sentiment his expouses. Why don't you simply declare your
Republic of Jonathen where everyone thinks like you and talks like you
in Jonatongue? Lo joko jare! (go siddon jo!). Even the Yoruba Nation is
made up of an array of sub-languages so much so that 2 neighboring
towns may not even understand each other. Abeg, there is great
benefit in diversity - but only if managed well. Still it is no excuse to go
about calling for break up like we are experiencing some Rwandan
Nightmare. Eyin eyan mi, ki lo n happen jare? E maa mind Jonathen jo!
He's been busy going about NVS sowing his hate-driven seed for a
break-up in the last couple of days. Enough of the politics and Jonathen
talk; this is a social, laid back discuss before Jonathen came along. So,
eyin people mi, ki le feel? E je ka seal deal yen ke! Yes ke! LOL! Oh me
gosh..LMAO!

Jonathen · Aug 17, 2006 , 04:46 PM

My point friends is simply this: in the absence of your OWN state, it is inevitable that the beautiful Yoruba language will fade and fade untill it dissapears. Soon you will all simply speak Engloruba - a combination of your indigenous languages and English. The price of "Nigeria" is the eventual extinction of these ethnic identities.

Auspicious:

You make a good point - we are not experiencing some sort of Rwandan nightmare. Is that what is required however, before we realize this country's current structure cant work? How many Christians were killed last year in the North? How many times did the President have to intervene to stop the barbaric stoning of women?

Fjord · Aug 17, 2006 , 06:04 PM

Here, you see the filthy Jonathen aagin getting preachy about state creation nonsense. You don't know the first thing about language, so what're you doing getting churchy about the Yoruba language? Boob, the Yoruba language is evolving, and if you can't see the importance of that to development, you're as doomed as the rest of the one-track thoughts of your mind. And every language wishing to be relevant must evolve, with the evolution including the adoption of new words. The Yoruba language has very evident examples of these: the words for "Governor", "Soldier" etc are simple examples a simple mind like even Jonathen's should be able to grasp. If those examples don't do it for you, no one can help you.

Assignment for Jonathen, part (b) of the Japanese question that you couldn't get into your head (even with all your Arab-hatred incongruent with your Mazrui name dropping): which nation has ever achieved advancement by adopting the language of other peoples? The answer to this is more fundamental than your childish drooling for a Biafran state.

.

Jonathen · Aug 17, 2006 , 06:11 PM

Auspicious:

The Yoruba are RIGHT to be concerned about their language dissapearing. It is not "evolution" of the language that is taking place, but gradual extinction.

Fjord · Aug 17, 2006 , 06:40 PM

What this opinion amounts to is the intelligence of a bucket of rocks. You're a clueless gimp, don't you see?! : The Yorubas are smarter than to listen to you whose only solution to every problem is state creation: You've had only one idea that has distinguished you, and that one idea is wrong (yeah, I'm drawing on Disraeli, but it befits you); you insufferable, sheep-molesting, degenerate racist.

.

DoubleWahala · Aug 17, 2006 , 07:01 PM

Originally Posted by Auspicious

LOL! Article yii wa very interesting gan o! Ooto ni DoubleWhala so; babanla irony. Even oruko e gan (Double Wahala) na irony! Ani o ga ju! Se ooto ni'ipe Oyibo ni woman to ko article yii? Ah, o ga o! Iyen ni'ipe Oyibo lo wa nja fun ede wa bayii? Pekele-pekele, arugbo jegbese! Mo ma ri ire o! Hee-eh? Iyen ni! But anyways, mo sa mo pe ooto ni DoubleWahala so; because tipe-tipe ni ede ti n' evolve. Yoruba Samuel Ajayi Crowther yato si Yoruba aye ode oni. Even sef, ti n'ba so Yoruba Ekiti fun yin, e maa ro pe Russian ni mo n so ni! Hahaha, ooto ni mo so ke! Anyhow, mo gbadun article yii! Very soon, mo maa contribute article si NVS yii in Yoruba; afterall Uche Nworah ti contribute Igbo article, so why not a Yoruba article by Auspicious? Abi? Go on soun o jere! Yoruba for Life! Oduduwa for ever!

Yekpa!! Auspy my guy, please can you leave some for me? I mean that thing that you're smoking....it must be very good, I wanna have some too.

Abi ko possible?

DW

P.S. Abi, make I change my name to WahalaMeji ?

Marin · Aug 20, 2006 , 11:44 AM

DW,

If you want to do it properly, you'll change your handle to Ijogbon-Meji (IJ)

I feel so ashamed of myself because of this article. i am one of the murderers of yoruba language. some people said there are modifications in language, i'll like to add here that no modification should stop anyone from speaking his or her own language, the modifications in english language has not given room for welsh, french or dutch mixing so why should we *******ize yoruba with english language. i live in england and its suprising that people dont want their children to speak english with nigerian accent lest speaking yoruba language itself.
i decided a long time ago that my children will not only speak yoruba, they will learn and know their ''oriki'' even if that means relocating back to nigeria. I give the writer kudos for a job well done i only wish there are more people like you.