Topics yoruba language collection opensource language english. It is in the spirit of african culture that we left some of them uninterpreted to enable you enjoy their richness and wisdom. Chief linguist kwame frimpong manso adakabre shares the wisdom and knowledge of the akan proverbs. This paper discusses how hearers arrives at a meaning when they hear a proverb. Yoruba proverbs handbook provides over 2,500 yoruba proverbs along with their concise english translations in a clear, breezy and easytoread style. Pdf the nature, form and functions of yoruba proverbs.
Oyekan owomoyela at the university of nebraska lincoln. With 5235 of them, presented according to subjectmatter and each section then arranged alphabetically, it is an encyclopaedic collection a reference work more than anything else. Its foundation is embedded in the moral wisdom of the yoruba culture and world view. The beauty of african proverbs lies in their mystery. Pai lotun pai losi, toju o ba fo, a ko ma wo bai bai nihardship here and there would definitely yield a broken personility. Aseju ni irun aya, irun abe titohairy chest is oversabi, pubic hair is enough 3. The proverbs have been listed alphabetically to make it easy to search for and find. Contrastive study of english and yoruba morphological. This paper is a philosophical analysis of yoruba proverbs. It is part of human nature to want to dominate one another.
The following proverbs are presented in their original form in yoruba next to a yoruba to english translation that explains the proverb s meaning. Sep 06, 2018 thank you also to olorisha and babalawo nathan lugo who runs for a revision of some of my lukumi terms and helping me with their translations into yoruba. With 5235 of them, presented according to subjectmatter and each section then arranged alphabetically, it is an encyclopaedic collection. After scouring the web for the best proverbs, we have created a list of 50 yoruba proverbs and their meanings. Africa, proverbs have a different function and level of theoretical meaning that. Lest i not derail from the topic being discussed i will be showing you the owe yoruba you should know what this means already and its various meaning in no time. But nevertheless, we still have the dominant tribes which are the hausas, yorubas, and igbo. Hence, proverb must be analysed in each of its unique social contextsv. Below is a table of some yoruba proverbs, their literary translations and meanings. When you get to understand the literal translation of yoruba proverbs and the meaning derived, you would see that the yoruba culture is very rich. Since yoruba proverbs have ethical and moral values. But while it recognizes their coexistence, it as well underlines the fact that the relationship between women and men should be founded on equality. Ten storyfied yoruba proverbs for children by tayo solagbade. Yoruba proverbs yoruba proverbs oyekan owomoyelauniversity of nebraska press, lincoln and london the publication.
A study of selected yoruba proverbs and proverbial expressions article pdf available january 2014 with 2,2 reads how we measure reads. Moja mosa laa mo akinkanju loju ogundiscretion is a better part of valour. Welcome to the electronic version of the good person. Isiro loko didocalculation is the master of bleeping 2.
Yoruba proverbs and their meaning eera ko fe poroporo denu. Yoruba proverbs handbook download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl. This gigantic collection contains 5,235 yoruba proverbs, their english translations, excellent brief annotations on usage and contexts, and a 38page introduction. So some yoruba proverbs and idioms should be found on every social media page of a nigerian person as it shows wisdom. Cultures, norms and traditions of any people are preserved in their proverbs. Yoruba proverbs handbook download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. He explains the meanings, origins, and uses of proverbs.
Abstract proverbs in yoruba culture recognize the natural dichotomy that exists between male and female. Translation strategies of proverbs in selected yoruba. This proverb is used when someone blames the quality of their equipment or other. However numerous of the written collections of proverbs from adebayos owe in yoruba fun ileeko giga 1979. The study adopts vermeers skopos theory as theoretical framework due to its focus on the purpose, adequacy and function of translation. The attitudes of the mother are emulated by her offspring. Proverbs are popular sayings that provide nuggets of wisdom. It has different answers to important questions in their religion and wise words. The proverb builds on the fact that chickens have no knees, and, therefore, cannot state cases kneeling. In spite of the fact that things and events are unique, some yoruba proverbs show their interdependence.
Death and the kings horseman is a play by wole soyinka based on a real incident that took place in nigeria during british colonial rule. Earlier in this article, we mentioned that in most african traditions, it is unacceptable to tell an african proverb and still be the one to explain the meaning. How to say hello in nigerian easiest way these three tribes are mostly the most populous in nigeria with. The yoruba proverbs that we have in english today are translations from yoruba language to english. According to yoruba tradition, the death of the king must be followed by the ritual death of the kings horseman as well as the kings dog and horse, because the horsemans spirit is essential to helping the chiefs spirit. Yoruba proverbs is the most comprehensive collection to date of more than five thousand yoruban proverbs that showcase yoruba oral tradition.
In fact proverbs are the vehicle for understanding the depth of the language. Nathan regularly teaches orisha songs online in his orisa song circle, very recommended to yoruba students to get to know the olorisha vocabulary. Again, some proverbs are historical in origin, and bring to remembrance the events that led to their establishment. Yoruba proverbs are wise sayings passed through generations to teach. Googles free service instantly translates words, phrases, and web pages between english and over 100 other languages. Yoruba proverbs, names and national consciousness philarchive. Presupposition and sentence synonyms as semantic devices. Numerous of such proverbs on which this study is based are from daytoday anonymous sources.
Another important aspect of yoruba proverbs is the figurative form they. If you catch the leader of your enemy his followers will be helpless. This study, therefore, investigates the strategies employed in translating proverbs in selected yoruba nollywood epic movies, to determine their appropriateness in such translations. As relevant as proverbs are in yoruba society, they are used to portray women as less important and immoral entity.
A kin fi oju o loju shewo ka jare one does not succeed by handing over his affairs to someone else. Apr 29, 2011 yoruba proverbs and their meaning eera ko fe poroporo denu. The use of a yoruba proverb by a younger person is prohibited in the presence of an older person, without prior permission to do so. Boli boli roasted plantain is a popular and delicious nigerian street food, you will always find sellers at every street corner. International journal of african society, cultures and traditions vol. Owe ile yoruba some lovely yoruba proverbs and their. Yoruba proverbs is a mammoth collection of yoruba owe the english idea of a proverb apparently being a fair approximation of that concept. As part of yoruba funerary rites, a chicken is sacrificed to clear evil forces off the way of the deceaseds spirit. West african proverbs elaine jones university of maryland. So i present to you this interesting topic on yoruba proverbsowe yoruba, indeed the nigerian culture is very much vast and wide with each tribes having its own laws and traditions.
But yoruba proverbs relating to health matters can do more. Proverbs and gender equalities and equities in african. Kehinde edeniran ogunsanya college of education, lagos, nigeria. Doc philosophical significance of yoruba proverbs onifade. It is customary for litigants in yoruba courts to state their cases on their knees.
Ten storyfied yoruba proverbs for children by tayo. Yoruba proverbs are wise sayings passed through generations to teach historical lessons, highlight good morals, and instil social values. In fact, proverbs are the vehicle for understanding the depth of the language. These pointed sayings are the accumulated treasure of. In other words, whenever there is an occurrence or event, an appropriate proverb that suits such an occurrence, is employed. A study of selected yoruba proverbs and proverbial expressions adeyemi johnson ademowo1 and noah balogun2 12general studies department, afe babalola university, adoekiti, nigeria this paper examines the role of proverbs and their use in conflict management and in enhancing peaceful human coexistence. Philosophical issues in yoruba proverbs adegboyega. My motivation to do this is mainly to empower my kids to communicate proficiently using yoruba. Proverbs are witty expressions precipitated by warranted situations.
Online edition of the fist section of proverbs collected, translated and explained by dr. Oyekan owomoyela at the university of nebraska lincoln the yoruba language text on this site is viewable in two settings, depending on the font settings on your computer find out more about font options. Screenshot showing yoruba proverbs with their meanings. University of nebraska press, lincoln and london, 2005. Yoruba proverbs themselves are as old as the users of the language itself. The following proverbs and their explanation will lend credence to this claim. In other words, the proverbs of a community or nation is in a real sense an ethnography of the people which if systematized can give a penetrating picture of the peoples way of life, their philosophy, their criticism of life, moral truths and social valuesvi.
Bi oni ti ri ola o ri be, lo mu babalawo to fin difa ojojumo. Yoruba proverbs are as old as the users of the language itself. Igbo proverbs in no language do proverbs plays a more important role than in igbo. Owe ile yoruba some lovely yoruba proverbs and their meanings. Death and the kings horseman builds upon the true story on which soyinka based the play, to focus on the character of elesin, the kings horseman of the title. It could cause a good laugh and give you an insight into how deep the culture is. For instance, proverbs like a fadamo damo le kun awow oxiii using the gun to stop an uprising, a k ini i je a kini, a fi ni han i je a fini. All peoples of the world have a repertoire of proverbs in their languages.
The paper discusses some of these hidden beauties of yoruba proverbs. Boli boli sun boli ni a gbajumo ati ti nhu nigerian ita ounje, o yoo ma ri awon ti o ntaa ni gbogbo ita igun. It is true that words are loaded with meanings and contents drawn from behavioural pattern or ideology, the intended or envisaged meaning is determined by its. In addition to the british intervention, soyinka calls the horsemans own conviction toward suicide into question, posing a problem that throws off the. These situations can be likened to certain occurrences or events which took place aforetime to invoke a proverb match. Standard yoruba has its origin in the 1850s, when samuel ajayi crowther, the first african bishop, published a yoruba grammar and started his translation of the bible to yoruba more languages. It is imperative therefore that a lot of importance is attached to them in igbo school examinations.
Resort to proverbs, writes professor owomoyela in his introduction to this impressive book, is the most important and most effective strategy the yoruba have devised to optimize the efficaciousness of speech. Yoruba has over fifteen dialects and standard yoruba is the written form of the language and the standard variety learnt in school. Western philosophy has basically been classified into metaphysics, epistemology and ethics. By using some of these 150 popular proverbs, you can up your english language skills by few notches. Readers will find in the book, preceded by two earlier proverb collections and one trickster tales. It is believed that a comparative study of this type will reveal the differences which are assumed to be responsible for linguistic interference and are thus sources of difficulties for a yoruba learner of english. This article provides you with yoruba proverbs and their meanings. No matter what you are undertaking in life, whether its learning a new language, embarking on a career or working on a project, if you start something from scratch, you. When a man goes alone to scrap bark from a tree, it falls to the ground. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Yoruba proverbs and translation in english home facebook.
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