1. Iwáró: Two people that escort a new wife to her husband's house
2. Alágbe: A person who sings and dances for money
3. Onísòwò: Someone that is into buying and selling
4. Àgbẹ̀: A farmer
5. Agbẹjọ́rò: A lawyer
6. Alágbẹ̀dẹ: A smith
7. Babaláwo: An ifa priest
8. Ọ̀tá: An enemy
9. Alápatà: A butcher
10. Pẹjapẹja: A fisher
11. Àyò: A favorite
12. Òbùrẹwà: An ugly person
13. Aláròká: A rumour monger or talebearer
14. Onírìkísí or Ọlọ̀tẹ̀: A dilly dally person or someone that plots conspiracy or a betrayal
15. Wọ̀bìà or Alájẹjù: A glutton
16. Alámupara: A drunkard
17. Arúfin: A defaulter
18. Ẹlẹ́wọ̀n: A prisoner
19. Alágbàtọ́: A carer or nanny
20. Alákọ́bẹ̀rẹ̀: A beginner
21. Ọlọ́pàá: Police
22. Rélùwéé: Railway
23. Mọlémọlé: A builder or bricklayer
24. Gbẹ́nàgbẹ́nà: A carpenter
25. Olùgbìfọ̀: A translator
26. Alágbàfọ̀: A laundry man
27. Onígbàjamọ̀: A barber
28. Jagunjagun: A warrior
29. Oníwòsìwósì: A petty trader
30. Elébìrà: A worker or labourer
31. Alárinà: A match maker or an intermediary
32. Arẹwà: A beautiful person
33. Akọ̀wé: An educated person
34. Adájọ́: A judge
35. Ẹrú: A slave
36. Òkóbó Akúra: An impotent man
37. Orò: A masqurade festival that a woman must not see.
Ẹ̀KỌ́ ÈDÈ YORÙBÁ / LEARN YORÙBÁ LANGUAGE
Saturday, July 7, 2018
Yoruba Proverbs and Their Meaning
1. Ẹnu ò mẹnu, ètè ò métè ní kó ọ̀ràn bá ẹ̀rẹ̀kẹ́
Meaning: Excessive talk brings insult.
2. Ẹni t'ó yá ẹgbẹ̀fà tí kò san, o bẹ́gi dínà ẹgbàá
Meaning: A person who has defaulted on repaying 1,200 disqualifies himself or herself from a credit of 2,000 from the same source.
3. Ẹni tó sọ pé kárá ilé òun má là, ará òde ní yóò yaa lọ́fà
Meaning: He who wishes poverty for his or her relations will end up as a bond-man in the hands of strangers
4. Ẹni tó lẹlẹ́dẹ̀ ló lẹ̀ẹ̀dẹ̀
Meaning: The owner of the pigs owns or dominates the compound.
5. Ẹni tó jogún kógún, ìtàn kítàn ni yóò máa pa
Meaning: He or she who illicitly inherits will live to tell fictitious stories to back up his or her illegal act.
Meaning: Excessive talk brings insult.
2. Ẹni t'ó yá ẹgbẹ̀fà tí kò san, o bẹ́gi dínà ẹgbàá
Meaning: A person who has defaulted on repaying 1,200 disqualifies himself or herself from a credit of 2,000 from the same source.
3. Ẹni tó sọ pé kárá ilé òun má là, ará òde ní yóò yaa lọ́fà
Meaning: He who wishes poverty for his or her relations will end up as a bond-man in the hands of strangers
4. Ẹni tó lẹlẹ́dẹ̀ ló lẹ̀ẹ̀dẹ̀
Meaning: The owner of the pigs owns or dominates the compound.
5. Ẹni tó jogún kógún, ìtàn kítàn ni yóò máa pa
Meaning: He or she who illicitly inherits will live to tell fictitious stories to back up his or her illegal act.
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Names meaning "Abundance" are names beginning with: "Ọ̀PÁ
Names that start with Ọ̀PÁ suggest there was an abundance at the time of birth of a child. Examples of such names are:
1. Ọ̀pákúnlé: Abundance fills the house.
2. Ọ̀pálẹ́yẹ: Abundance confers dignity.
3. Ọ̀páyẹmí: Abundance suits me.
4. Ọlọ́pàádé: The one who lives in abundance is here or worshiper of the god of abundance is here
The list is endless.
1. Ọ̀pákúnlé: Abundance fills the house.
2. Ọ̀pálẹ́yẹ: Abundance confers dignity.
3. Ọ̀páyẹmí: Abundance suits me.
4. Ọlọ́pàádé: The one who lives in abundance is here or worshiper of the god of abundance is here
The list is endless.
Names suggesting reincarnation
The Yoruba belief is that if a newborn arrives into a family, after the death of a member of the family, the dead is said to have revisited the clan. As a result, the following names are common in Yoruba land:
1. Babatunde: Father comes a second time
2. Yetunde: Mother comes a second time
3. Iyabo: Mother returns
4. Babatunji: Father wakes up
5. Babajide: Father is here
6. Omodeinde: The child comes back
7. Omodeinbo: The child comes back
8. Enilo(lobo): It is the person who went away that returned
9. Yewande: Mother comes back to me
10. Yejide: Mother is here
1. Babatunde: Father comes a second time
2. Yetunde: Mother comes a second time
3. Iyabo: Mother returns
4. Babatunji: Father wakes up
5. Babajide: Father is here
6. Omodeinde: The child comes back
7. Omodeinbo: The child comes back
8. Enilo(lobo): It is the person who went away that returned
9. Yewande: Mother comes back to me
10. Yejide: Mother is here
Yoruba Proverbs
Ẹní bá sùn là n jí, a kì í jí apirọ́
Meaning: We can only wake a person sleeping, we do not wake someone pretending to be asleep
Meaning: We can only wake a person sleeping, we do not wake someone pretending to be asleep
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Yorùbá: The Noun Phrase
XY is about the simplest construction in Yorùbá language, where X is a noun and Y is another noun juxtaposed to X. Noun Y qualifies noun X. The following Yorùbá names are examples:
(The) X (of) Y Name
Adé ọlá Adéọlá (Thecrown of high estate)
Ọlá ifá ọláifá (The high estate of the oracle)
Iyì ọlá Iyìọlá (The prestige of high status)
Àánú olú Àánúolú (The mercy of God)
Ilé Ọlọ́run IléỌlọ́run (The house of God)
The above are about the simplest grammatical construction in Yorùbá language.
(The) X (of) Y Name
Adé ọlá Adéọlá (Thecrown of high estate)
Ọlá ifá ọláifá (The high estate of the oracle)
Iyì ọlá Iyìọlá (The prestige of high status)
Àánú olú Àánúolú (The mercy of God)
Ilé Ọlọ́run IléỌlọ́run (The house of God)
The above are about the simplest grammatical construction in Yorùbá language.
Yorùbá Names: The Structural and Cultural Denotation
Understanding the structure of Yoruba names is very important while teaching Yoruba language. The structure of Yoruba names mostly serves as the foundation for the structure of a speech, because Yoruba names are structured like phrases and sentences. e.g. Olú rẹ̀ mí lẹ́ kún - a sentence, the name is written as Olúrẹ̀mílẹ́kún.
There is no doubt personal and place names are some of the oldest elements in the Yoruba language. A study of these names will unveil a lot of facts about the Yoruba culture and importantly, the syntax and morphology of the Yoruba language.
I would like us to take a journey through classification of Yoruba names structurally and culturally, while I reference the book, "Yoruba names: their structure and their meanings by Modupe Oduyoye, 1971".
There is no doubt personal and place names are some of the oldest elements in the Yoruba language. A study of these names will unveil a lot of facts about the Yoruba culture and importantly, the syntax and morphology of the Yoruba language.
I would like us to take a journey through classification of Yoruba names structurally and culturally, while I reference the book, "Yoruba names: their structure and their meanings by Modupe Oduyoye, 1971".
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