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Yoruba Resources | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
| axe02 Triglot Groupie Joined 7221 days ago 71 posts - 73 votes  Speaks: English*, Portuguese, French | Message 1 of 22 27 June 2005 at 1:53pm | IP Logged | ||
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I'm interested in learning Yoruba properly at some point (later this year or next year). Does anyone know of any good self-study resources for Yoruba (besides the very expensive Audioforum set)?
Thanks a lot! Any information would be appreciated. Edited by administrator on 29 June 2005 at 12:22am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Martien Heptaglot Senior Member Netherlands martienvanwanrooij.n Joined 7105 days ago 134 posts - 148 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, German, Spanish, Turkish, Italian, French Studies: Portuguese, Serbo-Croatian, Latin, Swedish, Arabic (Written) | Message 2 of 22 27 June 2005 at 2:23pm | IP Logged | ||
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http://www.learnyoruba.com/ has some sound files. There is a book called "Teach Yourself Yoruba" (about 30 years old,you could find it in some second hand bookshops I guess) that gives a good description of the tones and I think with a carefull study of that description you can acquire a reasonable pronunciation.You will notice that, as soon as you master the tones, the sounds themselves are not more difficult to pronounce then Italian. As soon as you open the page you will hear and read "E káàbo" (welcome)
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| axe02 Triglot Groupie Joined 7221 days ago 71 posts - 73 votes Speaks: English*, Portuguese, French | Message 3 of 22 28 June 2005 at 9:49pm | IP Logged | ||
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Thanks Martien. I'll take a look at that site and use the Teach Yourself book. I hope you're right about Yoruba not being more difficult than Italian once the sounds are mastered. It's a nightmare because one word could mean 5 or more things depending simply on how it is pronounded and I've found it impossible to distinguish between the sounds in the past. Thanks again for your help!
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| axe02 Triglot Groupie Joined 7221 days ago 71 posts - 73 votes Speaks: English*, Portuguese, French | Message 4 of 22 09 July 2005 at 3:58pm | IP Logged | ||
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Does anyone know where I can find information on the difficulty, required hours of study, etc. for Yoruba? I found the language family (Benue-Congo, sub-division of the Niger-Congo language family), but there seems to be very little info on how long it takes to learn it.
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| delectric Diglot Senior Member China Joined 7181 days ago 608 posts - 733 votes Speaks: English*, Mandarin Studies: German | Message 5 of 22 11 July 2005 at 2:03pm | IP Logged | ||
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How many people speak Yoruba? Is it the most important Nigerian language and is it spoken somewhere else?
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| axe02 Triglot Groupie Joined 7221 days ago 71 posts - 73 votes Speaks: English*, Portuguese, French | Message 6 of 22 11 July 2005 at 2:41pm | IP Logged | ||
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I have seen widely varying figures for the number of Yoruba speakers: 30 million, 50 million, and even 100 million. It is one of the most widely spoken languages in Nigeria (it is one of the official languages). It is also spoken outside of Nigeria in parts of Benin, Sierra Leone, and Togo. You can also find people who speak it in Cuba and Brazil (though I think it is also known in these places as Nago). In fact, many songs (especially Axé music) and names of food from the north of Brazil contain a lot of Yoruba words and the deities associated with religions like candomblé are actually Yoruba ones. Edited by axe02 on 11 July 2005 at 2:42pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Martien Heptaglot Senior Member Netherlands martienvanwanrooij.n Joined 7105 days ago 134 posts - 148 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, German, Spanish, Turkish, Italian, French Studies: Portuguese, Serbo-Croatian, Latin, Swedish, Arabic (Written) | Message 7 of 22 24 July 2005 at 7:03am | IP Logged | ||
Axe I cannot give you such factual info but maybe this helps: if you are familiar with the tone concept as used in Chinese, Yoruba tones will not be to difficult. Pronunciation is , as said, somewhat related to Italian and grammar is analytical, more separate particles then endings. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| daristani Senior Member United States Joined 7144 days ago 752 posts - 1661 votes Studies: Uzbek | Message 8 of 22 25 July 2005 at 11:20am | IP Logged | ||
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I ran across this brief notice of a not-yet-published book for Yoruba and thought I'd send it along; it's from Hippocrene Books, a publisher whose products vary considerbly in quality of content. Here is is:
----------------------------------------------------------- BEGINNER'S YORUBA WITH 2 AUDIO CDS Kayode J. Fakinlede 2 80-MINUTE AUDIO CDS Originally announced in Hippocrene’s Fall 2004 catalog, Beginner’s Yoruba is now being released with 2 accompanying audio CDs. It provides an introduction to the Yoruba language, which is spoken by more than 30 million people in southwestern Nigeria, parts of the Benin Republic, and Togo, as well as in the diaspora populations of Brazil, Cuba, and Haiti. The 15 lessons are designed for both classroom use and self-study. Practice dialogues, combined with grammatical explanations, aid the student in understanding the basics of the language. Each lesson also contains a vocabulary section that highlights the important aspects of its featured topic. The audio CDs, which complement the lessons, help the student easily master the language’s unique tones and vowel sounds, often considered the most difficult aspect of the language to learn. Quizzes and practice exercises are integrated into the lessons to help reinforce the material. The book also includes information on various aspects of Yoruba culture, including religion, songs, and folklore. About the author: Kayode J. Fakinlede is a research chemist from Nigeria. He previously wrote, compiled, and edited Yoruba Modern Practical Dictionary for Hippocrene Books. He lives in Metuchen, New Jersey, with his wife Olaitan Taye. paperback 278 pages 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 W Publication Date: 10/2005 ISBN: 0-7818-1069-8 1 person has voted this message useful |
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