On a Lighter Side – Yoruba Translation for ‘Music’
Julius Fakinlede
On a Lighter Side – Yoruba Translation for the word ‘Music’
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Finding a word in the Yoruba Lexicon for a precise translation for the English word ‘Music’ has been challenging for me. This means that, by extension, I cannot appropriately translate musician, musicology, musicologist, etc. to Yoruba language.
My previous attempt in Yoruba Modern Practical Dictionary leaves much to be desired. In there, I have the following words: orin, ere-orin, iro-didun. All these words do not capture the complete essence of the word ‘music’, which encompasses, singing, drumming, playing percussion instruments, trumpets, etc., and sometimes including the act of dancing.
The English translation for ‘orin’ is ‘song’. In which case, ‘ere-orin’ would be appropriately translated as a play involving songs. Obviously, that does not capture the essence of music. Iro-didun is completely out – or is it. It means sweet sounds. This may be the closest one can get to Music.
Of course the Yoruba language has a word for drumming, ilu-lilu, trumpeting, fere-fifon, etc. Dancing is Ijo-jijo.
Please help with the seemingly simple word. A word that can be agreeable to most of us would be music to my ears.
P/S Check Yoruba Science and Technology Encyclopedia - http://yoruba-scipedia.wikidot.com/ for:THIS WEEK'S FEATURED ARTICLE: LASSA VIRUS - ARUN IBA LASSA
Michael Afolayan
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Michael Afolayan
Julius Fakinlede
I thank all that have contributed to this conversation. Prof. Afolayan’s response to the Yoruba translation of the English word ‘Music’ creates another issue of interest. The question: If we find it a bit difficult to arrive at a consensus as to what to name an idea or observable in our language, do we just co-opt a word from a different language? That is, do we ‘Yorubalize’ a word from say, English or some other language that is seen as more ‘developed?’ This idea is what is meant by ‘direct lexical borrowing.’ I have seen this done ad infinitum to some measure of discomfiture in many Yoruba writings.
I begin to tell myself, if we should continue in this vein, we will get to some point when, in translation to Yoruba language, all we will need to do is find a few words to connect basically English terms – lobatan.
Personally, I have often found it irksome to go this route in finding words to express a concept or an observable. I feel that the Yoruba language is quite capable of standing on its own without the need of embellishment from other languages – particularly, the language of the colonizers. Please, please, do not see this as a resort to unnecessary jingoism.
Now, let us look at the word ‘music’ and its lexically borrowed translation ‘Miusiiki’. There is little doubt that this is a version that would be embraced by Yorubas living in British colonized parts of the Yoruba nation. In French colonized parts, that word would not be a Yoruba translation simply because those people do not speak English. And, of course, among Spanish speaking Yorubas in the diaspora, it also would not jive. Now, if my grandson, in trying to learn to speak Yoruba, should ask Grandpa, what they call music in Yoruba language, and I should tell him ‘Miusiiki’. He definitely would have a dim view of our language, thinking of it as an appendage of a more ‘superior’ language.
Another word that arose for consideration beside Tilu-tifon (Dr. Adegbola), is Alujo. This is a rather pleasing word since it embraces the fact that the sound being made has some rhythm to it and that it moves someone to dance. This is a term that is popularized by Ayefele. How about that?
Oh! Prof. I also respectfully disagree that we do not have the concept ‘Music’ in Yoruba language. A universal word, embracing that concept may not exist, and that is what we are trying to find.
Regards
FAKINLEDE
KolaThomas
- oorin
- oorin ìdárayá
- oorin arò
- oorin ìwúrí
- ohùn
- kùǹ
- kọrin
- ìkọrin
- han
- ariwo
- ìpariwo
- pariwo
- ìjálá
- àyájọ́ àti bẹ́ẹ̀ bẹ́ẹ̀ lọ
From: Julius Fakinlede <jfaki...@gmail.com>
To: Yoruba Affairs <yoruba...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, February 20, 2016 11:28 AM
Subject: Yoruba Affairs - Re: On a Lighter Side – Yoruba Translation for ‘Music’
P/S Check Yoruba Science and Technology Encyclopedia - http://yoruba-scipedia. wikidot.com/ for:THIS WEEK'S FEATURED ARTICLE: LASSA VIRUS - ARUN IBA LASSA
Michael Afolayan
- oorin
- oorin ìdárayá
- oorin arò
- oorin ìwúrí
- ohùn
- kùǹ
- kọrin
- ìkọrin
- han
- ariwo
- ìpariwo
- pariwo
- ìjálá
- àyájọ́ àti bẹ́ẹ̀ bẹ́ẹ̀ lọ
Ibukunolu A Babajide
Julius Fakinlede
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Two words seem to be gaining currency as to how we should call ‘music’ in Yoruba: Alujo and Miusiiki.
Before going on, I must congratulate us for the spirit with which we have handled this conversation. It shows that we are all still much in love with our language, which I call the greatest single gift to the Yoruba person.
And please, if you still have more ideas to contribute on this matter, let it come. We are all the better for it. Also, please let your preference be made concerning these two words or make other suggestions you may have that can make the discussion richer.
On the issue of lexical borrowing, let me state categorically that I do believe in lexical borrowing. It is for the purpose with which it is used that I have some concern with. If anyone cares to google YORUBA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ENCYCLOPEDIA - yoruba-scipedia.wikidot.com - and goes to ITE AWON ISU-ATOMU (TABLE OF ELEMENTS) one will find that nearly all the words used in naming the elements are, in a sense, ‘borrowed’. There is really no need for reinventing the wheel. This kind of borrowing cannot be avoided. There are a few words in the sciences that have to be borrowed too. And I suppose this is the case in some of the specialized areas of knowledge. Let me say that in many of these cases, those words may not belong to the general, everyday use of the common Yoruba person. These kinds of borrowings have been around from time immemorial. The Yoruba person who is not ‘initiated’ into those specialized fields see those words as the ‘ẸNỌ̀’, the jargon used by those in the profession. I have also gone to some length in the Encyclopedia to identify some ‘ẹnọ̀’ that are known to me within some of the fields.
However, when it comes to everyday use language, our Yoruba language is quite capable of handling any name for any idea, concept or observable. Now, in my four decades of seriously studying the Yoruba language and six of studying the English language, I have come to the completely ‘scientific’ conclusion that the Yoruba language is by far superior in the area of creating words for concepts, ideas, and observables. This means that once an idea, concept or an observation is well described, a Yoruba word can be easily coined that would be specific for it. The English person will of course scout for words in Greek, Latin, Chinese etc. to ‘borrow’ a name for the idea. This is what is responsible for the cacophony in the English language and why it takes years for others to master it. It is responsible for the development of myriads of English–English dictionaries and encyclopedia to express simple ideas.
The reason for the superiority in Yoruba language as far as naming things is concerned is that it agglomerates previously defined and memorized phonemes to come to a name for fresh concepts. This system cannot fail except if the idea, concept or observation is not well defined. The meaning of the word Afolayan is already well defined in the word. There is no need to look in a dictionary to know that the man bearing this name is matching around elegantly due to his familial wealth. A five year old Yoruba boy already has enough in his vocabulary toolbox to delineate this.
Now, my parents, in their infinite wisdom, named me, at birth Kayode. Now in a moment of unthinking, I had come to the idea during a baptism ceremony, that I would be called Julius. Please, do not ask me what ‘Julius’ means. If you want to find out, go into the Latin or Greek language and it would tell you. As far as Kayode is concerned, one can really see that I exude happiness when debating Yoruba issues.
On Friday, February 19, 2016 at 3:14:25 AM UTC+1, Julius Fakinlede wrote:
Julius Fakinlede
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
GIVING YORUBA NAMES TO IDEAS, CONCEPTS AND OBSERVABLES
And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; ….
Genesis 2:19-20
According to the Bible, naming objects – animate or inanimate – is the first freedom God gave to man. It is a highly important freedom in many ways.
First, it is the most important assurance that God gave to man that he is the master of his own universe. He, Adam, was free to call anything whatever he wished, “… and, whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.” Our forefathers applied this freedom to name all things they came across before the coming of colonizers.
Secondly, naming gave man the ability to identify all objects using the name he gave each of them, and passing these names down to his offspring. By the time Eve and the children arrived at the scene, the names were already affixed to the objects. Conceivably, Adam was the one who told Eve that the name he gave the snake was ‘snake’. And that was even before snake started behaving like a snake. Thus a name may or may not come before behavior, essence or use-value. A name is just an identifier that is also used in distinguishing one thing from another and nothing more. Why our progenitors chose to call a dog, ‘aja’ is best known to them.
A Yoruba man looks up in the
evening time, and sees a round, reflective object and calls it ‘Osupa’. An
English person looks up and sees the same object and calls it ‘moon’. A French
person calls it ‘la lune’. To the Yoruba
person, the reason for calling it Osupa may be because the object is spherical
and seemingly bald. To the English person, this characteristic may not have
moved him in calling the object, moon. As a matter of fact, the word ‘moon’ has
its roots in older European languages including German, Greek, Latin, etc., and
it is related to ‘month’. While the word ‘osupa’ does not directly translate to
moon in essence, there can be no doubt that, in comparing notes, both people
are referring to the same object.
Thirdly, it gives a person a point of reference. Thus, when a Yoruba man tells his child to go get him a chair, he does not expect the child to bring a knife. This is as long as he had shown the son what his community had decided to call a chair and a knife and had passed the information down to his child earlier.
Therefore, in naming things, we must be aware of our primary objective, which is providing a name for a concept, an idea or an observable in Yoruba. That thing may be as old as the universe or as new as yesterday. We are however, not trying to translate words from one language or another to Yoruba
P/S Check Yoruba Science and Technology Encyclopedia - http://yoruba-scipedia.wikidot.com/ for:THIS WEEK'S FEATURED ARTICLE: ZIKA VIRUS DISEASE - ARUN OLOJE SIKA
FAKINLEDE
On Friday, February 19, 2016 at 3:14:25 AM UTC+1, Julius Fakinlede wrote: