"Oyibo" is not the correct spelling
Adey
Hello Yinka,
I have never heard of "Oyi bo yee" in my life... I think he probably meant
to write "OYINBO YI" - This white person?
Try pronoucing your name without the "n". Yika!?! :-) Hmmmmm... Something
is definitely amiss here.
Adey.
You wrote:
>My brother:
>I would be willing to learn! I have tried 13 times to pronounce "Oyi bo yee"
>aloud. Believe me, it sounded as though I were speaking some foreign language.
>This is not mainstream Yoruba. QED.
>Yinka
>
>
Naijatoday
Francis:
You know what's funny? I have never met any one who says "Eko ni mi ti wa" or
talks like that. While I'm sure, such expressions are common downtown Lagos
(Campos Sq, Idumota, etc), on the mainland, where I was born and raised, our
sins consist mainly of altogether killing Yoruba language in such a manner
that there is no pretension. "Se car mi ti ready?" is what you ask the
mechanic, not "Alagba se e ti pari ise lori oko mi?" In Ekiti, I'm sure even
the second sentence (standard, as it is) would take a totally different shape.
And some people would expect us to accept it as standard Yoruba.
Now, I know why Mrs BUMI agrees with Dr Fabunmi. Oyibo is what they say in
Ekiti; therefore Oyibo was presented to us as the "correct" spelling. The
logic is simple: It makes sense to me; it must make sense to the world. IT is
because I say so.
Me I tire.
Yinka
Naijatoday
Tunde:
Now you have spoiled it with your Osun "fillage" bit. That is not a variation
of Yoruba. It is not a Yoruba dialect. It is only an indication of your
friends' deficiency with pronounciation.
BTW, that some of your friends call you TUDE does not make that correct
Yoruba. It is Ekiti Yoruba and there is nothing wrong with that.
yinka
Bunmi Fatoye-Matory
Kasirim,
I'm from Ekiti where people speak a dialect different from what is known
as Standard Yoruba. In fact, almost all Yoruba people speak a variant of
the Standard Language, the Egbas, the Ijebus, the Oyos etc etc. I was
surprised to see the ignorance of some people who actually thought the
standard Yoruba is Lagos Yoruba. No. The man who first wrote the Yoruba
orthography a century ago was a returned slave. He chose Oyo orthography
because of the influence of Oyo Empire in that era. So we now have
standard Yoruba that most Yoruba children actually have to learn in school
if they do not grow up in certain urban areas of Yoruba land. Even
those who grow up in those areas are often bidialectal because their
parents sometimes speak the native dialect, Ijebu, Egba, Ekiti, at home as
well as standard Yoruba
To answer your question, all Yoruba names used the standard
orthography, but have regional variations in their pronounciation. My town
people will call me Bumi. And now the controversial Oyinbo example, the
Ekitis call the word Oyibo. The argument you've seen on the net is between
those who grew up in the coastal areas of Yorubaland, Lagos and its
suburbs, and who did not know much about the variations in Yoruba
language. They just assume what applies to them is the general rule. But
that is not really the case. Hope I've answered your question.
Bunmi
On Sat, 10 Jan 1998, o. kasirim nwuke wrote:
> Bumi:
>
> Which is the correct spelling of your name? BUNMI as in your e-mail
> address or BUMI as you signed off below :-)? Plse inquiring "minds wants
> sic) to know".
>
> okn
> ----------
>
> On Fri, 9 Jan 1998, Bunmi Fatoye-Matory wrote:
>
> > Mr Adey, (with a strange Y at the end of his name)
> > Yes, indeed. I'm buying it hook, line and sinker. This is because
> > in my dialect, it makes perfect sense. So at this point, unless you have
> > contrary evidence, I'm inclined to believe it may have originated from the
> > Ekitis and that the change in spelling reflects the phonological
> > influence of Standard Yoruba. Yoruba language experts could come to
> > assistance on this. But until then, I hold on to my theory.
> >
> > BUMI (The original spelling before the mainstreamers spoil it)
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Ms. Fatoye,
> > >
> > > Are you telling us below that you bought into the "Oyibo" stuff
> > > Dr. James Fabunmi was trying to sell to our village?
> > >
> > > I will tell you this much, no Yoruba village will accept OYINBO
> > > as "oyibo". Period!!
> > >
> > >
> > > Adey.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > At 07:20 PM 1/9/98 -0400, you wrote:
> > > >Mr Yinka,
> > > >Why not? His explanation makes perfect sense to me. Since the so-called
> > > >mainstream speakers have been interacting with the villagers north of
> > > >Lagos for centuries, certainly it can't be any surprise that many lexical
> > > >items in your mainstream Yoruba originated from the villages. Do I smell a
> > > >hint of arrogance here because I don't think any Yoruba person could be
> > > >uppity about his brand of Yoruba, except the Oyos. That has its history
> > > >too. Even Oyo Yoruba these days has become part of the comedy routines
> > > >because of the loss of their hegemony over Yoruba land. In fact, I have
> > > >read in many places that Oyinbo means "peeled people". I thank Mr.
> > > >Fabunmi for explaining what the first syllabe means.
> > > >
> > > >Bunmi
> > > >
> > > >On Fri, 9 Jan 1998, Naijatoday wrote:
> > > >
> > > >> Thanks. I knew something was wrong with Fabunmi's explanation. It appears to
> > > >> be some Yoruba dialect that is not mainstream. "Oyi bo yee" is not Yoruba.
> > > >> Unless Fabunmi wants to suggest a theory that the word derives from some
> > > >> village north of Lagos.
> > > >> yinka
> > > >>
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
>
>
Dr. James A. Fabunmi
Dear Francis:
Thanks for your kind remarks. Please share your thoughts. If you note
that out of the 700 or so netters on Naija net, only one or two appear
to
be totally unwilling to engage their reasoning faculties, then you can
assume that
a vast majority is out there taking the time to ponder on whatever ideas
are being
shared on this forum.
On the topic of Oyibo, the explanation that I gave came from the
original
Ife dialect. "Oyi bo yee" is equivalent to "Oyi bo eleyi", meaning the
same thing
that I explained before. For a Lagosian to question the authenticity of
the Ife
dialect is a reflection of the extent to which the colonial influence
has disconnected
our people from their roots.
James.
Francis Ifejika Achike wrote:
> Dear Philip and James,
> It gives me great joy that you two have created a platform for my
> return
> this year to our net. The pressure of work has taken me away for
> quite
> some time, allowing me only ocassional peeps into the activities of
> the
> ever ebullient Naijanet. And it does appear this is going to be the
> state of things for some time to come. Under this atmosphere, I had
> towards the end of last year given a thought about my format of
> appearance on Naijanet. I concluded that I will be unable to continue
>
> with long type of responses/ articles as had hitherto been my
> practice.
> I came up with the idea of appearing weekly with expressions of my
> innermost thoughts as they pertain to our country under a regular
> heading which I have chosen to call "PONDER ANEW". Ponder Anew shall
> not aim at promoting open debate on the net. It shall rather aim at
> stimulating a one man debate, by which I mean individual self
> -reexamination. A debate with your God. A debate with your
> conscience,
> at which level only the truth shall confront and emanate from the
> individual. Not the usual open debate where deceit (including
> self-deceit), lies, manipulation, intrigue, selfishness, greed,
> avarice
> are the usual prevalent modulating factors. Within this
> philosophical
> framework, therefore, Ponder Anew shall not go into any debates on the
>
> net.
>
> James when I first read you on this net I could immediately see some
> convergence in our individual thinking as I immediately realised that
> your "What If" has a lot in common with the motives of my Ponder Anew.
>
> Indeed it is in recognition of this fact that I joyfully chose the
> discussion raised by you as a platform for introducing Ponder Anew.
>
> Now to Ponder Anew
>
> As I read James and Philip on the issue of Oyibo I cant help feeling
> the
> weight (aura) of the enormity of brains that we have on this net, nay
> our country. Yet the situation in our country reflects a reverse
> proportionality.
>
> Think! Think!!
>
> As you think please remember that it has been rightly said that a life
>
> (i.e
> yours) is useful only to the extent that it impacts positively on
> other
> lives.
>
> May God give us men times like this demand.
>
> Francis.
>
> >----------
> >From: Philip Abode[SMTP:pxa...@FRESNO.K12.CA.US]
> >Sent: Saturday, January 10, 1998 5:19 AM
> >To: NAIJA...@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
> >Subject: "Oyibo" is not the correct spelling
> >
> >Dr. James A. Fabunmi wrote:
> >
> >> Frances:
> >>
> >> You are correct on the spelling of "oyibo". The word derives from
> the
> >> expression:
> >> "Oyi bo yee" - meaning "this one has been weather-stripped", or
> "this
> >> one's complexion
> >> has been washed away by the (cold) winds". The Yorubas believe that
>
> >> the
> >> Europeans
> >> were once Africans with dark complexion. But because of their
> sojourn
> >> in
> >>
> >> cold and windy climates, the wind- "oyi", has stripped ("bo") them
> of
> >> their skin color.
> >
> >As I understand this term, "Oyibo" is the Ibo version of the original
>
> >Yoruba term "Oyinbo" which (I cannot remember the source) is derived
> >from the yoruba observation that the people in reference lacked
> >melanin. The originator thought melanin to be "Oyin" , that is,
> honey.
> >Given the color of honey no one would argue this parallelism with
> >melanin. The verbal "bo" means to fade as in the oxidation of
> colors.
> >Hence the label Oyinbo. I am yet to find any reference to the
> purported
> >Yoruba theory of African origin of the human species as Fabunmi
> >alluded. However, the theory has accumulated substantial evidence in
>
> >its favor, as shown in the book: The Evolution of Racism: human
> >differences and the use and abuse of science by Pat Shipman (Simon &
> >Schuster; New York, NY (1994) ISBN: 0-671-75460-2).
> >
> >The book is a rich account of research and controversies on matters
> of
> >race relations. Includes excellent references on the subject,
> >particularly from anthropological and genetic studies. Includes
> >narratives on the politics of race and economic aspects. Part VI,
> "The
> >Genetics of Racism" is very informing, contains important references
> to
> >controversial works on the subject, like Thorne and Wolpoff 's
> >Multiregional Evolution (1992) and Stringer and Gamble's In Search of
>
> >Neanderthals (1993). The latter support's the African Origin
> >hypothesis. Also see Wilson and Cann (1992) "The Recent African
> Genesis
> >of Humans," 1992, Scientific American, 266 (4):68-73. While there
> are
> >critics, the African Origin theory has accumulated impressive
> research
> >evidence:
> >Vigilant, Stineking, Harpending, Hawkes and Wilson's "African
> >Populations and the Evolution of Human Mitochondrial DNA," 1991,
> Science
> >253:1503-1507. Cann, Stoneking and Wilson's "Mitochondrial DNA and
> >Human Evolution," 1987, Nature 325: 32-36.
> >
Bunmi Fatoye-Matory
Yinka of Naijatoday,
I would take you on if I had the time, but I don't. There is nothing like
correct language when you are talking of variations within that language.
I've known you to be a mogul movie-maker, manager of powerful PRO company
and retired journalist, but I never knew you wear the language expert
hat as well. See how Nigeria is loosing her talented sons to the other
side of the Atlantic? Come to think of it, I would rather discuss the
matter of how to rescue our country from the military colonizers and
their hanger-ons, if I had the time. Bye for now.
Bunmi
Francis Ifejika Achike
Yinka,
I like the arrogance bit you added to it. Lagos Yoruba tends to create
some arrogance around itself- an ephemerality of the subjective mind, I
dare concur with you. I still enjoy some of such 'bastardisation' (note
that I do not mean 'omo ale' here, so no unnecessary debates) of the
'normal' (mainstream) as in when an ome-eko moves up country and
introduces himself thus, "Eko ni mi ti wa". Note the "mi' as against
"mo".
Have a nice day.
Francis.
>----------
>From: Naijatoday[SMTP:Naija...@AOL.COM]
>Sent: Saturday, January 10, 1998 10:34 AM
>To: NAIJA...@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
>Subject: Re: "Oyibo" is not the correct spelling
>
>Mrs Bunmi:
>
>If "Oyi bo yee" is Yoruba to you, then good luck. I have pronounced it aloud,
>and it makes no sense at all; infact it has no meaning. I'm willing to bet
>that Fabunmi's explanation has been colored by some allegiance to some Ondo
>State/Osun State dialect. That is fine, but it is not mainstream.
>
>In our Lagos of yore, we would call, fondly, such an expression "ara oke"
>stuff.
>
>The arrogance you see, I'm afraid to say, is in your mind. I would not bother
>to deal with your assimilation argument (in re the adoption or diffusion of
>authentic Yoruba lexicon north of Lagos).
>
>Truly, I have nothing against our villages. I can trace one to myself too. I
>think.
>
>Yinka
>
Adey
Hello Yinka,
No way Jose!! Hmmmmm, please note that the "J" in Jose is actually
pronounced as an H - But, indeed, if I had written; No way Hose, I
doubt if you would have read it the same as: No way Jose... Get it?
Man, I'm giving myself a headache here - I will just stick to what
I know best... The Yoruba language I grew up in (or with).
This much I know: In Nigeria; no Western Region school will accept
"Oyibo" as Oyinbo, "Bumi" as Bunmi, "Tude" - Tunde, "Fumi" - Funmi,
"Kule" - Kunle, "Yika" - Yinka...et al... NONE!! It matters not if
you went to school in Eko, Ijebu, Ekiti, Oyo, Ibadan or, is it now
"Ibada"?, Ife, Ondo or, is it Odo?.... No school will allow the "N"
letter to be yanked out either in pronounciation / in written form.
Btw, I can't take out anymore letters from my name... I've already
taken out THREE (from my first name). :-))
Adey.
p.s. Since Kasirim is not a Yoruba (man), I doubt if he'd want to
drop the N in his name... Then again, what if? Hey, what about Dr.
FabuNmi... Go ahead and ask him... PLEASE!! :-))
You wrote:
>Adey my brother:
>
>I thought so too, but Mrs BUMI says "Oyibo yee" makes sense in Ekiti. I think
>I just might drop that N from my name in solidarity with our Ekiti friends.
>But only if you drop your N and Nwuke drops his too.
>
>So we have Yika; Oyeuga, Wuke.
>
>Na wa for Nigerian unity.
>Yinka
>
>
USAFRIC
Mates,
Keep digging, guys. Sooner than later, you'll find the real "gold" at the
centre of Yoruba Planet.
Just my own three pence epini (never mind) contribution.
Ayo
.........................
Adey
Brother Tude (sic),
Francis' sentence is far from correct. No "REAL" Yoruba person would
say such a thing.. Then again, what if, if for some weird reasons we
do have "REAL" Yorubas who do talk like that: That is; "Eko ni mi ti
wa" or, "Mi ti pari" or, "Mi mi pin"...? :-))
Man, my people are just too much...
Adey.
p.s. Hey, I was going to ask if you saw Kundun? (The Tibet flick by
Martin Scorsesee).
>Francis:
>
>Very funny. Reminds me of joke I heard a long time ago.
>This Lagosian goes upland (let's say Kwara). He is
>picking his teeth with a pin and accidentally swallows
>it. He tries to to alert his friends and says in Lagosian
>Yoruba: "Mi mi pin" His Kwaran friends say: "Hen?"
>To which he responds more vociferously: "Mi ni mi mi pin"
>The Kwarans look at each other in utter confusion, having no
>clue what the Lagosian was trying to say. In due course,
>the guy dies. The moral of the story? Leave your Lagosian
>Yoruba behind when you leave Lagos.
>
>Mi ti pari.
>tude
>
Tunde M. Giwa
Francis:
Very funny. Reminds me of joke I heard a long time ago.
This Lagosian goes upland (let's say Kwara). He is
picking his teeth with a pin and accidentally swallows
it. He tries to to alert his friends and says in Lagosian
Yoruba: "Mi mi pin" His Kwaran friends say: "Hen?"
To which he responds more vociferously: "Mi ni mi mi pin"
The Kwarans look at each other in utter confusion, having no
clue what the Lagosian was trying to say. In due course,
the guy dies. The moral of the story? Leave your Lagosian
Yoruba behind when you leave Lagos.
Mi ti pari.
tude
Adey
My Brother,
Phew!!
Man, you are too wise... However, please check this out...
Hey Ike, I say OYINBO, you say OYIBO, to me, it's all good... As long
as we know what each other meant. Like I quickly informed our "oyinbo
friend", Frances Pritchett, who started this whole issue, I do stand
corrected. I even acknowledged that he was schooling me in a Nigerian
Language.. I was just taken aback with Dr. James Fabunmi's attempt to
start a new thread, and change the "Bolaji Aluko and abusive Language"
into: '"Oyibo" is the correct spelling'... Hey, he pulled it off. But,
one day sha go be one day when all dis village dokitors go run out of
places to hide.
Hey, it's all good!! I still say "OYINBO" is the correct way to spell
oyibo...in the Yoruba land.
Happy weekend to you too.
Adey.
On Saturday Ike wrote:
>Prince Adey, since you cannot win with this new James or our own Bunmi,
>why not die di matter? Lagosians will always define the future of
>"Oyinbo". Afterall, why do we have "Oyingbo Market" in Lagos? Why not
>"Oyigbo Market", which would have translated differently in Igbo?
>
>Happy weekend.
>
>Oguocha [urging Gen. Abacha to pardon Chief Abiola this year. A task for
> us all]
>------------------------------
Francis Ifejika Achike
Naijatoday
"Kúnlé Adégboyè."
Ade omo Oyenuga:
When will you stop your hard stands? Are the Yinkas and others who
probably come from Lagos NOT real Yorubas? Don't they say "mi" when
they mean "mo"? I've got a first cousin raised in Lagos who says
"mi" all the time, when he should be saying "mo". If you did not live
in Lagos, then your stand may be a little understandable. But try not
to say that because something does not exist in your neck of the woods,
it does not exist anywhere else. The next thing you're probably going to
tell us is that the "correct" spelling for Yoruba "Ade" is "Adey".
Kúnlé Adégboyč.
At 10:41 1/10/98 -0800, Adey Oyenuga wrote:
>Brother Tude (sic),
>
>Francis' sentence is far from correct. No "REAL" Yoruba person would
>say such a thing.. Then again, what if, if for some weird reasons we
>do have "REAL" Yorubas who do talk like that: That is; "Eko ni mi ti
>wa" or, "Mi ti pari" or, "Mi mi pin"...? :-))
>
>Man, my people are just too much...
>
>Adey.
>
>p.s. Hey, I was going to ask if you saw Kundun? (The Tibet flick by
>Martin Scorsesee).
>
>
>
Ike Oguocha
On Fri, 9 Jan 1998, Adey wrote:
> Hello Yinka,
>
> I have never heard of "Oyi bo yee" in my life... I think he probably meant
> to write "OYINBO YI" - This white person?
>
> Try pronoucing your name without the "n". Yika!?! :-) Hmmmmm... Something
> is definitely amiss here.
>
> Adey.
Prince Adey:
Since some of us now want "battles" to be fought on regional/tribal
basis, I have tried to keep away from this "una" OYINBO and OYIBO
debate. Because, I'm not a Yoruba. The few Yoruba words I know I
have picked from Molue conductors. For example, it was them who
taught me some Yoruba "Word and Opposite" such as "Surulere" and
"Olorun-so-go(sp)", "Ilesanmi and Ile-sa-nmi", and so on. The last
time I was in Okpara Waterside in Delta State (on my way to Abraka),
I also learnt that a word that sounds like "Olorunsogo(sp)" meant
another thing. So I come bow for Nigerian languages. It's because
of this kind of confusion that made me to stop buying akara at
Osu any time I was on my way to Ekitiland in those good days. No
matter what, I still miss Osu akara. I have never tasted any better
akara. You see, in many parts of Igboland, calling someone an "osu"
is an abomination and one can even be clubbed to death if care is
no taken. Osu is a hate word in Igbo. Well, that's why I could relate
to the out-going "omo ale" debate very well which some would like to
play down for personal interests. If yu see Mammy Water, make yu no be
Victor Uwaifor. Run for your dear life. Unto this day, the legend has
it that only Victor Uwaifor was told never to run away from Mammy Water.
Now, as if what I heard between Lagos and Onitsha Aba was not enough a
warning, I decided to test the agility of my riverine brothers and sisters
in Rivers state. It was on one of those leisure trips to Pitakwa city. I
was there to jollificate at the famous Brooklyn Hotel. It was one of those
few occasions when the Owugiri(?) Sisters and their rivals, Nembe Mermaids,
were to roughen it out in the Brooklyn Hotel plazza. Nigeria is a good
place if you have the quid, democracy or militocracy. If you wan chop
better fresh fish anytime, any day you find yourself in Pitakwa, ask
for Brooklyn Hotel. Even if yu no get quid, Nigeria na di bam place if
you can just manage to subdue hunger anyhow. It was in Pitakwa City that
I ran into a big trouble with di way I dey use the word "Oga". "Oga" means
a different thing in Pitakwa City depending on who you jam. So, watch out
how you drop it when yu reach Pitakwa City. My friends used to call me
"Ojemba" because there's no place wey a human being dey breath wey I no
wan go. That proclivity have put me in trouble many times. Do not ask for
details. I have not told you what happened to me in Wudil. I used to have
a freind called Andrew Dauda. He never told me that I should always call
those who answer Dauda just Dauda. No addition, no subtraction. But, did
I have to be overly inquisitive? Sometimes, in a multi-ethnic nation like
Nigeria, one has to be. To avoid being taken unawares. And so, while in
Wudil I enjoyed myself. I made new friends. I came to know other people
who bear the name Dauda and Daudu too. As it's normal to put the qualifiers
such "Dan" before many names in the north (e.g., Dankano (son/child of
Kano or someone from Kano), Danladi(Sunday/a child of Sunday), Daniska,
and so on), I never thought I would get into trouble while visiting with
friends in Kano City. Some of us had agreeed to meet at the Magwan Water
Resturant to chillout. Personally, I never liked chilling out at the
Central Hotel Kano. The first time we went there, my friends got drunk
for a reason I won't reveal now. In the midst of our political and social
debates, my mouth slipped as I eventually realized. I called one of the
Daudas, Sabo Dauda, Dan Dauda to mean (in my honest mind) the son of Dauda.
Just like the way I used to call my friend, Tunde Adeosun, Omotunde. It
was a disaster for me. Sabo raged all over the place and reduced me to
nothingness. I was just lucky to retain my dental formula intact. Were
there no mutual friends of ours there, the story would have been different.
Sabo swore never to be my friend again or chill out with us. Sabo and I are
still friends but I have learnt how to use "Dan" any time I'm in the midst
of any Hausa-speaking Nigerian.
Prince Adey, you may be wondering what the previous two paragraphs have
to do with "Oyinbo" and Oyibo". I have watched the battle between Lagosians
and other Yorubas from the igbotic northern fringes of Eko. My use of the
word "igbotic" is just purely based on how our own Yinka drew the line
of the battle. It has nothing to do with Ijebu Igbo or Yoruba-Igbo
relations. It's funny that while you guys are battling, the Igbos are
also battling over the word Oyibo. Did the Yorubas borrow the word from
Igbos or did the Igbos borrow it from the Yorubas? When we used to
go with our grandpas to harvest/pick cocoa in Yorubaland before Nigeria's
independence, there's always this royal debate over who owns "Oyibo"..
Even by the time I matured well well to survive the crazy life of Lagos,
the debate has remained. Igbos have two words for the white - Oyibo
and Bekee. Bekee we can establish from oral tradition/legend that it
came from one Mr. Beckay who reached Igboland before Richard Landers
even discovered the lower Niger. I don't know how true the story is but
it has come to stand unto this day. Oyibo must have been the Igbo version
of Yoruba's "Oyinbo". On the other hand, it could be that the Yorubas
added the troublesome "n" to differentiate it from the Igbo version. Has
this ever occured to the debaters? Afterall, when the Igbos could not join
the Hausas to call onion "Albasa" (or is it "Albas", Abba?) they chose the
simpler version, "Yabas" or Alubas". Just like when the Hausas could not
pronounce "nyem mmiri" (give me water) of the early Igbo northerners, they
reduced it to "nyamiri" or even "yamiri". Today, the nickname of Igbos in
the north is "Nyamiri" or "Yamiri". If the debaters are not yet convinced
on the futility of their debates, have they forgotten that whereas the
Yorubas call the delicious beans cake "moi-moi", the Igbos have chosen
to call it "mai-mai"? Of course, Igbos have another word for "moi-moi".
It's not popular these days but when the chips are down, the good old
name re-appears, "Elele". And so, let the Yorubas stick to "Oyinbo",
which to me is the name I have heard since my dad bought the first "oja"
from a Yoruba itenarant trader. Otherwise, they would be accepting that
they borrowed it from the itenarant Igbo cocoa workers, traders, and
smiths of yesteryears. Whatever the result of the debate is, I would
tend to believe that "Oyinbo" is Yoruba while "Oyibo" is Igbo. If we
have to look at what the linguists and anthropologists say, "oyi" in
Igbo is cold or fever. Which tends to agree with what the Yorubas say
about the origin of "Oyinbo".
Adey
Kunle omo Chief Adegboye,
Hey, my brother, I'm just playing the "what if" game... :-)) Please
don't mind me jare... I grew up in Ibada (Ibadan) and in Eko (Ikeja),
but 'went to High School in Ijebu (Ikenne Remo). Hmmm, I think that
may justify my stance or, maybe I'm just a bit "messed up" with the
Yoruba language. Remember I told you that I flunk Yoruba.
Like I said earlier, I do stand corrected...
I'm just like you and others. When I "play", I play hard, otherwise
there is no point in playing, right? Like Kasirim once wrote, if we
want to read that all is okay and dandy on Naijanet then, it may be
time to pack it all in...
If you want me to stop, I will.... But, this is the only way I know
how to deal. Oremi, gbo'romiro oo... E ma bi nu oo.
Adey.
p.s. Btw, I wouldn't complain if you changed your name back to Kule.
o. kasirim nwuke
The towncrier
At 03:31 AM 1/11/98 -0600, when all human beings suppose to det sleep Di
Oracle Oguocha declared temporary truce thusly:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>snip! snip! snip!<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
>Anyway, I no wan face "Up Bendels" for Naijanet. Dem trouble no dey
>end in one day.
Who wan die ;-)
- Mazi TC [Hup Bendel!]
Psst!
SONG OF DI PEOPLE!
Some peeple jealous me!
Some people jealous me!
Some people jealous me!
Because I be Bendel!
I will not mind dem!
I will not mind dem!
I will not mind dem!
I will not mind dem!
Becos I be Bendel!
Hip! Hip! Hip!
Bendel!
Hip! Hip! Hip!
Bendel!
Bendel is so great even the Ekitis made an exception by choosing not to
spell Bendel "Bedel." They spell it B-E-N-D-E-L! Who wan die, I ask?
Hup Bendel!!!!!!!!
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
"We shall all live. We pray for life, children, a good harvest and
happiness. You will have what is good for you and I will have what is good
for me. Let the kite perch and let the eagle perch too. If one says no to
the other, let his wing break."
Things_Fall_Apart, Chinua Achebe
Ike Oguocha
On Sun, 11 Jan 1998, o. kasirim nwuke wrote:
>
>
> ----------
> > time I was in Okpara Waterside in Delta State (on my way to Abraka),
> > I also learnt that a word that sounds like "Olorunsogo(sp)" meant
>
> Iyk:
>
> Na wetin you been de go do for Abraka? :-) Hmm. Na make Ovo and Kakhu vex
> for you oh! If trobl begin. me I no dey oh! :-)
Kas:
Na we own Eku and Abraka before Chief Ovo. D/4, Chief Ovo cannot vex
for me. He knows. As for Kakhu of Auchiland, I doubt if him dey hear
beyond "Wado" in Urhobo. Therefore, if he teams up with Chief Ovo, dem
go need interpreter for Tony whereas I won't need one. In fact, Chief Ovo
is in a big trouble because his two main languages are in my pocket. He
cannot speak Kakhu's language. Dat's where di trouble No. 1 dey for dem
combination. Only a combination of Chief Ovo and Gaga Eke go send me back
to mid-nite school.
Anyway, I no wan face "Up Bendels" for Naijanet. Dem trouble no dey
end in one day.
Thanks
Simbo Odunaiya
I really do not think the argument over this "oyi(n)bo thing has been about which is standard and which is not. I believe the issue was the origin of the word and what the spelling will be if the origin is considered.
In my village, it is called "oyinbo", but my mind is open so that I can understand the history of this word better.
Simbo
----------
From: Naijatoday[SMTP:Naija...@AOL.COM]
Sent: Saturday, January 10, 1998 11:07 AM
To: NAIJA...@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
Subject: Re: "Oyibo" is not the correct spelling
o. kasirim nwuke
----------
> time I was in Okpara Waterside in Delta State (on my way to Abraka),
> I also learnt that a word that sounds like "Olorunsogo(sp)" meant
Iyk:
Na wetin you been de go do for Abraka? :-) Hmm. Na make Ovo and Kakhu vex
for you oh! If trobl begin. me I no dey oh! :-)
okn
> ------------------------------
>
Ovo I Dafe
Oguocha,
Na wetin my eyes dey see so ? Me I no know say you
know where Okpara Waterside dey, how much more say
you know where the mighty Kingdoms of Abraka and Eku
dey, "Wado !!!!".
Na true you talk oh, man no fit for vex for you at
all. See, our peoples for Bendel be peace loving
peoples, na only wey person violate our protocols
na im we dey "Aninify" (dat na new vocab) person.
Anyway sha, language not be our problem for Bendel
at all, abi na why you think say we get our own
Pidgin English. If to say egbe gas today, Tony and
Mazi TownCrier go cover Auchi and Abudu side. Our
peoples for Waffi go get dat region covered. East
nko? Well, Nubi and the rest of the gang dey there.
Of course, you know say as long as Gaga and me
still dey patrol di whole region peace no go dey.
My broda have no fear, you dey for good hands.
One Love,
Mazi Ovo Dafe
The Ezomo of Abraka
The Olokun of Eku
---------------------
On Sun, 11 Jan 1998, Ike Oguocha wrote:
> On Sun, 11 Jan 1998, o. kasirim nwuke wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > ----------
> > > time I was in Okpara Waterside in Delta State (on my way to Abraka),
> > > I also learnt that a word that sounds like "Olorunsogo(sp)" meant
> >
> > Iyk:
> >
> > Na wetin you been de go do for Abraka? :-) Hmm. Na make Ovo and Kakhu vex
> > for you oh! If trobl begin. me I no dey oh! :-)
>
Ovo I Dafe
Hup Bendel !!!
Mazi Ovo Dafe
Member, Bendel Posse
--------------------
On Sun, 11 Jan 1998, The towncrier wrote:
> At 03:31 AM 1/11/98 -0600, when all human beings suppose to det sleep Di
> Oracle Oguocha declared temporary truce thusly:
>
> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>snip! snip! snip!<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
>
> >Anyway, I no wan face "Up Bendels" for Naijanet. Dem trouble no dey
> >end in one day.
>
>
>