RE: Yoruba Affairs - Translation Help

[Tunde Adegbola]

May I refer Dr. Adeeko's question to Dr. Remi Raji who is quite conversant with developments in Yoruba proverbs.
I recall the proverb, "eye meji kii je asa", to which I add, "afi ikeji ti a a pe ni awodi".
On a more serious note however, I think some inputs from a Yoruba zoologist might help as the issue seems to border on taxonomy rather than translation.
Tunde

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Tunde Adegbola (Ph.D.)

Executive Director

African Languages Technology Initiative

(Alt-I ... Inserting African issues into the agenda of the knowledge age)

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> Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2007 23:08:34 -0600
> To: yoruba...@googlegroups.com
> From: toyin....@mail.utexas.edu
> Subject: Yoruba Affairs - Translation Help
>
>
>
> Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2007 22:57:38 -0500
> From: "Adeleke Adeeko" <adee...@osu.edu>
>
> Dear Professor Fálo?lá,
> I sent the following note to yorubaaaffairs, and
> it was bounced back to me. Have you removed me
> from the list? But I still receive messages. What
> is the problem? At any rate, you may be able to
> help me. Here is the question: How should I
> translate à?á, the bird that preys on chicklets,
> into English. I know that àwòdì is eagle. Thanks.
>
> E? kú ìpale?`mó o?dún. Yóò bá wa láyo`? àti àlàáfíà.
>
>
> --
> Adélékè Adéè?kó?
> IF THE NEEDLE COULD REALLY SEW, IT WOULD HAVE NO HOLE ON ITS BACK!
> A Ghanaian Proverb
>
>
> --
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Toyin Falola
> Department of History
> The University of Texas at Austin
> 1 University Station
> Austin, TX 78712-0220
> USA
> 512 475 7224
> 512 475 7222 (fax)
> www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa
>
>

[jfaki...@aol.com]

According to Dictionary of Modern Yoruba by R.C Abraham,
EAGLE is EYE IDI (re, do)  - idi is reserved exclusively for any eagle.  
The African black kite is referred to as 'AWODI' whereas the word KITE seems to refer to ASA generally.
Now, the word HAWK, according to Webster's New Word Dictionary, refers to a family of birds of prey that clearly includes kites (ASA), falcons, buzzards, harriers, and caracaras.
Therefore it will technically correct to refer to ASA both as a kite or as a hawk
Fakinlede

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[Adeniran Adeboye]

Hello everybody,

I believe that the eagle and the hawk have been used interchangeably in English pretty much the same way that asa and awodi have been used for the same bird in Yoruba. The bird of prey that menaces the chicks in Gbongan City have almost always been referred to as asa; yet two popular songs (played on agidigbo) in my childhood days went as follows:

Kini o f'igbin se? [ m m d m r]

Awodi oke ti nwo'karahun hoihoi,[ d d d d d t d r r r d d ]

Kini o f'igbin se?[ m m d m r]

********************************************************************

Gunnugun j'ebo yo  [m r m r r m]

Awodi jeun epe sanra [d d d r r d d r r]

Gunnugun j'ebo yo  [m r m r r m]

************************************************************

In each case above, awodi and asa seem synonymous.

Best regards,

Adeniran Adeboye