Yorùbá (native name èdè
Yorùbá, 'the Yorùbá language') is a Niger-Congo language spoken primarily in West Africa by approximately 40 million people. It is the native tongue of
the Yorùbá
people, residing
predominantly in western Nigeria. The ancient city of Ile Ife is the ancestral home of the Yorùbá. It is believed to have
been established
by Odùduwà, the founding father of the Yorùbá
people. As a result of the trans atlantic slave trade, traces of Yorùbá language,culture and religion live on
today in parts of the Americas and Caribbean.
Yorùbá is a tonal language, so the meaning of a word could change with the inflection or pitch
of the speaker. There are several Yorùbá words which although spelt identically are differentiated
by tonal marks (Diacritics). There are three distinct tones: Low, Mid andHigh. These are often compared to the musical tones of Do, Re & Mi.
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IKWYS Interactive uses fun and innovative ways to help you learn Yorùbá. Animation is used to reinforce use
of words and phrases in context.
