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Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) - Culture - Nairaland

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Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Nobody: 6:58am On Dec 30, 2022
UPDATE: The grammar points expressed here are those of a non-professional linguist. The OP is a scientist cheesy. Hence, mistakes would be made, but we'll try to revise all proposed grammar when needed. Thanks.

UPDATE: Turns out Mr. Deji is from Ayere in Kogi cheesy cheesy cheesy. This makes the frustration more legit given the nature of the town's original language. sad

I came across a 2018 tweet where the so called activist, Deji Adeyanju, claimed he couldn't speak his language (Yagba). Ọmọ, I wan mad!!! Like fr? angry angry

Let's be clear, there are few excuses for not speaking your mother's tongue. It should be the primary means of communication between you and her.

About the excuse of not growing up at home, it's invalid. I grew up in a densely populated Hausa street and I still managed to learn Yagba despite speaking only English/ Little Bassa for the first 10 years of my life.

There are little room for excuses. By all means, strive to learn your language. It's your identity. It's your root. When I meet a Yagba person, if they don't speak Yagba, we talk in English. Every attempt to switch to Yoruba will be nulled by me sad.

Enough of the rant sha grin. Let's get to business.



The Yagba Language

The term "Yagba" refers to a Yoruboid speaking people of Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti States who fall under the Yoruba Language group known as Okun.

Let's leave the identity and political issue for another thread. Be certain that over 90% of Yagba people identify as Yorubas, but a tiny percentage of us chose to be called just Yagba, or at worst, Okun.

Note, Okun is not synonymous with Yagba. Under Okun, we have about six other dialects with their unique tongues. Owé (Kabba) happens to be the most popular given the history of the old Kabba province in Northern Nigeria.



This thread is about the Yagba Language. It aims to preserve the grammar and lexicon of the language for the future generations. I'm actually working on a book, but I feel sharing my works will keep the motivation going.




Please pitch your tent with me to learn this beautiful tongue of mine cool tongue.

UPDATE
NB: The version of Yagba I'll be using is the Ilai tongue, which according to many, is the oldest in Yagba(east)land. Nevertheless, since we are looking to document native lexicons, any version of a word that differs a lot from Yoruba and shares close proximity with other dialects will be given higher priority.



Itẹhiwaju ki ai gha lọin cool.

1 Like

Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by adeoyekay(m): 7:29am On Dec 30, 2022
LightOnScams:
I came across a 2018 tweet where the so called activist, Deji Adeyanju, claimed he couldn't speak his language (Yagba). Ọmọ, I wan mad!!! Like fr? angry angry

Let's be clear, there are few excuses for not speaking your mother's tongue. It should be the primary means of communication between you and her.

About the excuse of not growing up at home, it's invalid. I grew up in a densely populated Hausa street and I still managed to learn Yagba despite speaking only English/ Little Bassa for the first 10 years of my life.

There are little room for excuses. By all means, strive to learn your language. It's your identity. It's your root. When I meet a Yagba person, if they don't speak Yagba, we talk in English. Every attempt to switch to Yoruba will be nulled by me sad.

Enough of the rant sha grin. Let's get to business.



The Yagba Language

The term "Yagba" refers to a Yoruboid speaking people of Kogi State who fall under the Yoruba Language group known as Okun.

Let's leave the identity and political issue for another thread. Be certain that over 90% of Yagba people identify as Yorubas, but a tiny percentage of us chose to be called just Yagba, or at worst, Okun.

Note, Okun is not synonymous with Yagba. Under Okun, we have about six other dialects with their unique tongues. Owé (Kabba) happens to be the most popular given the history of the old Kabba province in Northern Nigeria.



This thread is about the Yagba Language. It aims to preserve the grammar and lexicon of the language for the future generations. I'm actually working on a book, but I feel sharing my works will keep the motivation going.




Please pitch your tent with me to learn this beautiful tongue of mine cool tongue.

NB: The version of Yagba I'll be using is the Ilai tongue, which according to many, is the oldest in Yagbaland.


Itẹhiwaju ki ai gha lọin cool.
Awa omo okun
Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Nobody: 7:37am On Dec 30, 2022
adeoyekay:
Awa omo okun
Ẹkurabọ, kabi ẹ ti gha?
Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by scholes0(m): 8:54am On Dec 30, 2022
Subscribed and observing ...
Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Nobody: 9:12am On Dec 30, 2022
QUICK NOTES ON THE YAGBA ORTHOGRAPHY


1. There's no "sh" /ʃ/ sound in Yagba. Although other Okun dialects make use of the sound.
2. There is a "p" /p/ sound and a "kp" /k͡p/ sound. Yoruba has only the latter, but Yagba makes use of both.
3. There's a "gh" /ɣ/ sound.





The Yagba language can thus be represented by 26 orthographic representations..

Examples

1) A/a ----- Asi ------ Horse
2) I/i ----- Ile ------ House
3) E/e ----- Ede ------ Language
4) Ẹ/ẹ ----- Ẹrẹ ́ ----- Load
5) O/o ----- Ode ------ Outside
6) Ọ/ọ ----- Ọghọn ------ They, them
7) U/u ----- Ilu ----- Town,Village
8. ) B/b ----- Abẹbẹ ----- Fan
9) D/d ----- Dọrọ ----- Stand
10) F/f ----- Afẹrẹ ----- Wind, Breeze
11) G/g ----- Ge ----- Cut
12) H/h ----- Hunwa ----- Good
13) GB/gb ----- Gbin ----- To plant
14) GH/gh ----- Gha ----- To come
15) J/j ----- Jẹ ----- To eat
16) K/k ----- Kere ----- Small
17) L/l ----- Lẹla ----- Big
18) M/m ----- Imọlẹ ----- Light, an Okun female cult
19) N/n ----- Ọni ----- Person
20) KP/kp ----- Kpa ----- To kill
21) P ----- Mọpa ----- A Yagba village in Kogi, hometown of late Chief Sunday Awoniyi
22) R/r ----- Re ----- To go (Intransitive)
23) S/s ----- Sọsi ----- Church
24) T/t ----- Tulasì ----- By force
25) W/w ----- Wa ----- To greet
26) Y/y ----- Yun ----- To go (Transitive)



Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Nobody: 9:15am On Dec 30, 2022
scholes0:
Subscribed and observing ...
Welcome sir. Hopefully you enjoy your stay here. tongue
Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Nobody: 11:12am On Dec 30, 2022
PRONOUNS



Yagba makes use of pronouns and the second and third person pronoun may change depending on the age gap or level of formality. Going forward, the term "older" will be used to represent the level of formality.

The pronouns morph when attached to verbs, and the third-person pronoun (older) tends to follow the same pattern as the third-person pronoun (plural). We will find out soon how they work; just take note of the following first:


Emi -- I
Agha -- We
Iwọ/Ọ --- You
Ẹyin --- You (older)
O --- He/She
Ọghọn --- He/She (older)
Ọghọn --- They



Examples

Emi ko mu kini nka -- I was the person who took the thing.

Agha ko mu -- We took it.

Iwọ ko ji iwe'm ba? -- You're the one who stole my book right?

Ẹyin ko se àgbà -- You're the eldest.

O wi ghọ'm -- He told me.

Ghọn dé - He (older) has come.

Ọghọn ko mọ -- Their business (lit. They are the ones who know).


Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Nobody: 12:27pm On Dec 30, 2022
POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES



Possessive adjectives are formed by attaching suffixes or auxiliaries to the object or subject.

-'M --- My
Gha --- Our
Rẹ --- Your
Ghin --- Your (Older)
Rẹ̀ --- His/Her
Ghọn --- His (Older)
Ghọn --- Their



Examples

Fila'm --- My cap.
Akada gha --- Our book.
Oda rẹ --- Your shoes.
Kuku ghin --- Your pineapple (older).
Inu rẹ̀ --- His/Her stomach.
Moto ghọn --- His/Her (older) car.
Onjẹ ghọn --- Their meal.



Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Dannyfan(m): 1:34pm On Dec 30, 2022
Following..

But all other dialects are still similar?

I just wish I could speak the language
Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Nobody: 2:41pm On Dec 30, 2022
Dannyfan:
Following..

But all other dialects are still similar?

I just wish I could speak the language
They are highly similar and speakers can understand themselves to a high degree. But the following speakers may find it a bit more difficult to communicate:

Owé and Yagba speakers.
Ọwọrọ and the rest.


For someone who knows Kabba town like the palm of my hand, the language isn't that much different from Yagba.

You're welcome brother. Let's ride together.

1 Like

Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by scholes0(m): 5:05pm On Dec 30, 2022
LightOnScams:

They are highly similar and speakers can understand themselves to a high degree. But the following speakers may find it a bit more difficult to communicate:

Owé and Yagba speakers.
Ọwọrọ and the rest.


For someone who knows Kabba town like the palm of my hand, the language isn't that much different from Yagba.

You're welcome brother. Let's ride together.

How about Bunu/Ikiri? which is situated geographically midway between Yagba and Oworo?
How similar is Abunu/Ikiri and Owe who are both in the same LG vis-a-vis the similarity to Oworo and Yagba?
Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Nobody: 5:32pm On Dec 30, 2022
scholes0:


How about Bunu/Ikiri? which is situated geographically midway between Yagba and Oworo?
How similar is Abunu/Ikiri and Owe who are both in the same LG vis-a-vis the similarity to Oworo and Yagba?

I'll speak as a Yagba person who once lived in the Oworo/Kabba/Bunu axis. So my opinion may differ from the average Yagba person.

The ease of understanding is correlated with geographical proximity. For instance, the Oworo spoken in Apata/Obajana/Oshokoshoko axis differs from the Oworo spoken in Agbaja, Jakura, or even the closer Banda/Felele (Lokoja). The former group is closer linguistically to Bunu and thus easier to understand (for me) than the typical Oworo from Agbaja (Oworo Headquarters).

Bunu is similar to Owe to a very high degree. I don't know much about Ikiri tho, only heard it once. The average Bunu/Owe is closer to Yagba than it is to Oworo. I can testify since I know a Bassa friend who understands Bunu and can still spy on my Yagba conversations cry cry cry.

Oworo feels highly Proto-Yoruba in nature. But we understand ourselves regardless. We're all Okun cheesy.
Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by scholes0(m): 6:41pm On Dec 30, 2022
LightOnScams:


I'll speak as a Yagba person who once lived in the Oworo/Kabba/Bunu axis. So my opinion may differ from the average Yagba person.

The ease of understanding is correlated with geographical proximity. For instance, the Oworo spoken in Apata/Obajana/Oshokoshoko axis differs from the Oworo spoken in Agbaja, Jakura, or even the closer Banda/Felele (Lokoja). The former group is closer linguistically to Bunu and thus easier to understand (for me) than the typical Oworo from Agbaja (Oworo Headquarters).

Bunu is similar to Owe to a very high degree. I don't know much about Ikiri tho, only heard it once. The average Bunu/Owe is closer to Yagba than it is to Oworo. I can testify since I know a Bassa friend who understands Bunu and can still spy on my Yagba conversations cry cry cry.

Oworo feels highly Proto-Yoruba in nature. But we understand ourselves regardless. We're all Okun cheesy.

Interesting analysis. Thanks for taking the time to explain the linguistic situation. For me personally, Oworo does not sound proto-Yoruba. It sounds to me more like a fringe Yoruba dialect. .... And that is exactly why Obajana, Oshokoshoko, Apata axis of Oworo sounds more relatable to you than those in places like Banda, Tajimi, Felele, Okomoba who are located at the dead end of Yorubaland... It isn't that much different from Bunu... in fact the biggest difference in oworo is material not linguistic.
Btw: Are you aware of the 'Okun Yoruba' speaking communities in Patigi local government of Kwara state? I am referring to the likes of Ikoro/Koro, Agboro, Okolushe, Opota, Ilua?
Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Nobody: 6:56pm On Dec 30, 2022
scholes0:


Interesting analysis. Thanks for taking the time to explain the linguistic situation. For me personally, Oworo does not sound proto-Yoruba. It sounds to me more like a fringe Yoruba dialect. .... And that is exactly why Obajana, Oshokoshoko, Apata axis of Oworo sounds more relatable to you than those in places like Banda, Tajimi, Felele, Okomoba who are located at the dead end of Yorubaland... It isn't that much different from Bunu... in fact the biggest difference in oworo is material not linguistic.
Btw: Are you aware of the 'Okun Yoruba' speaking communities in Patigi local government of Kwara state? I am referring to the likes of Ikoro/Koro, Agboro, Okolushe, Opota, Ilua?

Interesting, I can follow virtual all the Oworo conversations from Oshokoshoko axis and they understand my Yagba well. But when I listen to a Karara man speak, I'm like, wait what? cheesy cheesy

Yes, I have close Yagba friends from Kwara and they identify as Yagba too. Although I can't pinpoint the Kwara LGA or villages sha.

The Yagbas are the largest in population among the Okun subgroups and thus normal to find them splitted into three states. Our weakness tho.

You seem to be knowledgeable about the Okun people. Se we lára gha ni? angry
Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by scholes0(m): 7:22pm On Dec 30, 2022
LightOnScams:


Interesting, I can follow virtual all the Oworo conversations from Oshokoshoko axis and they understand my Yagba well. But when I listen to a Karara man speak, I'm like, wait what? cheesy cheesy

Yes, I have close Yagba friends from Kwara and they identify as Yagba too. Although I can't pinpoint the Kwara LGA or villages sha.

The Yagbas are the largest in population among the Okun subgroups and thus normal to find them splitted into three states. Our weakness tho.

You seem to be knowledgeable about the Okun people. Se we lára gha ni? angry

That is because karara axis is heavily influenced by Egbura Igu and Kakanda.... languages which oworos from that axis are many a times bilingual in. To the latter point, I am not referring to the Yagba-like speakers in Ekiti-kwara in places like Eruku .. I am referring specifically to some villages in Patigi. Yes Yagbas are the largest segment of Okun... infcat a goof 60-70% of Okun are actually Yagba with footprints in more than 3-4 of the Okun local governments

And to your question... I am just a Yoruba man who is very interested in all places that our people have footprints in. Se ehi? Oruko'm ki se Sholes0. Omaye re kim se. Wokun o opem.
Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Nobody: 8:07pm On Dec 30, 2022
scholes0:


That is because karara axis is heavily influenced by Egbura Igu and Kakanda.... languages which oworos from that axis are many a times bilingual in. To the latter point, I am not referring to the Yagba-like speakers in Ekiti-kwara in places like Eruku .. I am referring specifically to some villages in Patigi. Yes Yagbas are the largest segment of Okun... infcat a goof 60-70% of Okun are actually Yagba with footprints in more than 3-4 of the Okun local governments

And to your question... I am just a Yoruba man who is very interested in all places that our people have footprints in. Se ehi? Oruko'm ki se Sholes0. Omayere kim se. Wokun o opem.

That makes sense given that Agbaja oversaw the Kakanda area under the colonial rule. Yes, I was referring to the typical Nupe Kwaran region. I'll get the name and get back to you.

Emi tika. Mo gbe l'Ayere bi 2008-2009 li state hospital nka ti legbe LGA primary school nka. Amọ, me rọ fọ ede ghin tori o jọ ede Akokoid nghei. It is Akokoid and kinda endangered too. Ayere has the best garri ever tongue.
Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by scholes0(m): 8:53pm On Dec 30, 2022
LightOnScams:


That makes sense given that Agbaja oversaw the Kakanda area under the colonial rule. Yes, I was referring to the typical Nupe Kwaran region. I'll get the name and get back to you.

Emi tika. Mo gbe l'Ayere bi 2008-2009 li state hospital nka ti legbe LGA primary school nka. Amọ, me rọ fọ ede ghin tori o jọ ede Akokoid nghei. It is Akokoid and kinda endangered too. Ayere has the best garri ever tongue.

The language in Ayere is called Uwu, and it belongs to the Uwu-Ahan branch of volta-Niger. An independent lineage. It isn't Akokoid, it is alone. the other single member of this branch, Ahan is spoken in just one small quarter of a village near Omuo ekiti.
Uwu/Ahan is not just kinda endangered, it is infact moribund, so much so that pure Ayere is now extinct which is sad because it represents an entire separate branch of the volta-Niger linguistic evolutionary tree.... so it is like an entire linguistic lineage like Yoruboid, Idomoid or igboid getting snuffed out.

Then that being said, taking a look at the word list of Uwu and Ahan, I am not even sure if it is an independent language or a dialect of Yoruba. About 50% of the word have Yoruboid cognates. But then again, this isn't surprising given that Ayere together with Akokoid and Yoruboid are all under the proposed Defoid branch.

Anyways, I am enjoying your lessons... keep it up. wink
Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Nobody: 9:06pm On Dec 30, 2022
scholes0:


The language in Ayere is called Uwu, and it belongs to the Uwu-Ahan branch of volta-Niger. An independent lineage. It isn't Akokoid, it is alone. the other single member of this branch, Ahan is spoken in just one small quarter of a village near Omuo ekiti.
Uwu/Ahan is not just kinda endangered, it is infact moribund, so much so that pure Ayere is now extinct which is sad because it represents an entire separate branch of the volta-Niger linguistic evolutionary tree.... so it is like an entire linguistic lineage like Yoruboid, Idomoid or igboid getting snuffed out.

Then that being said, taking a look at the word list of Uwu and Ahan, I am not even sure if it is an independent language or a dialect of Yoruba. About 50% of the word have Yoruboid cognates. But then again, this isn't surprising given that Ayere together with Akokoid and Yoruboid are all under the proposed Defoid branch.

Anyways, I am enjoying your lessons... keep it up. wink
Not gonna lie, I've learnt much from your contributions here. Are you a linguist? You happen to know much about these language groups.

Thanks. I'll add more lectures.

1 Like

Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Nobody: 9:19pm On Dec 30, 2022
POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS



Possessive pronouns are formed by combining "ti" and the Yagba pronouns.

T'em ----- Mine
Ti gha ----- Ours
Tẹ ----- Yours
T'ghin ----- Yours (older)
Tẹ̀ ----- His/Hers
T'ghọn ------ His/Hers (Older)
T'ghọn ------ Theirs



Examples

Tẹ hunwa ------ Yours is good
T'ghin bajẹ ------ Yours (older) is spoilt.
T'em ki re nka ----- That is mine.



1 Like

Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Nobody: 9:33pm On Dec 30, 2022
Tenses



The tenses in Yagba are primarily distinguished by tones ( in pronouns) and auxiliaries. Verb conjugations that involves morphological changes are not present in Yagba.

The verbs and their numerous tenses are illustrated in the list below.



**Hùn** ------ To Sleep

Me hùn - I'm sleeping.
Gha i hùn - We're sleeping.
We hùn - You're sleeping.
Ẹ hùn - You're sleeping (Older)
I hùn - He is sleeping (Younger).
Ghẹn hùn - He/She is sleeping (Older).
Ghẹn hùn - They are sleeping.

Mo hùn - I slept.
Gha hùn - We slept.
Ọ hùn - You slept.
Ẹ hùn - You slept (Older).
O hùn - He slept.
Ghọn hùn - He slept (older).
Ghọn hùn - They slept.

Ma hùn - I'll sleep.
Gha´ hùn --- We'll sleep.
Wa hun - You'll sleep.
Ẹ hùn - You'll sleep (Older).
Ghan hùn - He'll sleep.
Ghan hùn - He'll sleep (older).
Ghan hùn - They'll sleep (older).



1 Like

Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by RedboneSmith(m): 12:51am On Dec 31, 2022
Great post.

NB: I thought Deji was Ayere, one of the tiny linguistic groups in that area that has nearly or completely been subsumed by the more prominent Yoruba/Yoruboid linguistic grouping.
Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Nobody: 3:07am On Dec 31, 2022
RedboneSmith:
Great post.

NB: I thought Deji was Ayere, one of the tiny linguistic groups in that area that has nearly or completely been subsumed by the more prominent Yoruba/Yoruboid linguistic grouping.

Wait, that's true oooo cheesy cheesy. Did my research again. Haha.

I misread his tribute to late Pius to assume so cheesy

The frustrations still hold sha, I'll continue the thread regardless.

1 Like

Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by 1Sharon(f): 5:01am On Dec 31, 2022
Why did you include ekiti into yagba?

1 Like

Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Nobody: 5:45am On Dec 31, 2022
1Sharon:
Why did you include ekiti into yagba?

We have Yagba villages in Ekiti. Any problem?
Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Probz(m): 12:45pm On Dec 31, 2022
LightOnScams:
UPDATE: Turns out Mr. Deji is from Ayere in Kogi cheesy cheesy cheesy. This makes the frustration more legit given the nature of the town's original language. sad

I came across a 2018 tweet where the so called activist, Deji Adeyanju, claimed he couldn't speak his language (Yagba). Ọmọ, I wan mad!!! Like fr? angry angry

Let's be clear, there are few excuses for not speaking your mother's tongue. It should be the primary means of communication between you and her.

About the excuse of not growing up at home, it's invalid. I grew up in a densely populated Hausa street and I still managed to learn Yagba despite speaking only English/ Little Bassa for the first 10 years of my life.

There are little room for excuses. By all means, strive to learn your language. It's your identity. It's your root. When I meet a Yagba person, if they don't speak Yagba, we talk in English. Every attempt to switch to Yoruba will be nulled by me sad.

Enough of the rant sha grin. Let's get to business.



The Yagba Language

The term "Yagba" refers to a Yoruboid speaking people of Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti States who fall under the Yoruba Language group known as Okun.

Let's leave the identity and political issue for another thread. Be certain that over 90% of Yagba people identify as Yorubas, but a tiny percentage of us chose to be called just Yagba, or at worst, Okun.

Note, Okun is not synonymous with Yagba. Under Okun, we have about six other dialects with their unique tongues. Owé (Kabba) happens to be the most popular given the history of the old Kabba province in Northern Nigeria.



This thread is about the Yagba Language. It aims to preserve the grammar and lexicon of the language for the future generations. I'm actually working on a book, but I feel sharing my works will keep the motivation going.




Please pitch your tent with me to learn this beautiful tongue of mine cool tongue.

UPDATE
NB: The version of Yagba I'll be using is the Ilai tongue, which according to many, is the oldest in Yagba(east)land. Nevertheless, since we are looking to document native lexicons, any version of a word that differs a lot from Yoruba and shares close proximity with other dialects will be given higher priority.



Itẹhiwaju ki ai gha lọin cool.

Very interesting.
Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Nobody: 5:07pm On Dec 31, 2022
The tones are hard for me to identify, so forgive my mistakes. I go correct or provide audio soon tongue tongue.




Ma a hùn - I'll be sleeping.
Gha a hùn - We'll be sleeping.
Wa a hun - You'll be sleeping.
Ẹ a hùn - You'll be sleeping (Older).
A a hùn - He'll be sleeping
Ghan a hùn - He'll be sleeping (older).
Ghan a hùn - They'll be sleeping (older).

Mo ti hùn - I have slept.
Gha ti hùn - We have slept.
Ọ ti hùn - You have slept.
Ẹ ti hùn - You have slept (Older).
O ti hùn - He has slept.
Ghọn ti hùn - He has slept (older).
Ghọn ti hùn - They have slept (older).

Ma ti hùn - I would have slept.
Gha´ ti hùn - We would have slept.
Wa ti hun - You would slept.
Ẹ ti hùn - You would have slept (Older).
A ti hùn - He would have slept.
Ghan ti hùn - He would have slept (older).
Ghan ti hùn - They would have slept (older).

Me hùn... - I was sleeping...
Gha i hùn... - We were sleeping...
We hùn... - You were sleeping...
Ẹ hùn... - You were sleeping... (Older)
I hùn... - He was sleeping... (Younger).
Ghẹn hùn... - He/She was sleeping... (Older).
Ghẹn hùn... - They were sleeping...


Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Nobody: 5:07pm On Dec 31, 2022
Probz:


Very interesting.

Thanks, welcome.
Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Nobody: 5:23pm On Dec 31, 2022
ASKING QUESTIONS



Location

Where ----- Kabẹ or Kabi

Kabẹ is used as a standalone word to ask where.

Kabẹ ----- Where?


Kabi is used with other verbs.

Kabi o re? ----- Where did he go?
Kabi o de´? ----- Where did he reach?
Kabi i gha? ----- Where is she?


Ibihirin or Ibisirin is another type of compound word comprising of Ibi (where) and hirin (an equivalent to wh- prefix). It can be used in place of Kabẹ or Kabi.

Li ibihirin ọ mu ghi? ----- Where did you put it?




Time


Igbahirin or Igbasirin ----- When?

Igbahirin when broken down comprises of Igba (an instance in time) and hirin (wh- question suffix marker).


Li igbahirin ki ọ fẹ re? - When do you want to go?
Mo ti gbagbe igba ọ gha. - I have forgotten when you came here.



Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Nobody: 9:01am On Jan 01, 2023


Identity

Lehirin or Lesirin which could be shortened to just Lerin means who. When used with verbs, it is shortened to just Le.

Lerin? - Who?
Le mu kini nka? - Who took that thing?
Le rọ ni aya gba pọnọ nka? - Who is courageous to pass that route?
Le jọ rẹsi'm? - Who ate my rice?




Ki means what.

Ki bọ? - What is coming?
Ki tẹ gba ewo li ọwọ rẹ? - What is even draining your money?




Event

Ki also means how.

Ki o se ja? - How did it cut?
Ki ọ se jẹ n jo? - How did you let it burn?
Ki ọ se se? - How did you do it?




Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Nobody: 9:18am On Jan 01, 2023
ARTICLES



Kini - Thing.
Kini mọ - This thing.

As seen, mọ or its equivalent mọin is used to specify a close object.

Kini nka - That thing/The Thing.

As seen, nka is used to specify an object not in close range or not within site. It also means "the".

Kini kọnka - Those things.

As seen, kọnka is used for "those".

Kini kọnmọ - These things.

As seen, kọnmọ is used for "these".



Examples

Ọmọ nka - That kid /The kid.
Ọmọ mọ - This kid.
Ọmọ kọnmọ - These kids.
Ọmọ kọnka - Those kids.
Ọ rọnti gbe´se nka ti Jọnu jẹ. Di ọni, e´ ti họn - Recall that debt of John. Till now, he's yet to repay (it).
Taburu kọnka ti ghọn fọ`, se ghọn ti gbẹ ni? - Those tables that were washed, are they dried yet?
Mu ewo nka ko'm - Give me the money.
Gbe igba nka gha - Bring the plate.




Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Nobody: 1:33pm On Jan 01, 2023
QUICK VOCAB



I aim to document at least 1000 Yagba words this year. So I'll make it a thing of duty to post at least 3 words per day. I'll put the tones where possible.

NB: Some words may look similar to their Yoruba counterparts, but they might differ in intonation especially in the last syllable. The reduction of falling-rising tones (like in Mandarin) to just high tones in written Yoruba is another headache. If a word ends in a falling-rising tone in Yoruba, Yagba tends to use the high tone instead, and vice versa.


So some intonation may look wrong in Yoruba, but are right in Yagba.




Ihin ------ Knife.
Ehoro ------ Rabbit.
Ò̩gbo̩`n ------ Thirty.
Iti´ju´ ------ To be shy.
Iti`ju` ------ Shame.
Ité̩ ------ Funeral.
Agho̩`nro̩n ------ Monitor Lizard.
E̩ro̩nkeje ------ Swing door.




1 Like

Re: Learn The Yagba Language (Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti) by Nobody: 5:07pm On Jan 02, 2023
COMMON EXPRESSIONS

I should have began with this, so I'll go through them real quick.




Okun ----- Welldone/Sorry/A General Greeting.
Ẹkurarọ ----- Good morning.
Ẹkurọhọ̀n ----- Good afternoon.
Ẹkuralẹ́ ----- Good evening.
Odarọ ----- See you tomorrow.

Ẹkurilé ----- Greeting used when you get back home (lit. Welldone concerning the house)
Ẹkurabọ ----- Welcome.
Sé àláfìa? ----- I hope you're well.
Àláfìa ki'm se/gha ----- I'm in good health.
Ẹ barika ----- Congrats.
Ẹseun ----- Thank you.

Jẹ'm hí ----- Leave me alone.
Ra jẹun ----- Come and eat.
Se ọ ti jẹun? ----- Have you eaten?

Kè ----- Ma.
Kpẹ̀ ----- Sir.

Seun kè ----- Thank you ma.
Seun kpẹ̀ ----- Thank you sir.


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