Essentials of Yoruba Grammar


Book Description

In important respects, this book represents an independent approach to Yoruba grammar. It attempts to present the Yoruba language as it really is, rather than as seen largely from the perspective of other languages. The grammatical structure of the language is thus presented in a new way. The major parts of speech of the language are, for the first time, established uniformly on the criteria of function alone. A chapter is devoted to a systematic and novel treatment of each such part of speech, related both to the wide array of sentence types, and to its sounds and the way they are combined in words.




Basic, Intermediate and Advanced Grammar and Composition In English-Yoruba


Book Description

it is an easy tool that teaches the rules of sentences, noun, verbs, question mark, adjectives, and adverbs; prepositions, propositions, and pronoun pronouncements; punctuation; possessives; and proofreading skills for all communication. o jẹ ọpa ti o rọrun ti o kọni awọn ofin awọn gbolohun ọrọ, nomba, awọn ọrọ ọrọ, ami ibeere, adjectives, ati awọn adverbs; awọn apejuwe, awọn igbero, ati ọrọ ọrọ; àkíyèsí; awọn oniwa; ati awọn ogbon itọnisọna fun gbogbo ibaraẹnisọrọ




The Syntax and Semantics of Yoruba Nominal Expressions


Book Description

The Landmarks Series is a research and publications outfit funded by the Landmarks Research Foundation to publish recent outstanding doctoral dissertations on any aspect of Nigerian linguistics, languages, literatures and cultures. This study is a departer from most previous work on Yorùbá Grammar in the sense that rather than being purely a descriptive grammar; it attempts to provide a theoretical analysis of the internal and external syntax of Yorùbá nominal expressions using the Chomskyan Principles and Parameters approach to syntax. This Generative theory attempts to characterize the grammar of all natural languages in terms of a set of universal principles that all languages share, and a set of parameters along which languages may vary. The book emphasizes the empirical motivation behind major theoretical proposals in that framework, and shows how views on the nature of universal grammar and cross-linguistic variation have developed over the years as a consequence of a massive increase in cross-linguistic syntactic research.




Yoruba Creativity


Book Description

In songs, dance and drama the fame of the Yoruba of Nigeria is firmly established and universally acknowledged. Also an established writing and literary tradition, the Yoruba have asserted themselves as a dominant force in the world of creativity. Such stars are represented here, as in the works of Wole Soyinka and Zulu Sofola. The future of language in the making of new idioms and dictionaries is also examined in an attempt to position the Yoruba and their cultures in the ever-changing world of cultural inventions.




Colloquial Yoruba


Book Description

Specially written by an experienced teacher for self-study or class use, this easy to use and up to date course provides a step-by-step approach to written and spoken Yoruba with no prior knowledge of the language required. Colloquial Yoruba is:interactive - with lots of exercises for regular practiceclear - providing concise grammar notespractical - with useful vocabulary and pronunciation guidescomplete - including answer key and reference section. By the end of this course you will be able to communicate confidently and effectively in Yoruba in a broad range of everyday situations. Accompany.




Encyclopedia of the Yoruba


Book Description

“The encyclopedia gives a complex, yet detailed, presentation of the Yorùbá, a dominant ethnic group in West Africa . . . an invaluable resource.” —Yoruba Studies Review The Yoruba people today number more than thirty million strong, with significant numbers in the United States, Nigeria, Europe, and Brazil. This landmark reference work emphasizes Yoruba history, geography and demography, language and linguistics, literature, philosophy, religion, and art. The 285 entries include biographies of prominent Yoruba figures, artists, and authors; the histories of political institutions; and the impact of technology and media, urban living, and contemporary culture on Yoruba people worldwide. Written by Yoruba experts on all continents, this encyclopedia provides comprehensive background to the global Yoruba and their distinctive and vibrant history and culture. “Readers unfamiliar with the Yoruba will find the introduction a concise and valuable overview of their language and its dialects, recent history, mythology and religion, and diaspora movements . . . Highly recommended.” —Choice




Science and an African Logic


Book Description

Does two and two equal four? Ask someone and they should answer yes. An equation such as this seems the very definition of certainty, but is it? In this book, Helen Verran addresses precisely that question.




Projections and Interface Conditions


Book Description

This collection of previously unpublished papers explores the implications of Chomsky's "Minimalist" framework for the modularity of grammar, which simplifies the "modular" approach he took in his Government and Binding theory of grammar. According to this theory autonomous grammatical components (phonological, syntactic, morphological, and semantic) coexist and interact like building blocks, using a given set of principles at given levels of representation. Chomsky's assertions have sparked a great deal of theoretical debate, especially with regard to the nature and interaction of each of the building blocks. The contributors to this volume join the debate in a series of case studies that compare modularity in English, French, and Italian, among other languages. In the process they address such issues as the autonomy and applications of modules and their distribution in theory, as well as the role of functional projects in their derivations. Projections and Interface Conditions will interest researchers in any of the above mentioned languages, as well as the large number of linguists working in the Chomskyan tradition.




Nigerian Languages, Literatures, Culture and Reforms


Book Description

The papers in this volume were selected from the Silver Jubilee edition of the Annual Conference of the Linguistic Association of Nigerian (LAN) which was held at the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Abuja, Nigeria. The Silver Jubilee edition is dedicated to the father of Nigerian Linguistics, Professor Emeritus Ayo Bamgbose. Professor Emeritus Bamgbose was the first indigenous Professor of Linguistics in Nigeria, and the first black African to teach linguistics in any known university south of the Sahara. He was there from the very beginning, and together with co-operation of people such as the late Professor Kay Williamson, he nurtured Nigerian linguistics. He is not just a foremost Nigerian linguist, but also a most famous, respected, celebrated, distinguished, and cherished African linguist of all times. To be candid, Nigerian linguistics is synonymous with Professor Emeritus Bamgbose. In 58 well-written chapters by experts in their fields, the book covers aspects of Nigerian languages, linguistics, literatures and culture. The papers have not been categorized into sections; rather they flow, hence there is some overlapping in the arrangement. The book is an essential resource for all who are interested to learn about current trends in the study of languages, linguistics and related subject-matters in Nigeria.




Tone Orthography and Literacy


Book Description

This book presents the results of a series of literacy experiments in ten Niger-Congo languages, representing four language families and spanning five countries. It asks the research question, "To what extent does full tone marking contribute to oral reading fluency, comprehension and writing accuracy, and does that contribution vary from language to language?". One of the main findings is that the ethno-literacy profile of the language community and the social profile of the individual are stronger predictors of reading and writing performance than are the linguistic and orthographic profiles of the language. Our data also suggest that full tone marking may be more beneficial for less educated readers and those with less experience of L1 literacy. The book will bring practical help to linguists and literacy specialists in Africa and beyond who are helping to develop orthographies for tone languages. It will also be of interest to cognitive psychologists exploring the reading process, and researchers investigating writing systems.