There are 30 million native speakers of the Yoruba language in Nigeria.The meaning of a word can be changed by the tone used to pronounce it.If you want to learn Yoruba, you need to practice the tones and vowels.You can start conversing with natives by learning common words and phrases.Good luck!
Step 1: Speak the vowels.
All of the oral vowels in Yoruba are short, or unglided, sounds.The vowels are produced in different parts of the mouth, with either high or low.I'm a high front vowel that sounds like a cross between the English word eat and the pronunciation of the letter "i" in words such as "silver" or "children."The vowels in the French word "été" are similar to the ones in e.The English word "set" has a low mid-front vowels.The English word "not" has a low middle vowels.The English word "loss" has a low mid-back vowels.The English word "soak" has a mid-back vowels.The English word "toot" has a high back vowels.
Step 2: Practice vowels.
It is possible that a familiarity with French will help you pronounce vowels.There are five oral vowels that are nasalized when they follow a "m" or "n" sound.The English word "pinch" has a similar sound to the nasalized i.The English word "bench" has a similar sound to the nasalized.The British pronunciation of the word "aunt" has a similar sound to the English one.The English contraction "won't" has the same sound as the nasalized U.
Step 3: You already know some of the words.
Most of the 19 vowels in Yoruba sound like the same letter in English.You already know how to say these letters in English.The letters b, d, g, t, k, and f all sound the same in English.It's important to keep in mind that the g in the English word "go" is always pronounced the same in Yoruba as it is in English.The letters w and y sound the same in English.If they come before a vowels, they are nasalized.The letters j and h are not as strong as the English ones.
Step 4: Do you know the difference between s and?
The letter is pronounced the same way as the English s in the word "see."The sound of a subscript dot is related to the letter without one, but it is not an accent mark.The sound of the Yoruba is higher in pitch than the English one.Think of hissing like a snake, with the tip of your tongue behind your front teeth.The two letters sound the same in some dialects.Take note of the dialect of native speakers and where they learned to speak it.
Step 5: Nasalize m and n.
The same letters in English are pronounced through the nose, rather than the open mouth.When pronouncing these letters, keep your tongue to the roof of your mouth.The English word "song" has an n before a ng.
Step 6: To pronounce an r, clip your tongue.
The letter r is not rolled in Yoruba, as it is in Spanish and other languages.It sounds like the Spanish word "pero."As you say it, clip your tongue against the back of your teeth.The tip of the tongue would be tapped on the way up.In Yoruba, you want to start with the tip of your tongue on the gum ridge behind your front teeth.
Step 7: The English phrase "big boy" is a good one to use.
Beginners who speak English or other European languages are likely to find it difficult to say gb and p in Yoruba.Repeated the words "big boy" with no pause between them will help you practice.You can say "bi-gboy" if you divide the words after the first vowel.Practice until you can make the sound.A native speaker can give you tips on how to improve and let you know if you're pronouncing the sounds correctly.
Step 8: There are 3 levels of tones in Yoruba.
High, middle, and low tones occur over vowels in the language.The meaning of a given word is determined by the combination of tones used."k" means "husband."The word means "hoe" if you add a high tone to the second syllable.The meaning to "spear" is changed by a low tone over vowels.The meaning to "vehicle" is changed by a single low tone.A high tone cannot be heard in the beginning of a word.Middle tones aren't marked because there is a diacritical symbol.
Step 9: For sentences, use subject-verb-object word order.
The subject is never left out of the sentence in Yoruba, unlike in other languages.The sentence structure should be familiar to speakers of English and other Latin languages."Olu bought a chair" is what it means."Olu buy chair" is a translation.
Step 10: Pick out nouns and verbs.
The majority of the verbs in Yoruba are monosyllabic.Nouns usually start with vowels.This can be an easy way to recognize a word.The subject is not reflected in the form of the verbs.No matter what form the nouns are in, they don't change to reflect plurality."Olu buy book two at Ibadan" is a translation of the sentence "Olra wé méj n tbdn."Future and non-future are the two "tenses" in Yoruba.The verbs form never changes to reflect a different tense.From the context of the conversation, the speaker's tense is understood.
Step 11: Interrogative sentences can be formed with question markers.
"é" and "b" are question markers in Yoruba.The beginning and end of the sentence would be the question markers.You can place one marker at the beginning or end of the question.If you wanted to ask, "Did Olu come?"" Ol w b" is what you could say in Yoruba.The French construction of making a statement followed by the word "non?"It is similar to the Yoruba interrogative construction.
Step 12: You can listen to Nigerian popular music.
Most Nigerian popular music is in the Yoruba language.The repetitive nature of song lyrics makes music a good way to immerse yourself in the language and pick up new words and phrases.Listening to native speakers of Yoruba can help you perfect your pronunciation.You can mimic the way the native speakers speak.You can learn without much effort if you put music on in the background while you're doing other things.
Step 13: Basic greetings should be memorised.
You can start to have basic conversations if you know how to say hello and ask how someone is doing.You will gain confidence in your speaking skills when you know how to greet someone.N l!A general greeting is "hello!"To ask "How are you?"."e daadaa ni o wa?""Mo wa daadaa, o se" is the reply."Iw naa n k?""I'm fine, and you?" is what this reply means."Thank you is "o se" in Yoruba.When learning a language, good manners are important."ko to p" means "you're welcome" or "no problem" if someone thanks you.If you want to tell someone to have a nice day, say "Oni a dara o".
Step 14: You can read and watch news in the language of your choice.
There is a news service that focuses on global and Nigerian news.You can explore the site at https://www.bbc.com/yoruba.It is possible to expand your vocabulary by reading about current events that you are familiar with.Brief videos give you the chance to watch and listen to native speakers of Yoruba, which can help improve your comprehension and pronunciation.
Step 15: You can watch cultural orientation videos.
You can get a cultural orientation video from the US Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center.For free, the program is online.The program can be started at http://fieldsupport.dliflc.edu/products/yoruba/yq_co/default.html.You can test your knowledge with assessment quizzes and tools after you've finished the various chapters.
Step 16: You can take free courses in the language of your choice.
Basic and intermediate courses are offered by the Foreign Services Institute of the U.S. State Department.The Live Lingua Project offers online courses for free.The materials can be downloaded at https://www.livelingua.com/project/fsi/Yoruba.Some of the phrases you learn on the courses may not be in keeping with the current language.The courses provide good pronunciation and tonality drills, and with the included audio files you can listen to native speakers.There is a free multimedia textbook available at the University of Texas at Austin.