While not a profssional linguist, from a historical perspective, the presence of Greek and Latin words in Arabic may be explained by the fact that when classical civilization fell into the Dark Ages it was Arab writers who came in contct with classical texts that translated them, continued the scientific tradition contained in some and brought them to the attention of the West in the Early Modern period.
Olayinka Agbetuyi
Date: Sun, 10 Jun 2012 11:22:38 -0400
From: ibironke@msu.edu
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: The Arabic Origins of Common Yoruba Words
The late professor Afolabi Olabode once told me he encountered many Yoruba sounding words in Japan while he was teaching there and strikingly some of these words have meanings similar to the meaning they have in Yoruba. If Japan was known to have historical contacts of any kind with West Africa, (maybe it does), this phenomenon would have no other label, it seems, given this theory of linguistic origins, but Japanese loan words to Yoruba.
Bode
On 6/9/12 7:39 PM, Farooq A. Kperogi wrote:
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Olayinka Agbetuyi
Date: Sun, 10 Jun 2012 11:22:38 -0400
From: ibironke@msu.edu
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: The Arabic Origins of Common Yoruba Words
The late professor Afolabi Olabode once told me he encountered many Yoruba sounding words in Japan while he was teaching there and strikingly some of these words have meanings similar to the meaning they have in Yoruba. If Japan was known to have historical contacts of any kind with West Africa, (maybe it does), this phenomenon would have no other label, it seems, given this theory of linguistic origins, but Japanese loan words to Yoruba.
Bode
On 6/9/12 7:39 PM, Farooq A. Kperogi wrote:
Oga Folu,
I know your question is intended to prod us to problematize notions of derivation, borrowing, and linguistic nativism. I am entirely in agreement with your understated but nonetheless apparent skepticism about what I like to call vulgar etymologies. If we can't determine with certainty that a particular word is native to a language (and what, by the way, is nativism given the labyrinthine interconnectedness of languages?), how can we make claims that it has "loaned" a word to another language? What if the "loaned" word is itself loaned to that language by another language?
I am no professional linguist, but my sense is that when linguists say a word in one language is derived from another language, they mean nothing more than that the word's immediate (and not necessarily its deep) roots are traceable to that language. Oga Cornelius' "yabas" example in Krio is apt here. That word is "derived" from the Yoruba "alubosa." The Yoruba alubosa, in turn, is "derived" from the Hausa "albasa," which is itself "derived" from the Arabic "al-basal." It is entirely conceivable that "al-basal" isn't, in fact, native to Arabic. I recently read a fascinating article about Greek and Latin loans in Arabic.
Glottochronologists and lexicostatisticians also claim to be able to scientifically map the evolution of languages. Maybe they can also give insights into the origins and circulations of words across languages.
I hope the professional linguists in the forum will come in here.
Farooq
Personal website: www.farooqkperogi.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/farooqkperogiTwitter: https://twitter.com/#!/farooqkperogi
"The nice thing about pessimism is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised." G. F. Will
On Sat, Jun 9, 2012 at 3:46 PM, Folu Ogundimu <ogundimu3@gmail.com> wrote:
Farooq,
Fascinating contribution, as usual. One question, what does it mean to say a word is derived from another language when the etymology of the word is not clearly established? How do linguists determine the order of direction or origin in such matters - say as in a Yoruba, Igbo, or Batonu word having origin in Arabic or another language? Thank you for your clarification.
Folu
Sent from my iPadYour amplification on yabas sounds quite interesting to me. The more I look at these analyses the more I begin to suspect an Arabic link to the collective definite noun 'Yoruba' itself. This may not be entirely impossible or unique since the name Africans was not originally self-referrential by the people to which it refers but was externally determined. In my research into Ifa studies over a decade ago (still an ongoing engagement by the way) I came across suggestions of people around Mali/Songhai axis referring to the Yoruba as the Yariba. The Yoruba originally referred to themselves as Omo- Oduduwa. could it be that there was a time that merchants from the area dominated the onion trade?--
We know people from the Senegambia probably gave the world the ubiquitous word OK, which is more associated with West even by the continent of origin. This again brings to the fore the dialogic exchanges in the colonial encounter. And it is also known that words like 'bungalow' passed into the English lexicon from the less powerful in the encounter (India) to the more powerful.
Olayinka Agbetuyi
> Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2012 06:23:10 -0700
> Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: The Arabic Origins of Common Yoruba Words
> From: corneliushamelberg@gmail.com
> To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
>
> In mentioning the Yoruba Language we should not forget it's
> adaptations and modifications in the vast Yoruba diaspora – updating
> studies about the migration/s of Yoruba words/ language must be an
> everlasting challenge to Yoruba Language specialists an sociolinguists
>
> Interesting that the Yoruba word for onions comes from the Arabic as
> you say;
>
> "*3.* *Alubosa.* This Yoruba word for "onion" was borrowed from the
> Hausa
> "albasa," which in turn borrowed it from the Arabic "al-basal."
>
> In Sierra Leone Krio, onions is "yabas" and as there has always been a
> significant Yoruba presence in Freetown and lots of Yoruba loan words
> (especially related to the Yoruba cuisine, hunting, music,
> clothing,Yoruba customs and social relations) constitute a large part
> of the Krio language as "loan words"; so "Yabas" probably comes
> directly from the Yoruba
>
> In Themne "onions" is "kʌ yaba " - could have also come directly from
> the Arabic, or the Yoruba or Krio....
>
> The latest Yoruba loanword to gain popular currency in Sierra Leone
> was SWEGBE ( fool) – it surfaced in Emerson's hit " Borbor Bele" a few
> years ago – and in the beginning most of the resident Sierra Leone
> fora linguists were at a complete loss as to the meaning of the
> word....
> probably passed on through the peace-keeping Yoruba in ECOMORG who
> were stationed in Sierra Leone for a while...
>
>
> On Jun 7, 4:57 pm, "Farooq A. Kperogi" <farooqkper...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > Sunday, May 13, 2012 The Arabic Origins of Common Yoruba
> > Words<http://www.farooqkperogi.com/2012/05/arabic-origins-of-common-yoruba-...>
> >
> > *By Farooq A. Kperogi *
> >
> > I am taking a break from English grammar this week to discuss a
> > fascinating 22-page article I read on the Arabic roots of many contemporary
> > Yoruba words. Titled "On Arabic Loans in
> > Yoruba,"<http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED394282.pdf>it was written by
> > Professor Sergio Baldi, a well-regarded Italian linguist,
> > who presented it at the Annual Conference on African Linguistics in
> > California, USA, in March 1995.
> >
> > The article lists scores of common Yoruba words that are derived from
> > Arabic sometimes by way of Hausa, at other times by way of Songhai (Zarma
> > and Dendi languages in present-day Niger, Mali, and Benin republics are
> > examples of Songhai languages), and occasionally directly from Arabic. (To
> > read the full article, click here <http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED394282.pdf>).
> >
> > In this essay, I isolate only words that, from my modest knowledge of
> > Yoruba, enjoy widespread usage and that are not limited to the vernacular
> > of Yoruba Muslims. It is noteworthy that different versions of many of the
> > words below are also used widely in Hausa, Kanuri, Igala, Ebira, Batonu,
> > Nupe, and many Niger-Congo languages in northern and central Nigeria. In
> > fact, "wahala," a common Nigerian Pidgin English word, has Arabic origins,
> > as you will see shortly.
> >
> > *1. Abere.* This Yoruba word for "needle" traces its etymology to the
> > Arabic "ai-bra," which also means needle.
> >
> > *2.* *Adura.* This is the Yoruba word for prayers. In fact, there is a
> > popular syncretic Christian sect in Yorubaland that goes by the name
> > "aladura," meaning "people who pray" or "praying people." Many other
> > northern and central Nigerian languages have some version of this word to
> > denote prayers. It is derived from the Arabic "du'a," which also means
> > prayers.
> >
> > *3.* *Alubosa.* This Yoruba word for "onion" was borrowed from the Hausa
> > "albasa," which in turn borrowed it from the Arabic "al-basal."
> >
> > *4.* *Alufa/Alfa.* This is a widely used word for a Muslim scholar (and
> > occasionally any Muslim) not just in Yorubaland but in Nupeland, Borgu,
> > Igalaland, Ebiraland, etc. It is now increasingly used by Yoruba Muslim
> > women as a term of respect for their husbands.
> >
> > Surprisingly, the word is absent in the Hausa language. It came as no
> > surprise therefore when Professor Baldi suggested that the word came to the
> > Yoruba language—and many other central Nigerian languages—through the
> > Songhai. It is derived from the Arabic "khalifah," which means a
> > "successor" or a "representative" (of the prophet of Islam). It was first
> > corrupted to "Alfa" by the Songhai who later exported their version of the
> > word to western and central Nigeria—and to other parts of West Africa. Many
> > Songhai were itinerant Islamic preachers who traveled all over West Africa.
> >
> > *5.* *Atele/itele.* It means "following" in Yoruba, and it is derived
> > from "at-talin," which also means "following" in Arabic.
> >
> > *6.* *Amodi.* It means "disease" in Yoruba and is derived from "al-marad,"
> > the Arabic word for disease.
> >
> > *7.* *"Amo."* It is a conjunction in Yoruba, which performs the same
> > function that the word "but" performs in English; it introduces contrast.
> > It is rendered as "amma" in Hausa, which is the way it is rendered in its
> > original Arabic form.
> >
> > *8.* *Anfani.* This Yoruba word for "utility" or "importance" also occurs
> > in Hausa, Batonu, and many northern and central Nigerian languages. It is
> > derived from the Arabic "naf," which means "advantage, profit."
> >
> > *9.* *Ara/ apaara.* The word means "thunder" in Yoruba, and is derived
> > from the Arabic "ar-ra'd."
> >
> > *10.* *Asiri.* It means "secret" in Yoruba, Hausa, and in many other
> > Nigerian languages. It is derived from the Arabic "as-sirr" where it also
> > means "secret."
> >
> > 11. *Barika*. This is the Yoruba word for "congratulations." It is
> > rendered as "barka" in Hausa. The word's original Arabic form is
> > "al-baraka," which means "greetings."
> >
> > *12.* *Borokinni*. It means a "gentleman, respected man in a secure
> > financial position." The word is also found in many Borgu languages, such
> > as Batonu and Bokobaru, where "boro" means a "friend." It is derived from
> > the Arabic "rukn," which means "support, corner, basic element."
> >
> > *13.* *Faari.* It means "showing off" or "boastfulness" or "ostentatious
> > display" in Yoruba. It has the same meaning in many Borgu languages. It is
> > derived from the Arabic "fakhr," which means "glory, pride, honor." (Note
> > that "kh" is a guttural sound in Arabic, which is close to a hard "h" in
> > English. That sound was dropped by Nigerian languages).
> >
> > *14.* *Fitila.* It means any kind of lamp. Its roots are located in the
> > Arabic word for lamp, which is "fatil."
> >
> > *15.* *Ijamba.* Professor Baldi defines this word as "bodily harm," but
> > the meaning of the word I'm familiar with is one that associates it with
> > cunning, cheating, deceit. It is derived from the Arabic "danb," or
> > "danba," which means "sin, crime." (Note that Arabic frequently dispenses
> > with end vowels (that is, a, e, i, o, and u) in words, whereas many
> > Nigerian languages almost always end words with a vowel—and add them to
> > words they borrow from other languages if such words lack an end vowel).
> >
> > *16.* *Imale**.* This is the Yoruba word for "Muslim." I read previous
> > interpretations of this word from Yoruba scholars who say it is Yoruba for
> > "that which is difficult" to underscore the difficulty of Islamic practices
> > like praying five times a day, fasting for 30 days during Ramadan, etc.
> > Other Yoruba scholars said the word initially denoted "people from Mali"
> > since the Songhai people who Islamized Yoruba land in the 15th century were
> > from Mali.
> >
> > But Baldi argues that "imale" is the corruption of the Arabic "Mu'alim,"
> > which means a teacher. In the Hausa language, the word is rendered as
> > Maalam. It's interesting that "Mallam" has become the synonym for Hausa (or
> > northern) Muslim in southern Nigeria.
> >
> > *17.* *Iwaju.* It's the Yoruba word for "front part." I didn't imagine
> > that this word had an Arabic origin until I read Baldi's article. It is
> > derived from the Arabic "al-wajh," which means "front" or "face."
> >
> > *18*. *Iwaasu.* It is the Yoruba term for "preaching" or "sermon." It is
> > used by both Christians and Muslims in Yorubaland, and is derived from the
> > Arabic "waz," which means "admonition" or "sermon." (The Yoruba language
> > has no "z" sound, so it substitutes "z" with "s" when it borrows words from
> > other languages with "z" sounds).
> >
> > *19.* *Suuru.* It means "patience" not only in Yoruba but in many
> > languages in central and northern Nigeria. It is derived from the Arabic
> > "sabr," which also means "patience."
> >
> > *20.* *Talaka.* It means the poor. It came to Yoruba by way of Hausa,
> > which borrowed it from the Tuareg (where it is rendered as "taleqque" and
> > where it means "a poor woman"). It's also used in Mandingo, Songhai
> > languages, Kanuri, Teda, and many West African languages. Baldi says this
> > word has no Arabic origins. On the surface, this may be true. After all,
> > the Arabic word for a poor person is "fakir" (plural: "fuqura").
> >
> > However, "talaq," as most Muslims know, is the Arabic word for divorce.
> > (The chapter of the Qur'an that deals with the subject of divorce is called
> > Suratul Talaq). Talaq is derived from the verb "talaqa," which means to
> > "disown," to "repudiate." In times past (and it's still the case today in
> > many Muslim societies) if a woman was divorced, she was invariably thrown
> > into poverty. Thus, Tuaregs used the term "taleqque" to denote a "poor
> > woman." But Hausa, Kanuri, Yoruba, Mandingo, and other West African
> > languages expanded the original Tuareg meaning of the word to include every
> > poor person. This is my theory.
> >
> > *21.* *Tobi*. This Yoruba word for "women's knickers" is derived from the
> > Arabic "taub," which means "garment," "dress," "cloth." Another tonal
> > variation of this word leads to a different Yoruba word, which means "big."
> >
> > *22*. *Wahala.* Well, this isn't just a Yoruba word by way of Hausa; it's
> > made its way into most Nigerian languages—and into West African Pidgin
> > English. It means "trouble," and it's derived from the Arabic "wahla,"
> > which means "fright," "terror."
> >
> > http://www.farooqkperogi.com/2012/05/arabic-origins-of-common-yoruba-...
> >
> > Personal website:www.farooqkperogi.com<http://www.farooqkperogi.blogspot.com>
> > Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/farooqkperogi
> > Twitter:https://twitter.com/#!/farooqkperogi
> >
> > "The nice thing about pessimism is that you are constantly being either
> > proven right or pleasantly surprised." G. F. Will
>
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