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Scientific And Technological Words In Yoruba - Come See! by StarFlux: 11:56am On Nov 20, 2013
Mo kí gbogbo ẹ̀yin o!
Welcome!

Ṣé o mọ̀ pé èdè Yorùbá lísọ̀rọ̀sí púpọ̀? Bí o bá fẹ́ràn láti kọ́, ó yẹ ki o farabalẹ̀.
Did you know that the Yoruba language has many expressions? If you like to learn, please pay attention.

Bótilẹ̀jẹ́pé ní bayìí, àwọn ti o gba oyè nínú èdè Yorùbá àti bí a ṣe nkọ́ ọ ti pọ̀, síbẹ̀, ó jẹ́ oun ìṣòro láti rí àwọn olùkọ́ láti kọ́ èdè Yorùbá, ṣùgbọ́n mo ti gbìyànjú. Jẹ́’ka jùmọ̀ gbé e l’árugẹ. Jẹ́'ka kọ́ nípa èdè Yorùbá.
Let us support and acquire knowledge about the Yoruba language.

Ọ̀rọ̀ Yorùbá t'ọ̀lájú àt'ọ̀rọ̀ nípa ìmọ̀n-ẹ̀rọ.
Yorùbá modern and technical terms/expressions/words.

This thread is open to everyone, HOWEVER:
1. Don’t derail it.
2. Only constructive replies in the form of additions and informative discussions.
3. If you disagree with a translation, offer an alternative.
4. My Yoruba isn’t perfect, please excuse any mistakes.
5. These are words I have learned through various sources (internet, books, people).


Ilé-ìwé (school):
Àṣàyàn-ẹ̀kọ́ - subject
Ẹ̀kọ́ ẹ̀dá – physics
Ẹ̀kọ́ ẹ̀dá-oníyè - biology
Ẹ̀kọ́ ẹ̀là – chemistry
Ẹ̀kọ́ ètò-ọ̀rọ̀ - economics
Ẹ̀kọ́ ilẹ̀-ayé - geography
Ẹ̀kọ́ ilẹ̀-wíwọ̀n – geometry
Ẹ̀kọ́ ìṣírò-àmì - algebra
Ẹ̀kọ́ ìmọ̀n-ìjìnlẹ̀ – science
Ìdáwọ́lé – project

Ìṣèlú (politics):
Ìlàjú – modernization
Ìfọ̀rọ̀wérọ̀ - diplomacy
Ìjọba-oníbò - democracy

Ẹ̀kọ́ ìmọ̀n-ìjìnlẹ̀ àti ìmọ̀n-ẹ̀rọ (science and technology):
Àlàyé-ìjìnlẹ̀ – thesis
Àrá – electricity
Atẹ́rọṣe – mechanic
Ẹ̀rọ-ìṣírò – computer
Ẹ̀rọ-ìsọhùn - telephone
Ilé ọkọ̀-òfurufú - airport
Ìsọ̀gbè-àtọwọ́dá - satellite
Ilé-ìwòsàn - hospital
Òpópónà - highway

More to come!

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Re: Scientific And Technological Words In Yoruba - Come See! by ladionline: 10:23pm On Nov 20, 2013
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Re: Scientific And Technological Words In Yoruba - Come See! by ladionline: 10:27pm On Nov 20, 2013
This is quite profound sir,

You know what the white folk has as advantage over the rest? They have "eyes on details". Paying attention to details is the "pay off" of the 'wild wild west'! I used to wonder as a child what "Mitochondria", "vacoule", "cell" and "genes" were and who really name this things? I often felt that the west named them but our teachers did not have any indegenous alternative so it remmains.

Because the west were able to name most of their findings, labeling them and putting them in order and classification and differentiations, We are forced to learn from them and retain their language, leaving our own in their state of chaos and eternal childhood. And so soon, a sort of "social Darwinism" ensued on our languages, and its all that we call extinction.

We are at disadvantage because we do not have names for things like these, and as such, our language does not grow with trend and fashion of the time by users who need to express things with aesthetics. The need for aesthetic expression is forever normal, we see it in our languages as ambiguity, with folks finding words that can do a lot for them in one word.

If we do not follow up on the trend of our time, we would always cry wolf and no complaint can help us. We need "dedicated hands" to revive the spirit of scholarship and people to feel this is their destiny. We need the spirit of scribes and scholars as of old. "Aja iwoyi lo m'ehoro iwoyii 'le" That is, its only the dogs of this time that can hunt the rabbits of this time.

When I was able to decode just two Yoruba words in 2000, I dropped all other careers that have bearing on my mind, "Music" especially. I love soul music and did demo to it. However, I felt spiritual that I am call to do this "Yoruba historical thing", and no, it is not all about "a life our affluent" but a life of sacrifice. I do not know what the future hold, but the passion is enough to keep me on.

It is not even being tribalisic that propel it, I was not aware of the tribalistic implication of it till I came online. Will I quit after years of rigorous research and pain so as not to be tribalistic? I don't know. Sometimes, personal sacrifice and revival or rebirth of knowledge can start from our less significance strays.

Make a deal with it, do your own part and do not mind detractors.
When you have a grasp, it disturbs.

1 Like

Re: Scientific And Technological Words In Yoruba - Come See! by macof(m): 6:49am On Nov 21, 2013
We need more...might drop some later
Re: Scientific And Technological Words In Yoruba - Come See! by ladionline: 1:21pm On Nov 21, 2013
macof: Some Christians are so desperate to convert atheist grin

Don't mind those set of christians jare.




Atheists are the wisest fools
They do not have a holy book
but they will quote from the bible
Yet they did not belief in the bible.

But they want you to believe this:
Their interpretations of the same bible.
The bible which they endlessly disapprove.
Atheism is human wit falling apart freely.
Re: Scientific And Technological Words In Yoruba - Come See! by macof(m): 2:57pm On Nov 22, 2013
@op nice thread
Re: Scientific And Technological Words In Yoruba - Come See! by StarFlux: 1:13pm On Nov 24, 2013
macof: @op nice thread
Thank you!
Re: Scientific And Technological Words In Yoruba - Come See! by gatiano(m): 10:36pm On Dec 18, 2014
Good post that most be continued. in my simple explanation. Before a word is turned into sound that we speak, an image must come into our minds first after the thoughts.

Thoughts--imaging---reality/deed/sound.

most of scientific/technological words are not present in the african languages or i must say that they were present, we simply just forgot.
If we can't image what we think into its very minute structure, then we won't be able to produce, manufacture or create anything, thus we will have to be depending on other people to do for us.

The op has thought me the very basic unit of live on the universe and it is

ATOM in Yoruba, It means OTA, Ota as in bullet, but not bullet ooo. now i have an clear image of that meaning which means to be spark!

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Re: Scientific And Technological Words In Yoruba - Come See! by macof(m): 8:37pm On Sep 24, 2015
StarFlux:
Thank you!

Long time.

It's obvious these are words made within the last 2 centuries

Deep and old yoruba
Encyclopedia = Ifa
Technology = Isegun
Machine = Ogun
Tool/device = ẹ̀rọ

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Re: Scientific And Technological Words In Yoruba - Come See! by StarFlux: 8:53pm On Oct 01, 2015
macof:


Long time.

It's obvious these are words made within the last 2 centuries

Deep and old yoruba
Encyclopedia = Ifa
Technology = Isegun
Machine = Ogun
Tool/device = ẹ̀rọ
Hello, indeed!

Most of these words are sourced from Beginner's Yoruba by Kayode J. Fakinlede and are very recent, indeed. There are, however, several inaccuracies in many of the translations. I'm not at the level of proficiency where can I point them all out, sadly.

Isegun definitely is science related and be used as a prefix in that regard. Eko is also very interesting and could possibly create many new words with little effort. It would seem ero has replaced ogun and now means tool/device and machine.

Very interesting, nonetheless and we should attempt to reintroduce these words you mention. Most technological words today are coined from several words from a source language, so one could theoretically break them down and make a translation. However, one language's logic doesn't necesarrily transfer to another.

The problem is that many of these words sound somewhat artifical due to them essentially being created with intent and is not the cause of actual development. The problem becomes more apparent when you attempt to explain these concepts. The words are just not there for the average speaker.

The main concern is that Yoruba and our other languages are not used actively for conversing and developing science. It does not bode well when the language stops being developed. I think the only way to turn the tide is for Nigeria to abolish English. I am unsure if that will ever happen though.

Meanwhile, we must do what we can and this thread is a start.

1 Like

Re: Scientific And Technological Words In Yoruba - Come See! by macof(m): 9:48pm On Oct 01, 2015
StarFlux:
Hello, indeed!

Most of these words are sourced from Beginner's Yoruba by Kayode J. Fakinlede and are very recent, indeed. There are, however, several inaccuracies in many of the translations. I'm not at the level of proficiency where can I point them all out, sadly.

Isegun definitely is science related and be used as a prefix in that regard. Eko is also very interesting and could possibly create many new words with little effort. It would seem ero has replaced ogun and now means tool/device and machine.

Very interesting, nonetheless and we should attempt to reintroduce these words you mention. Most technological words today are coined from several words from a source language, so one could theoretically break them down and make a translation. However, one language's logic doesn't necesarrily transfer to another.

The problem is that many of these words sound somewhat artifical due to them essentially being created with intent and is not the cause of actual development. The problem becomes more apparent when you attempt to explain these concepts. The words are just not there for the average speaker.

The main concern is that Yoruba and our other languages are not used actively for conversing and developing science. It does not bode well when the language stops being developed. I think the only way to turn the tide is for Nigeria to abolish English. I am unsure if that will ever happen though.

Meanwhile, we must do what we can and this thread is a start.

nah. Nigeria without English would be a disaster, how do we communicate?


but we can still maintain the old logic behind Yoruba words
take for instance - Onisegun and Elero being scientist and engineer respectively, today nobody uses the words like that

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Re: Scientific And Technological Words In Yoruba - Come See! by StarFlux: 11:17pm On Oct 01, 2015
macof:


nah. Nigeria without English would be a disaster, how do we communicate?


but we can still maintain the old logic behind Yoruba words
take for instance - Onisegun and Elero being scientist and engineer respectively, today nobody uses the words like that
Well, English will slowly devour until most if not all indengious languages are dead. I'd rather have it be one of our hundreds of languages doing the work, but it might very well be too late now. I find English a bland and very boring language. It has borrowed excessively and lost most grammatical peculiarities. A lot of people think it's the language of science, but really most of the scientific terms are French or Latin of origin. It doesn't posess the same creative ability to create words (which luckily Yoruba does) as those two other languages.

Came across this hymn: Onisegun nla wa nihin. Meaning seems to be retained here, not sure how old the hymn is as it seems to be a translation. Elero makes sense, so it's really a mystery why it's not widely used. I suppose mekaniki and enijinia is of preference for the lingustic ignorant. People these days don't even understand simple Yoruba coined words. They seem to think more like English where syllables are mostly meaningless and you only consider the word as a whole.

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Re: Scientific And Technological Words In Yoruba - Come See! by macof(m): 3:19pm On Oct 02, 2015
StarFlux:
Well, English will slowly devour until most if not all indengious languages are dead. I'd rather have it be one of our hundreds of languages doing the work, but it might very well be too late now. I find English a bland and very boring language. It has borrowed excessively and lost most grammatical peculiarities. A lot of people think it's the language of science, but really most of the scientific terms are French or Latin of origin. It doesn't posess the same creative ability to create words (which luckily Yoruba does) as those two other languages.

Came across this hymn: Onisegun nla wa nihin. Meaning seems to be retained here, not sure how old the hymn is as it seems to be a translation. Elero makes sense, so it's really a mystery why it's not widely used. I suppose mekaniki and enijinia is of preference for the lingustic ignorant. People these days don't even understand simple Yoruba coined words. They seem to think more like English where syllables are mostly meaningless and you only consider the word as a whole.

That's so true. .english lacks the ability to create words, it's like a glorified pidgin language


One can notice how certain yoruba words are so complex that most of us these days cannot translate it into English. .some words are compounded from long sentences that it's difficult to give their meanings so people just abandon them

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Re: Scientific And Technological Words In Yoruba - Come See! by ChinenyeN(m): 6:07pm On Oct 04, 2015
I may not be Yoruba, and I may not understand the language past a few standard greetings, but I can certainly appreciate what I see in this thread. As far as I know, I can't provide any substantial contribution, so I lend my moral support. This is actually a thread I follow with interest.

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Re: Scientific And Technological Words In Yoruba - Come See! by macof(m): 1:14am On Oct 05, 2015
Electricity : Ina-Monamona
Philosophy - Arojinlẹ̀
Science - Imọ̀jinlẹ̀
Academy - Ile ẹkọ
Technique - ọna

1 Like

Re: Scientific And Technological Words In Yoruba - Come See! by absoluteSuccess: 10:48am On Oct 06, 2015
ATOM in Yoruba, It means OTA, Ota as in
bullet, but not bullet ooo. now i have
clear image of that meaning which means
to be spark!

Atom may not mean ota o. iota and ota may be close ideas, but atom and ota, is like iota (smallest) and atom (smallest PARTICLE). Of course atom may have come from iota as loan word. The greek source iota is bigger than atom.

iota is physical, visual evaluation while atom is scientific or microscopic.

Atom in Yoruba is omolekun or omonukoun. Children says that alot, but when you compare the contrast and the content of these words a new idea springs.

omolekun: the seeds in the cells of dot.

omonukoun: the seed in the finest particle.

I think you understand 'finest particle' to mean 'atom'.

i am familiar with 'omoleku' (rat is a child), but a friend was familiar with omonukaun. I discovered there is meaning in the words comparing the contrast.

then kiun and tiun can stand for element and cell respectively.

tintini can cope with tiny.

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Re: Scientific And Technological Words In Yoruba - Come See! by Gamesmart: 9:49pm On Sep 02, 2020
StarFlux:
Thank you!

Earth = Aye
World = Agbaye
Star = Irawọ
Universe = Odumare
Galaxy = Ajọọrawọ

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