The Arbiter: The Arabic roots of many contemporary Yoruba words has been investigated. Titled “On Arabic Loans in Yoruba,” 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.

It is a cunning untruth that certain of several words were borrowed from Arabic. There is no item of objects, and noun the Yorubas never had a term or descriptive word for. Any Yoruba man deep in his/her native tongue, genuine Ifa scholar or practitioner (Babalawo) will agree that there exists many ohun(word) and terminologies in Ifa that no one or few people can decipher there meaning. It is true that some words were loaned injected into the Yoruba vocabularies as a result of heavy Arab influence contamination in Odudua Land for two centuries before the Europeans came to West Africa. This fact is either deliberately ignored by Professor Sergio Baldi or feigns to be completely ignorant of. It is very important to point out that the model Farooq A. Kperogi adopts to link certain Yoruba words to Arabic roots is moribund. Him and others like him who have attempted to connect several contemporary Yoruba words to Arabic appears to have done so on the basis of appeal. They have always failed to consider the possibility of coincidence. I 'ghostofsparta' have detected words in Yoruba that bear semblance with words of the same meaning in the English language, it would be preposterous of me to conclude that one originates from the other when they are obviously a matter of coincidence. Words like:


YORUBA: Simi ẹdọ
Meaning: Relax/Calm down
Etymology: Simi(rest) ẹdọ(liver)
Usage: Ọgbẹni simi ẹdọ (Mister, calm down)
ENGLISH: Simmer down
USAGE: Hey bro, you need to simmer down

YORUBA: Rùn
Meaning: Wreck/demolish
Usage: Fashola ti rùn ilé wọn
ENGLISH: Ruin
USAGE: He's life is in ruin.
-
will add more later

The Arbiter:
Below are excerpts from the article as presented by Farooq A. Kperogi.

Abere. This Yoruba word for “needle” traces its etymology to the Arabic “ai-bra,” which also means needle.

.

Abẹ means razor/blade in Yoruba, implying that our Yoruba forefathers had a cutting tool to shave off unwanted hair, slice material and trim their fingernails. Abẹrẹ on the other hand means needle in Yoruba language and shouldn't be traced to Arabic because of the similar sounding 'ai-bra'. Anyone who disagrees is indirectly agreeing that the Yorubas in their advancement never had a means of mending bata(footwear)and sowing asọ(cloth), hence he/she should then explain to us how the Arabs taught the Yorubas the technology of Asọ-Oke and Asọ-Ofi making? Had it been the Arab word for blade/razor sound like the Yoruba abẹ, they'd say it's Arabic in origin.

The Arbiter: Adura. This is the Yoruba word for prayers...It is derived from the Arabic “du’a,” which also means prayers.

Adura is not a Yoruba word for prayer. It is one of those word that were injected into Yoruba language. Like I said, there is no Yoruba word, including 'electron' that the Yorubas never had a word for. But which has been lost through time, others have been subtlety replaced over centuries due to Islamic presence in Yoruba Land for centuries. The genuine Yoruba word for prayer is Iwure as spoken of Ifa. To Wure is to pray/propitiate the Irunmoles (deities).

The Arbiter: Alubosa. This Yoruba word for “onion” was borrowed from the Hausa “albasa,” which in turn borrowed it from the Arabic “al-basal.

It is agreed that Alubosa is of Arabic origin. The original Yoruba generic word for onion has either being lost or forgotten given the heavy contamination of Arabic attempted domination as already explained. Onions is native to Yoruba land, thus, the original word for onion is still retained in the dialect of the various tribes that makes up Yoruba ethnic group.

CONCLUSION
They are several Yoruba words that seems borrowed from Arabic, but the truth is YES, few words were obviously borrowed as discovered, but another underlying truth is, it wasn't in a borrowed sense as stated by Wikipedia or mentioned in some thread on Nairaland, the original Yoruba words and designations were actually replaced with corrupted Arabic versions, but any reasoning true Yoruba should note that whenever he/she is provided with skewed origins of Yoruba words connecting to the Arabs, he/she should analyze it by asking "does it mean my fore-fathers never had an original word/term/name/ for this tool, noun, object, verb, action etc". before proceeding to ask "couldn't it be the other way round".

seunajia:
Looool.

I brought up "The evidence" to back up my post on the origin of the Yoruba according to oral tradition that states the Yorubas came from Mecca. The Yorubas are making/made the claim. Thus I didn't expect to be asked such a question or be asked to explain why the "so called evidence not prove that the Arabians migrated from Yorubaland"

The oral tradtition you keep hammering on is IFA, and there's no passage in Ifa that acknowledges Arabia/mecca muchless of the Odua people coming from Mecca. As a matter of fact IFA states that all homo-sapiens spreaded from otu-ife. Like I said:

The idea that Yorubas emigrated from mecca is a fallacy crafted by Yoruba Islamists spin doctors who by distorting the genuine origin of the Yorubas hence re-planting it in semitic root knowing not only would such spurious lies appeal to Yoruba muslims converts who will not only be glad to welcome the thoughts of his Yoruba ancestors having ancient linkage with the Arabs but also for the purpose of having it disseminated to the rest of the non-muslims Yorubas and christians.

Rgp92: [size=20pt]Exodus from the Near East
[/size]
According to recent research, the dynastic tradition of Oyo confirms the validity of the claim of the court traditionists (arokin) that the ancestral Yoruba emigrated from Syria-Palestine after the fall of the Assyrian Empire in 612 BCE. Owing to the assistance of the Egyptian army during their final struggle, the deported people from the eastern Assyrian provinces who had been resettled in the western provinces of the empire were able to follow the retreat of the Egyptians towards the Nile valley, whence they continued their flight to sub-Saharan Africa.[4]

? !!!!! !

I have heard and read many that are far worse than that ^ e.g. outrageous falsehoods that - resting in the supposedly undisturbed grove of bilikisu(an islamic name) is Queen Sheba and the utter nonsense that Odudua came from Mecca. The truth is that these and many other fallacies were crafted by Yoruba Islamists spin doctors who by distorting the genuine origin of the Yorubas thus re-planting it in semitic root knowing not only would such spurious lies appeal to Yoruba muslims converts who will be glad to welcome the thoughts that his Yoruba ancestors have some ancient linkage with the Arabs but also for the purpose of having it disseminated to the rest of the non-muslims Yorubas and christians.

Any genuine pagan Yoruba knows the truth as canonized from Ìfá

I think you mean this article right?

The Arabic roots of many contemporary Yoruba words has been investigated. Titled “On Arabic Loans in Yoruba,” 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.

Below are excerpts from the article as presented by Farooq A. Kperogi. To download a copy or read the complete article CLICK HERE.

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.”

Some are indigenous while some are borrowed.

Yoruba word for needle is Okinni for example. Yoruba word for "but" is sugbon. Yoruba word for poor for example is Akuse or Otoshi. Yoruba word for secret is ikoko, ijinle, awo etc. Yoruba word for supplication is iwure. Yoruba word for bodily harm is ifarapa, ipaara or ipalara. Yoruba word for benefit is "Didara or Daradara". Yoruba word for blessing is Ibukun. Yoruba word for Boast is "Buga" which means taking pride in what one is doing. Yoruba word for trouble is ijogbon. I think Yoruba word for gentleman is Omoluabi. And etc.

So, most actually have Yoruba word for it, e.g abawon, idariji, gege/ikowe, ironupiwada, iyipada, ayanmo, idi/idifa, abetele, akoko, iseju, agbeere, ikorira, ijiya, ibukun, idera, gboriya, iyin, irorun, idakeje, ifonkanbale, itunu, alumogaji, Ijosin, edun okan, isinmi etc which are all Yorubas.

Also Yoruba Greetings are "bawo ni", "eku ijoko", "se daada ni", "ojire/ajire", "ire fun o" etc. Yoruba actually have different greetings for every situation. For example, "eku owo lomi", "eku ewa" etc..

While the likes of talaka etc could have been borrowed while trading with the Hausa, Mali empire. However, there are some words which are indigenous Yoruba word.

For example, Iwaju (Saju). There's Asiwaju for example. The word Saju and Iwaju are got from Asiwaju. The word Oju means face or front. For example, Oju Ida, Oju elegba etc. So ASiwa means (forward) and Oju (front) thus Asiwaju. While ipamora or rora can also be used for patience however, suuru is also a typical Yoruba word, not got from sabir. Lol. Ara is also Yoruba word which is even found in Ifa for instance. Tele is also Yoruba word which is also in Ifa. Amodi is also Yoruba word which simply means we don't know and that's not Yoruba word for disease. While "abela" and "atupa" can also be used for lamp in Yoruba, Fitila is also Yoruba word because Ala in Yoruba means light thus fitila (remember Obatala). While Ela also means light but in the sense of clarity, knowledge, enlightenment and manifestation. For example, Ela Oro means "enlightenment of the words".

Alfa/Alufa which has no meaning in Hausa or Mali is also Yoruba word probably got from the word, alejo combined with another word. Alejo means foreigner in Yoruba. Well, Islam and Christianity came through interaction with foreigners (Christianity came out of Hebrew but spread by European missionaries). Tobi is also a typical Yoruba word which means big or great, not cloth or any taub. Lol. Imale isn't got from Mu'alim. Lol. Mu'alim is Malla. Also, while Okinni is used for needle in Yoruba, abere could have also been Yoruba word (not al-bra) because first, there's a plant called abere in Yorubaland as a matter of fact. Also, Abe or Obe is knife/blade in Yoruba. The "Be" word for knife is to cut and slice. Also, while Yoruba words for petition and supplication are iwure and ibewe. Adura could have been got from the combination of "Ado and iwure".

So while Yoruba could have borrowed some words during trading with the Hausa, Mali (who interacted with some Arab and were taking up Islamic) however, Yoruba language itself is quite similar to Hebrew language and we know Arab copied from the old Hebrew.

For example, some Yoruba words which are similar to Hebrew are Orun means height in Hebrew (Arun). Ra-ahm is thunder in Hebrew language. Oluwa which is Elowah or Eloah in Hebrew. Ela is Elah in Hebrew. Other Yoruba (Hebrew) words include: Ona (heenaw), Melo (Melo), Aye (Haya), Lale (laylah), Binu- (Benas), Eledumare (El' Mareh), Baale (Baale of Judah), Abosa (basal) etc. All these are Hebrew words which are not even found in Hausa and Mali language except Ra (Hausa calls it Arrad) & Basal which are both Arabic got from Hebrew btw. And the Arab words are only Layla, Basal, Arrad which were copied from Hebrew whereas the others have no meaning in Arab but are Hebrews with the same meaning as the Yoruba meaning 💤💤

However, Yoruba didn't even trade with the Hebrew. That's why it's surprising at times. Lol. Meanwhile, Hebrew people (the Jew) should go learn Yoruba to recover their old Hebrew tongue 😂

Dsimmer:
Some are indigenous while some are borrowed.

Yoruba word for needle is Okinni for example. Yoruba word for "but" is sugbon. Yoruba word for poor for is Akuse or Otoshi. Yoruba word for secret is ikoko, ijinle, awo etc. Yoruba word for supplication is iwure. Yoruba word for bodily harm is ifarapa or ipalara. Yoruba word for benefit is "Didara or Daradara". Yoruba word for blessing is Ibukun. Yoruba word for Boast is "Buga" which means taking pride in what one is doing. Yoruba word for trouble is ijogbon. I think Yoruba word for gentleman is Omoluabi. And etc.

So, most actually have Yoruba word for it, e.g abawon, idariji, gege/ikowe, ironupiwada, iyipada, ayanmo, idi/idifa, abetele, akoko, iseju, agbeere, ikorira, ijiya, ibukun, idera, gboriya, iyin, irorun, idakeje, ifonkanbale, Edun Okan, itunu, Ijosin/isin, isinmi etc which are all Yorubas.

Also Yoruba Greetings are "bawo ni", "eku ijoko", "se daada ni", "ojire/ajire", "ire fun o" etc. Yoruba actually have different greetings for every situation. For example, "eku owo lomi", "eku ewa" etc..

While the likes of talaka etc could have been borrowed while trading with the Hausa, Mali empire. However, there are some words which are indigenous Yoruba word.

For example, Iwaju (Saju). There's Asiwaju for example. The word Saju and Iwaju are got from Asiwaju. The word Oju means face or front. For example, Oju Ida, Oju elegba etc. So ASiwa means (forward) and Oju (front) thus Asiwaju. While ipamora or rora can also be used for patience however, suuru is also a typical Yoruba word, not got from sabir. Lol. Ara is also Yoruba word which is even found in Ifa for instance. Tele is also Yoruba word which is also in Ifa. Amodi is also Yoruba word which simply means we don't know and that's not Yoruba word for disease. While "abela" and "atupa" can also be used for lamp in Yoruba, Fitila is also Yoruba word because Ala in Yoruba means light thus fitila (remember Obatala). While Ela also means light but in the sense of clarity, knowledge, enlightenment and manifestation. For example, Ela Oro means "enlightenment of the words".

Alfa/Alufa which has no meaning in Hausa or Mali is also Yoruba word probably got from the word, alejo combined with another word. Alejo means foreigner in Yoruba. Well, Islam and Christianity came through interaction with foreigners (Christianity came out of Hebrew but spread by European missionaries). Tobi is also a typical Yoruba word which means big or great, not cloth or any taub. Lol. Imale isn't got from Mu'alim. Lol. Mu'alim is Malla. Also, while Okinni is used for needle in Yoruba, abere could have also been Yoruba word (not al-bra) because first, there's a plant called abere in Yorubaland as a matter of fact. Also, Abe or Obe is knife/blade in Yoruba. The "Be" word for knife is to cut and slice. Also, while Yoruba words for petition and supplication are iwure and ibewe. Adura could have been got from the combination of "Ado and iwure".

So while Yoruba could have borrowed some words during trading with the Hausa, Mali (who interacted with some Arab and were taking up Islamic) however, Yoruba language itself is quite similar to Hebrew language and we know Arab copied from the old Hebrew.

For example, some Yoruba words which are similar to Hebrew are Orun means height in Hebrew (Arun). Ra-ahm is thunder in Hebrew language. Oluwa which is Elowah or Eloah in Hebrew. Ela is Elah in Hebrew. Other Yoruba (Hebrew) words include: Ona (heenaw), Melo (Melo), Aye (Haya), Lale (laylah), Binu- (Benas), Eledumare (El' Mareh), Baale (Baale of Judah), Abosa (basal) etc. All these are Hebrew words which are not even found in Hausa and Mali language except Ra (Hausa calls it Arrad) & Basal which are both Arabic got from Hebrew btw. And the Arab words are only Layla, Basal, Arrad which were copied from Hebrew whereas the others have no meaning in Arab but are Hebrews with the same meaning as the Yoruba meaning 💤💤

However, Yoruba didn't even trade with the Hebrew. That's why it's surprising at times. Lol. Meanwhile, Hebrew people (the Jew) should go learn Yoruba to recover their old Hebrew tongue 😂

Gentleman is okunrin jeje in Yoruba😂

Anyway, I know Yoruba are known as Omoluabi, Karo ojire, Yooba.. 💤 before everyone become Yoruba (Yooba) 🤓 Common denominator is Ife.

Dsimmer:


Gentleman is okunrin jeje in Yoruba😂

Anyway, I know Yoruba are known as Omoluabi, Karo ojire, Yooba... 💤 before everyone become Yoruba (Yooba) 🤓 Common denominator is Ife.

One thing I have arrived at is Yoruba language is an old language. Using IFA as a timeline, IFA is more than 10000 years old and there's also Iwo eleru. So Yoruba language is an old language. It should be preserved with the culture📍

Let's say flood story was probably domiciled in a particular area because there was no way Noah would have been able to reach everyone on earth and tell them about any flood. Moreover, the time was a thousand years old to Abraham time however Human existed long before that time. Hence, such happening in the whole world is farfetched. Others secluded from the area wouldn't know anything and would still be doing whatever they were doing while all that was happening, for example, the Yoruba which is a lot older than that time were still doing whatever they were doing. God probably didn't reason their matter at that time 😂 or because they are his Omoluabi 😅 (this is me just trying to be funny. Lol 😂).

Anyways, since Life started from the blacks as proven scientifically, we can then say Noah must definitely be a black man who sprung up from other black men before others also sprung up and even had the language changed 🤓 while Yoruba language persisted. Lol. Funnily, IFA also speaks about Christianity because it mentioned Jewesun as the child of Olodumare and the lamb. Two people were actually mentioned. Ela and Jewesun however both are the same since it says Olodumare has only "one begotten"💤 child (Okanbi). So Ela is Jewesun thus, it's the same thing, such as, a=X.

What I arrived at is Yoruba language is quite old, so is the culture which all need to be preserved. IFA by Orunmila is also quite old and mysterious. Anyways, IFA entails the history of the Yoruba race while also entailing science, arts, history, innovation, creativity etc. IFA is really mysterious.

Dsimmer:


Yooba which is Oyo Oba means "Oyo is King" named by Oranmiyan. Of course others, including the British couldn't pronounce it well thus pronounced it Yarba instead of Yooba. It was eventually changed into Yoruba

Oranmiyan was the first Oba of Bini. He was ruling both Oyo and Bini at the same time. However, He later left Bini back to Oyo because he couldn't be in two places at a time even though Bini didn't want him to leave because of the civilization and art works he brought to Bini. Of course Bini weren't happy after he left thus the name "Ile- Ibinu". Bini people then made his son a king after he already left. The Bini called the son "Omo oba" which means "child of a king" because apart from the fact that he was the child of Oranmiyan, he was literally a little child but the Bini wanted him on the throne anyway.

It was actually "Oyo Ori Oba" which is "Oyo Oba" which is "Yooba".. Anyways, it was Oranmiyan from Ile Ife who named the Yoruba (Yooba).