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| Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by badaru1(m): 7:19am On Jul 13, 2014 |
Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names By Farooq A. Kperogi, Ph.D. I have always been fascinated by Yoruba people’s creative morphological domestication of Arabic names. There are scores of Yoruba names that are derived from Arabic but which are barely recognizable to Arabs or other African Muslims because they have taken on the structural features of the Yoruba language. This is not unique to Yoruba, of course. As scholars of onomastics or onomatology know only too well, when proper names leave their primordial shores to other climes they, in time, are often liable to local adaptation. (Onomastics or onomatology is the scientific study of the origins, forms, conventions, history and uses of proper names. Anthroponomastics specifically studies personal names, so this article is an anthroponamastic analysis of Yoruba Muslim names). That’s why, for instance, there are many Arabic-derived personal names in Hausa, the most Arabized ethnic group in Nigeria, that would be unrecognizable to Arabs. Names like Mamman (Muhammad), Lawan (Auwal), Shehu (Sheikh), etc. would hardly make much sense to an Arab. I am drawn to the onomatology of Arabic-derived Yoruba names because their morphological adaptation to Yoruba’s structural attributes seems to follow an admirably predictable, rule-governed pattern. I have four preliminary observations on this pattern. One, because most Niger- Congo languages (of which Yoruba is a prominent member) end almost every word with a terminal vowel, every Arabic name borrowed into Yoruba is fitted with one. This is important because the majority of Arabic names don’t end with a vowel. To give just a few examples, Arabic names like Muhammad, Saeed, Umar, Abdulmumin, etc. (with no vowel endings) are almost always rendered as Muhammadu, Saeedu, Umaru, Abdulmumini, etc. (with vowel endings) by speakers of Niger Congo and other African languages. I have tried several times to think of any word in Yoruba and in my native Baatonu that does not end with a vowel (that is, a, e, i, o, and u) and have not had any success. So the first thing Niger Congo languages do when they borrow a foreign word is to add a terminal vowel to the word if it doesn’t have one. Two, in most cases, when Arabic names start with a vowel, the Yoruba morphological domestication process dispenses with the initial vowels and starts pronouncing the word from the next consonant after the vowel. So, for example, Imran is often rendered as Muroino in Yoruba. I can’t explain the linguistic logic behind this since several Yoruba names begin with vowels (e.g. Adewale, Iyabo, Olusegun, Ekundayo, etc.), but Yoruba is pretty consistent in doing away with initial vowels when it borrows names from Arabic. Three, it also seems to be the case that whenever Yoruba borrows names from Arabic and, in fact, from all other languages, it usually replaces the “a” sound in the names with an “o” sound, especially if the “a” sound is intermediate or terminal. That’s why Rahman becomes Romonu and Imran becomes Muroino. There are exceptions, though. Four, Yoruba Muslims tend to be way fonder of names that are derived from the 99 names of Allah than northern Nigerian Muslims. A prominent morphological feature of such names is that they are always prefixed with “Abdul,” which is Arabic for “servant.” So AbdulRaheem means “servant of the merciful.” Yoruba naming conventions tend to eliminate the “Abdul” part of the names of Allah, which northern Muslims consider borderline blasphemous because they say by dispensing with “Abdul,” bearers of such names are claiming Allah’s qualities. (My immediate younger brother is called Abdulmumin, and my dad, who is an Arabist, fought anybody, including my mother, who eliminated the “Abdul” from his name. To this day, I can’t bring myself to call my brother Mumini). This arises from the Yoruba fondness for the short forms of names. Even Yoruba names that start with “Oluwa” (God), “Ade” (royalty), “Ola” (wealth), etc. are often shortened. That’s why Oluwaseun is often rendered as Seun, Adewale as Wale, and Olanrewaju as Lanre, etc. The following 10 Yorubaized Arabic names appear to be guided by the morphological rules I identified above. 1. Bakare. This is the Yoruba rendition of Abubakar (or Abu Bakr), the nickname of the first Caliph of Islam. As you can see, the “Abu” in the name is dispensed with, and the “Bakar” part of it is fitted with a terminal vowel. Refer to rules one and two above. Perhaps the most prominent bearer of this name in contemporary Nigeria is Pastor Tunde Bakare, former vice presidential candidate to General Muhammadu Buhari. Pastor Bakare was born a Muslim but converted to Christianity in his teens. 2. Buraimo. I doubt that many non-Yoruba Muslims will recognize this name as Ibrahim, but it is. It follows the second morphological principle I identified in my introductory remarks. The “I” in Ibrahim is dispensed with, and intermediate and terminal vowels are added to produce Buraimo, which is sometimes spelled as Buraimoh. People who follow Lagos politics are probably familiar with the “Baale Buraimo Edu of Epe.” 3. Disu. This is the Yoruba rendition of the Arabic name Idris. The initial vowel in Idris (that is “I”) is eliminated and a terminal vowel (that is, “u”) is added to it. Abdul Karim Disu, the first Nigerian to earn a graduate degree in journalism from Columbia University in 1944, is perhaps the first known Disu in Yorubaland. 4. Lamidi. I once had a conversation with a friend from Kastina about prominent Yoruba Muslims who bear no Muslim names. I mentioned former Minister of Justice Prince Bola Ajibola, First Republic politician Alhaji Adegoke “Penkelemesi” Adelabu (who is late). My friend interrupted me and mentioned “Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu.” He was shocked when I told him Lamidi was a Muslim name. “Which Muslim name is Lamidi?” he asked. “Abdulhamid,” I said. He was unconvinced. I told him because of Yoruba people’s fondness for the short forms of names, they often dispense with “Abdul” in Muslim names that begin with that prefix. So that leaves us with Hamid. Now, there is something some people call the “h-factor” in Yoruba, which is the tendency for Yoruba speakers to unconsciously eliminate the “h” sound in words in which it is normally pronounced and to add it to words that don’t have it. So “eat” is often pronounced as “heat” and “heat” is pronounced as “it.” Given this phonological characteristic, “Hamid” becomes “Amid,” but the interference of the “l” sound in “Abdul” can also cause it to be rendered as “Lamid.” Now, like all Niger Congo languages, it’s unnatural for words to not have a terminal vowel, so a terminal vowel is added to Lamid to produce Lamidi. My friend was persuaded. 5. Muroino or Muraino. As I explained in my introductory remarks, this is the Yoruba domestication of Imran, the father of Maryam (Mary) in the Qur’an. The initial vowel is eliminated and intermediate and terminal vowels are added. 6. Lasisi. This is Abdulaziz. The “Abdul” in the original name is dispensed with, the “z” sound in the other half of the name is replaced with an “s” sound since there is no “z” in Yoruba phonology and orthography, and a terminal vowel (“i”) is added. 7. Romonu (Raymond). This is the shortened form of Abdulrahman. Its domestication follows the same morphological principle as the preceding name. The only thing to add is that in contemporary times many people who bear Romonu (or Ramonu) tend to Anglicize it to Raymond. 8. Sulu (and Sulufilu). Most Nigerians are familiar with the name Sulu-Gambari courtesy of the traditional ruling family in Ilorin. Well, the “Sulu” in the name is the Yorubaization of Zulkarnain (which is more correctly transliterated as Dhul-Qarnayn). Since Yoruba has no “z” sound, the “z” in Zulkarnain is replaced with an “s,” and the rest of the name is lopped off. Sulufilu, another Arabic name that is popular with Yoruba Muslims, is the domestication of Zulkifil. 9. Sumonu. That is Usman. Its formation follows the same morphological process that gave birth to names like Bakare, Buraimo, Disu, and Muraino. I used to have a classmate in primary school whose name was Sumonu Lamidi Lasisi. 10. Sunmola. That is Ismaeel. Like Bakare, Buraimo, Disu, Muraino, Sumonu, the first vowel in Ismaeel is chopped off and intermediate and terminal vowels are added to it. Concluding Thoughts Several other names came to mind when I thought of this article—names like Waidi (Abdulwahid), Mukoila (Mikail), Muda, (Mudassar), etc. There are also other names that I simply couldn’t trace to any existing Arabic name I know of, but which Yoruba Muslims bear nonetheless. This includes names like Shittu, Gbadamosi (now rendered as Bhadmus, which Hausa people bear as Badamasi), Raji (which many Fulani from northeastern Nigeria also bear), etc. I hope someone reading this can educate me on the origins of these names. Whatever it is, it is remarkable that Yoruba Muslims have successfully domesticated Arabic names to the point of making them sound like native Yoruba names. 4 Likes 2 Shares |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by gunuvi(m): 7:34am On Jul 13, 2014 |
to me its well known that all those names are Arabic abi have you ever met a Christian that give his child names like that? 2 Likes |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by REMMEI(m): 7:58am On Jul 13, 2014 |
And you think most yorubas don't know these names aren't theirs?. .do you see IFEDAYO or OLUWAREMILEKUN there?..we know they are borrowed names. |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by Tolexander: 9:09am On Jul 13, 2014 |
These names are burrowed from the arab(larubawa) and it is very obvious to those with standard and real yoruba heritage. The names were changed as a result of yoruba's preference for short names and are modified using the rules guiding 'òrò àyálò' in Yoruba. 10. Sunmola. That is Ismaeel.i refuse to take this. How about MOSUNMOLA translated to 'i'm close to wealth', and ADESUNMOLA translated to 'crown is close to wealth'? Are they arabic? 8 Likes 2 Shares |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by 2prexios: 3:30pm On Jul 14, 2014 |
Tolexander: These names are burrowed from the arab(larubawa) and it is very obvious to those with standard and real yoruba heritage. the op is right about sunmola. I have an uncle call Ismoila, but his mum call him sunmola /dmd/ I was thinking she meant another child of hers until I got to know. meanwhile, sunmola happen to rhyme with sleeping on wealth in Yoruba. |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by Tolexander: 3:32pm On Jul 14, 2014 |
2prexios: |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by badaru1(m): 5:07am On Jul 21, 2014 |
Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names. By Dr. Faruk Kperogi I rarely publish reactions to articles in my grammar column except in the Q and A series. I am breaking that tradition this week for two reasons. First, in the concluding thoughts of last week’s article I asked a couple of questions to which many readers provided answers. I have a responsibility to share the answers with my readers. Second, I received responses that not only broadened my own understanding of the issues I discussed but that I think will benefit most of my readers who enjoyed last week’s article. It’s obvious that I will have to write a sequel to the article at some point. Meanwhile enjoy some of the insights people shared with me. Thanks for raising a topic that has not escaped my interest over these years. Will you be surprised to learn that 'Abdulaziz' has another, admittedly less common, yorubised, form like 'Laisi'? Have you also considered that 'Lam' is a further contraction of the short form 'Lamidi'? Do you know that the name Jinadu derives from the Arabic Junaid (dimunitive form of 'Jund')? Of course you must have noticed names like Amusa (Hamza) and Oseni (Husain) in which the 'h' is elided. Or Saka, which is shortened from Zakariya' and in which ‘s’ replaces 'z'. Raji seems to be the Fulfulde version of al-Razee, the Persian mufassir (Qur'anic exegete) because the Fulbe tend to replace 'z' with 'j'. If so, it could have entered Yoruba usage like other Fulbe names e.g. Bello [and Gidado, Kuranga (Kwairanga) in Ilorin]. As for Badamasi, the fact that the Hausas also use it suggests it might be an Arabic or Arabised toponym like al-Basri (rendered in Yoruba as 'Busari' or 'Bisiriyu') or an occupation like al-Ghazzali (Yoruba: 'Kasali'). One of my mother's uncles was called 'Monmonu'. It took me ages to discover that it was actually Muhammad Nuhu!!! Similarly, the Arabic Ni'mah has morphed on the Yoruba tongue to Limota, or the more recognisable form Nimota! Of course 'Ramota' is Rahmah. Finally, have you thought of the origin of the Yoruba Muslim female names like 'Simbiyat' or 'Simiyat'? The '-at' ending suggests an Arabic origin but I've not been able to decipher its Arabic roots. Dr. Muhammad Shakir Balogun, Zaria Thanks for an illuminating article, Prof. One of the references you made in the concluding part concerns me. LOL! Raji is listed by many websites as a Muslim name which means "hopeful" or "full of hope". Some sites say that it is of Arabic origin while others are silent on its origin. There are a few sites (Indian) which describe it as a Hindu name that means "one who shines". I think its usage among the Yoruba in an unmodified form could be due to the fact that there is little to modify in the name being a four-letter word and already ending with a vowel. These are just my thoughts as a non-expert. It is also possible that it actually has a longer form in Arabic like Al-Rajih. But one reason why I suspect that the Yoruba haven't modified it is because non-Yoruba like the Fulani in the northeast that you mentioned also use it in the same form. The usage among Fulani in the northeast is actually confined to Adamawa and even there, it is virtually restricted to the members of a single clan. It was the name of the founder of the clan, who is my great-grand-father, Modibbo Raji (1790-1866). An interesting fact is that he wasn't a native of Adamawa but settled there in the mid-19th Century. He was a native of Degel in the Sokoto area which means that the name was familiar to people in those parts for a long time. A summary of his life can be found in this Google book review on pages 434 and 435 where he is listed as Muhammad Raji b. Ali b. Abi Bakr. http://books.google.com.ng/books?id=_nKXOThUEpcC&pg=PA437 Dr. Bello Raji, Abuja As usual, your take on Yoruba domestication of Arabic names is informed and effectively educates us all. The question of bastardization or "destroying nice names" as some have articulated is uncalled for, and only betrays anti-Yoruba prejudice. Thanks for setting them straight. I once had a Turkish roommate whose daughter was named Zeynep. It took me some time before I realized that was Zainab or Senabu in Yoruba rendition. What about Turkish rendering of the Prophet's name as Mahomet, or Mehmet as the famous Dr. OZ is known. He is of Turkish origin. To get back to Yoruba names, your observation that Yoruba insists on starting Arabic names with a consonant even when the original starts with a vowel is extremely interesting. This practice is in sharp contrast to indigenous Yoruba names of which 99% start with a vowel. The consonants in everyday Yoruba names only come up when we drop prefixes such as Ade, Ogun, Oye, Ibi, omo, Ifa and Ola.(You can see that the wonderful names of our deities all start with vowels and they use to prefix many names). As a student of Yoruba language and culture, I have been given one rule of thumb that is also applicable to personal names: 99% of indigenous Yoruba nouns start with a vowel. Names are proper nouns as we all know. So, dropping the initial vowel in Arabic names like Ibrahim (Buraimo/Buraima) and Idris (Disu) consistently is a very interesting finding, to say the least. I wonder what the explanation could be. It has set me thinking. Finally the version of Yoruba Muslim names that you seem to prefer come from the more Southern reaches of Yorubaland--Lagos, Ijebu, Abeokuta, etc. Amongst Northern Yoruba like Ibadan, Ogbomoso, Iwo, etc. we do not drop the "a" sound and substitute it with "o" as you observed. For example, Muraina is Muraina, not Muraino. In fact, the most famous Yoruba Muraina is the fabulous artist Muraina Oyelami, of the Osogbo School of artists; one of his beautiful paintings presides over my home. Chief Muraina Oyelami is from Iragbiji in Osun state. One more thing: Sunmola is not a Muslim name; it is an indigenous Yoruba name which means move closer to honor. Prof. Oyeronke Oyewumi, New York This is very educative and enlightening, but I have a disagreement with the 10th name: Sunmola. Sunmola, I think, is a purely Yoruba name. The 'Yorubaized' Ismaeel is Sumoila. Like you rightly noted, the initial 'I' in Ismaeel or Ismail is omitted and the middle 'a' is replaced with 'o' then the ending vowel 'a' is added to make it 'Sumoila'. I have a Yoruba (Christian) friend that bears Sunmola. I may have to meet this friend again for more clarity about Sunmola. Seko Jibril Gure, Abuja Sunmola is definitely from Isma'eel. Listen to the popular Yoruba musician 'Barrister' who uses both 'Sunmola' and 'Sumoila' in the same tale, his own 'remix' of an ancient tale. It’s an interesting consequence of the tonal nature of Yoruba that Sunmonla (mi-mi-mi), a shortened form of Mosunmola, is being confused with Sunmonla (do-mi-do) a variant of d Yoruba domestication of Isma'eel! Dr. Muhammad Shakir Balogu Modu, Bukar, Dala, Darman, Bura, Masta, Aisa, Falta, Amodu and Laminu are the Kanuri versions of the following Arabic names: Mohammed,Abubakar, Abdullahi, AbdulRahman, Ibrahim, Mustapha, Aisha, Fatma, Ahmad and Amin. There are many more in Fulani and Shuwa (Shuwaia) Arabs. Your articles are always very interesting to digest. Keep it up! Mohammed Khurso Zangeri, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Your article on top 10 Yorubaized Arabic names is very scintillating. It draws attention of many to some unique features of Yoruba language and how the Yorubas who adopted Islam adapted and domesticated most of the Arabic Muslim names. Shittu is a Yorubanized shiithu, which is the name of a prophet who was said to be among the children of Prophet Adam (A.S). The last syllable "thu." is the third letter of Arabic alphabet "tha," the equivalent of which the Yorubas do not have. The second name Raji is an Arabic name which means "Hope" or "Hopeful," though it should be more appropriately spelt as "Raaji" because the first syllable"ra" in Arabic has a slight elongation. Abdulkadir Salaudeen, Dutse, Jigawa State On your article on Yoruba names, Shittu is derived from Seth or Seyth, the 3rd and righteous son of Adam and Eve. Nura Bature, Abuja |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by Kimmo(f): 1:52am On Aug 02, 2014 |
It has never occurred to me that Bakare might not be a Yoruba name. I'm well aware of the others though. |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by bokohalal(m): 6:25pm On Aug 02, 2014 |
Salami. |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by tpiar: 5:24pm On Dec 09, 2015 |
. 3 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by bukster(f): 7:44am On Dec 10, 2015 |
Thank you for this thread OP. It was very interesting and informative  |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by babyfaceafrica: 9:50am On Dec 10, 2015 |
I am not convinced about bakare at all..others are okay..nice one |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by Nobody: 5:06pm On Dec 10, 2015 |
In the last paragraph, there is nothing remarkable about the yorubanization of Arabic names. It is degrading. Our names should be borne. We've got beautiful names; why bearing Arabic names. What a slave mentality! 1 Like |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by Nobody: 5:08pm On Dec 10, 2015 |
babyfaceafrica: Bakare is Abubakar. Another slave name. 1 Like |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by Nobody: 5:26pm On Dec 10, 2015 |
gunuvi: That is why i give it to the Christians. They attach preference to their indigenous names and baptismal names take the back seat. This does not apply to Yoruba muslims; a man bears Rasheed, he names the child Sikiru; he goes ahead and enrols the child as Rasheed Sikiru. What do you say about the scenario above? Total arabization of the child. 2 Likes |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by 2tanG0: 2:39pm On Dec 12, 2015 |
what about a Christian man that goes by the name Michael, he names his child Reuben and the child goes by the name Reuben Michael. what say u abt that 'Europe Westernization'. 1 Like |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by fatus(m): 7:43am On Jan 09, 2018 |
please anyone can help decipher this yorubanized arabic name MUILI |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by Nobody: 10:18am On Jan 09, 2018 |
and what fuckin concern you about that? |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by ImperialYoruba: 9:33pm On Jan 09, 2018 |
fatus: Just drop the last vowel, youll be left with MUIL. Then go find the arabic name close or corresponds with MUIL. In case you dont find it in the arabic names, search in Semitic list you will find it there. If you still cant find it then check with metaphysical, he has database of somesort. 1 Like |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by ImperialYoruba: 9:36pm On Jan 09, 2018 |
Lmao.  Incorrect sir! |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by scholes0(m): 11:13pm On Jan 09, 2018 |
2tanG0: Very rarely to never will you see a yoruba person going by “Reuben Michael”. lol wtf But you will surely see Mudashiru Kasali and Sikiru Dauda. Too bad if you ask me. 1 Like |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by sotall(m): 11:40pm On Jan 09, 2018 |
I will comment when it hit frontpage |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by Konquest: 12:33am On Jan 10, 2018 |
Tolexander:^^^^^^^ Well said... Kperogi made a mistake in #10. Sunmola is Yoruba - NOT derived from Arabic. 1 Like |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by Konquest: 12:42am On Jan 10, 2018 |
badaru1:^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^ Abdul is used by many Yoruba Muslims as a Prefix. It is NOT correct to say they don't do so... according to Kperogi! 1 Like |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by MetaPhysical: 5:05am On Jan 10, 2018 |
This is a very good subject to discuss and the underlying cause that Yorubanized Arab and Semitic sounding names has many parts to it but I will focus my input acutely on why Arab names were Yorubanized and exclude the other aspect out of this discussion, at least for now. The proper term to use is "Domestication of Islam" because it extends beyond just names. There are many practices that is unique to Yoruba Muslims and cannot be found practised in any other Muslim society outside Yorubaland. If I go into these I will derail this nice thread, so not today. For those familiar you have heard Yoruba Muslims say Ile-Kewu, Mosalasi, Woli, Malim. Mosalasi is foreign, every other one is authentic Yoruba. Ile Kewu - A class for learning how to read Quran. What is Kewu? Not to be discussed today.... Mosalasi - A temple for ritual prayer, borrowed from Hausa's "Masallaci". Arabs call it Masjid. Not for today...... Woli - Arabs call it Wali. Not here.... Malim - Called Mallam in North. It means Enlightenement, which Yoruba call Imole. Skip this..... Again, if an unbiased study and research is done on Yoruba traditional religion and worship itself many discoveries will be unveiled that closes the gap between Yoruba and Semitic. One culture is the root for the other, the direction of the uproot and migration is very contentious and I do not intend to go into it here on this thread. I have many disclaimers I can list but believe the above is enough. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Is Talabi Yoruba, or a modifier for Muttalab? Western education in Yorubaland came with Christian evangelism and you will not be enrolled in school until you have first accepted Jesus and baptism. The coincidence of tutoring in English language, Public exchange in English language and adoption of English names helped to preserve and save Christian names from a similar domestication that we see of Arabic names amongst Yoruba Muslims. Otherwise names such as Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Deborah, Michael and so on would be far away from their original in spelling and pronounciation. Actually, the arrival of Christian evangelism in Yorubaland helped greatly in the need by Yoruba parents to encrypt names and save their children from conversion in schools. The white missionaries and colonialists had no clue, and while they will not enroll Abdul Fattah, they will not object to Fatai starting school right away. Abdul Hadi became Liadi Mohammed became Momoh Abdul Jabbar became Abbari Abdul Galil became Ligali. This is how Yoruba Muslims outwitted English Evangelists to get their children educated without conversion of faith. Since the names on enrollment was recorded in official registers, it was printed on certificates and other documents......the crypted, domesticated names thus entered into our writing and stuck as spellings and pronounciations for Yoruba Muslim names. 1 Like |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by MetaPhysical: 9:20pm On Jan 10, 2018 |
In case women reading this feel left out by the concentration on Male gender, the evolution and domestication of Islam in Yorubaland were made possible by both genders. Yoruba Muslim women however played a cultural role, while the men led the Politico-Social integration. In addition to female names that were also cryppted, there is a genre of music in Yorubaland called "Seli". Seli derived from Arabic word "Salli", taken from the praise word ......Allahuma Salli Ala Sayyidina Muhammaddin, which when translated means "Oh Allah, Exalt our Prophet Muhammad". In cultural rituals like naming ceremony, wedding and festivals Yoruba Muslim Women will sing "Seli" in Yoruba language to exalt and hype the mood. Seli is to Yoruba Muslim women what Were is to their men counterpart.....it served a religious function but in a Yoruba context interwoven with Yoruba tradition and culture. In the area of naming, unlike the male version, the female names are not that far away from their original in spelling or pronounciation. Maryam becomes Mero or Moria Aisha becomes Ayi Fauzia becomes Fausa Zahra becomes Sariu or Sariyu |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by Belmot(m): 12:09pm On Jan 16, 2018 |
2prexios:It is not sumola but sunmoila or some call it sunmaila. 1 Like |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by Belmot(m): 12:15pm On Jan 16, 2018 |
The arabic name for simiat is samira. |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by Opiletool(m): 4:53pm On Jan 21, 2018 |
Those disputing the sunmola case fails to get the intonation right. Sunmola in the case pointed out by the op sounds like [do, mi, do] \, /, \ While sunmola in the case of mosunmola - I'm closer to wealth- sounds thus [mi, mi, mi] /, /, /,. That is going by yoruba tonal marks. 3 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by absoluteSuccess: 3:40pm On Apr 21, 2018 |
Belmot: Well I know you did not hear the name being called by the family I'm referring to. |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by Owopariola007: 6:13pm On Aug 16, 2023 |
2prexios: That's not how the Yoruba version of Ishmael is pronounced. It is actually, Smaila or Sumaila. Not Sunmola. |
| Re: Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names by Owopariola007: 6:20pm On Aug 16, 2023 |
Konquest: Kperogi himself is not Yoruba, but a Bariba person, so what do you expect? Imagine a Scottish trying to tell the Irish their peculiarities just because they are closer. 1 Like |
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