Probz:
Write up o gini? He copied and pasted from Wiki.

nwannaa agreed but oyibo and oyinbo should not spoil the copy and pasted post

absoluteSuccess:
https://www.nairaland.com/2191374/etymology-word-oyinbo/9

What about the Fon/Egun aspect of the word Oyinbo/Yevo?

Do we have european fruits in igbo with the word forming a prefix or suffix?

Example is Yoruba opeinbo, pineapple, ultimately meaning 'europeans palmfruit' in Yoruba because of its pines, then also, 'Orombo'. 'Apple' or in Yoruba psyche 'europeans version of ogbono fruit'.

All sorts of words in Igbo have the oyibo suffix attached to them.
coconut = akuoyibo
doctor = dibia oyibo
soft chicken = okuku oyibo
obodo oyibo = white man's land

People from Imo and Abia states use bekee but for those of us from the Anambra/Enugu/Delta Igbo axis, oyibo is the word for anything to do with the white man or westernisation. The white man himself can be called oyibo or onye ocha depending on the speaker. Oyibe's also used as a variant of oyibo.

Oyibo might be a thing in pidgin too but it's deeply ingrained in the Igbo language and it's obviously been in use for a long time whether it was borrowed from Yoruba or not. It's not a 21st century loan word like ashewo or shey.

Arda1000:
nwannaa agreed but oyibo and oyinbo should not spoil the copy and pasted post

Oyibo/oyinbo's what this thread's about. The natural discussion's expanding on the OP, not spoiling it.

Probz:
Oyibo/oyinbo's what this thread's about. The natural discussion's expanding on the OP, not spoiling it.

okay

Probz:


All sorts of words in Igbo have the oyibo suffix attached to them.
coconut = akuoyibo
doctor = dibia oyibo
soft chicken = okuku oyibo
obodo oyibo = white man's land

People from Imo and Abia states use bekee but for those of us from the Anambra/Enugu/Delta Igbo axis, oyibo is the word for anything to do with the white man or westernisation. The white man himself can be called oyibo or onye ocha depending on the speaker. Oyibe's also used as a variant of oyibo.

Oyibo might be a thing in pidgin too but it's deeply ingrained in the Igbo language and it's obviously been in use for a long time whether it was borrowed from Yoruba or not. It's not a 21st century loan word like ashewo or shey.

I want to believe its during missionary activities of the white folks that the word became an appellation to the white man in southern Nigeria through the likes of Crowder.

And how is it that its white man that introduce coconut to the igbo?.

absoluteSuccess:
how is it that its white man that introduce coconut to the igbo?.

Am I the owner of the Igbo language?

Omofunaab2:



Why would yorubas pronounce oyinbo as "oye Ibo " when oyinbo itself has a literary meaning in Yoruba language which translates to peeled skin / bleached skin.

Oyibo in IGBO has no literary meaning , what you have is stories about how the whites were calling igbos "onye Ibo " and you in turn called them oyibo. .

And there's another version being peddled by igbos, and that's the Equaino Olaudah's version.

Your version isn't that straightforward while the yorubas is because oyinbo has a literary meaning in Yoruba language

I didn't say Yorubas will pronounce oyinbo as oye ibo. I said they will pronounce onye Igbo as oye ibo.

What do you mean by literary meaning of Oyibo in Igbo? Have you not learnt about etymology before? Different words in different languages are formed through different means.

Mind you that Igbo language isn't as progressive as Yoruba language. Yoruba language gets new words every year, while I can't say the same of Igbo language in the past 20 years.

I'm not trying to say Yorubas learnt Oyibo from Igbos. I'm only implying that there might have been 2 or more different routes to the development of the word, oyibo. While I might ascribe the pidgin version pronounced as òyìbó to the Yorubas (though the removal of the 'n' is another issue), I still maintain that óyíbó of the Igbos has no link with oyinbo.
EOD

Probz:
Am I the owner of the Igbo language?

Oh.

Kennydoc:


I didn't say Yorubas will pronounce oyinbo as oye ibo. I said they will pronounce onye Igbo as oye ibo.

What do you mean by literary meaning of Oyibo in Igbo? Have you not learnt about etymology before? Different words in different languages are formed through different means.

Mind you that Igbo language isn't as progressive as Yoruba language. Yoruba language gets new words every year, while I can't say the same of Igbo language in the past 20 years.

I'm not trying to say Yorubas learnt Oyibo from Igbos. I'm only implying that there might have been 2 or more different routes to the development of the word, oyibo. While I might ascribe the pidgin version pronounced as òyìbó to the Yorubas (though the removal of the 'n' is another issue), I still maintain that óyíbó of the Igbos has no link with oyinbo.
EOD

What's this business with the accented spelling of oyibo? How's the pidgin one meant to be pronounced? Emphasis on the i or na?

Probz:
Write up o gini? He copied and pasted from Wiki.

Probz or whatever lame moniker you go by. You say I copied from Wikipedia , I clearly stated that it was culled from Wikipedia. Why don't you copy and paste an article and let's see how far it goes. I'd have called you a dimwit but from the look of things even a dimwit is smarter than you are.

obidevine:





Probz or whatever lame moniker you go by. You say I copied from Wikipedia , I clearly stated that it was culled from Wikipedia. Why don't you copy and paste an article and let's see how far it goes. I'd have called you a dimwit but from the look of things even a dimwit is smarter than you are.

Did I say there was anything wrong with copying and pasting an article? Are you mad?

Probz:


Did I say there was anything wrong with copying and pasting an article? Are you mad?

Ask yourself that question

obidevine:




Ask yourself that question

All I was telling that poster was that it wasn't a write up but that you copied and pasted. Not that copying and pasting's a bad thing. No vex.

julioralph:

Oga it is O-y-i-n-b-o not oyibo...

just like some people dey wrongly call moin-moin... moi moi

Same way the Ibos have changed our "boli" to "bole" and they would later come with the narratives of them being the originators...Lies from the pit of hell. Its normal to borrow from other culturebut abnormal when you dont admit borrowing. oga,boli,oyinbo,agbero (often pronounced as "agboro" by Easterners) e.t.c are Yoruba words which have gained pride of place in our national lexicon

Kennydoc:


I didn't say Yorubas will pronounce oyinbo as oye ibo. I said they will pronounce onye Igbo as oye ibo.

What do you mean by literary meaning of Oyibo in Igbo? Have you not learnt about etymology before? Different words in different languages are formed through different means.

Mind you that Igbo language isn't as progressive as Yoruba language. Yoruba language gets new words every year, while I can't say the same of Igbo language in the past 20 years.

I'm not trying to say Yorubas learnt Oyibo from Igbos. I'm only implying that there might have been 2 or more different routes to the development of the word, oyibo. While I might ascribe the pidgin version pronounced as òyìbó to the Yorubas (though the removal of the 'n' is another issue), I still maintain that óyíbó of the Igbos has no link with oyinbo.
EOD

How did you come to this claim?

Anyways, that's not the matter. New words in Yoruba are coined from already existing words in Yoruba. Official Yoruba is conservative in this sense. Literary Yoruba eliminates foreign terms as much as possible. "Oyinbo" is an official literary Yoruba term with a direct meaning.

There are Yoruba words for technical words with direct meaning.

English----------Yoruba----------Literal meaning
Surgeon------- -Oniseabe-------One who performs surgery
Computer-------Ero amuseya---Machine that makes job faster
White Person---Oyinbo----------Peeled skin

Why is oyibo used as a surname in Igbo if it's the word for white people?

Tunbolity:

Same way the Ibos have changed our "boli" to "bole" and they would later come with the narratives of them being the originators...Lies from the pit of hell. Its normal to borrow from other culturebut abnormal when you dont admit borrowing. oga,boli,oyinbo,agbero (often pronounced as "agboro" by Easterners) e.t.c are Yoruba words which have gained pride of place in our national lexicon

"Tokunbo" and "keke" will be debated as well in about 100 years from now.

Tunbolity:

Same way the Ibos have changed our "boli" to "bole" and they would later come with the narratives of them being the originators...Lies from the pit of hell. Its normal to borrow from other culturebut abnormal when you dont admit borrowing. oga,boli,oyinbo,agbero (often pronounced as "agboro" by Easterners) e.t.c are Yoruba words which have gained pride of place in our national lexicon

Don't forget Ashawo

absoluteSuccess:
https://www.nairaland.com/2191374/etymology-word-oyinbo/0

What about the Fon/Egun aspect of the word Oyinbo/Yevo?

Do we have european fruits in igbo with the word forming a prefix or suffix?

Example is Yoruba opeinbo, pineapple, ultimately meaning 'europeans palmfruit' in Yoruba because of its pines, then also, 'Orombo'. 'Apple' or in Yoruba psyche 'europeans version of ogbono fruit'.

Kerosine; epoinbo, white(man's) oil.
Kerosine: yevomi: egun: white(man's) oil.
Orange: Yevren: Yevozen, whiteman's orange.

Yevo: different shade. It is from here the word got to Yoruba and from Yoruba to Igbo.

In Igbo we have akuoyibo (coconut) ~ white man's nut
Ukwaoyibo (jackfruit) ~ white man's breadfruit
Ubeoyibo ( avacado) white man's pear . etc

9jakool:

Don't forget Ashawo

What's this one even saying? No one speaking Igbo deeply uses ashewo or abi. Everyone knows they're Yoruba loan words. You can see that oyinbo/oyibo's a shared word wherever the ultimate etymology comes from.

Oh, you wan tell me that because we the ejime we use for twins in Igbo comes from Yoruba it's a direct loanword?

Probz:
What's this one even saying? No one speaking Igbo deeply uses ashewo or abi. Those are obvious Yoruba loan words. You can see that oyinbo/oyibo's a shared word wherever the ultimate etymology comes from.

Oh, you wan tell me that because we the ejime we use for twins in Igbo comes from Yoruba it's a direct loanword?

It was something that I noticed, so thanks for clarifying. As for oyibo/oyinbo, no amount of argument of NL can bridge the gap of disagreement. All I know is that there is a direct meaning in Yoruba and it's been used for centuries. Although, I don't know why a word for white people is used as a last name.

I'm not a daft fellow looking for petty arguments. Ejime/ejima- Ejire is just an indication of a an ancestral proto-language shared by many languages in the Niger-Benue region just like child is omo in Edo, omo/oma in Yoruba, oma in Igala, and umu in Igbo or house is ile/ule/uli in Yoruba and ulo in Igbo. Similarity in terms like these exist throughout the area.

So funny how no one is even talking about the edo version of the word

lol

Probz:
What's this one even saying? No one speaking Igbo deeply uses ashewo or abi. Everyone knows they're Yoruba loan words. You can see that oyinbo/oyibo's a shared word wherever the ultimate etymology comes from.

Oh, you wan tell me that because we the ejime we use for twins in Igbo comes from Yoruba it's a direct loanword?

this thread was opened years back maybe then Igbo conspiracist as not edited wikipedia. Igbo claimed then that oyibo and oga were not coined from Yoruba. all this lies are not needed. the way Igbo pronounce oga is quite different from Yoruba's but we know Yoruba word oga meant boss. just the way they argued then that oyibo came from SS pigin they forgot most pigin slangs has Yoruba origin. then translating direct to English brings pigin for instance "inu ro mi" meaning belly is turning me= belle dey turn me

obidevine:


It's obvious you read the article for reading sake. Next time don't read just for reading sake, you read to understand.

God bless you. I thought i was the only one that saw through his over-sabi

obidevine:


It's obvious you read the article for reading sake. Next time don't read just for reading sake, you read to understand.

Oga the person u quoted is correct.
The white is referred to as Ndi Ocha or Ndi Beke in igbo land. In the yoruba land, the white man is referred to as Awon Oyinbo. In pidgin its Oyibo pipu.

Dont put people down cos u cant find d strength to climb, just take a fvcking seat n chill.

How can you say this when the word has a literal meaning in Yoruba ?

Bekimbo:
Oyibo was originated during the slave era, because of the high demand of Igbo slaves during the slave trade, the Slave masters usually use the word Oyibo (meaning, "is he Igbo?" ) to ask the slave traders if the person is Igbo, the slaves now call the white men "oyibo", because they were hearing it from there mouth. That is why we call the white "oyibo"

Oyinbo was sort of a derogatory remark made by the early white slave merchants to refer to an Ibo slave.  The early White slave merchant could not hide their preference for Igbo slaves whom they saw as hardworking and up to the task . To register that preference, the whites usually asked for Onye Ibo which they themselves mid pronounced as Oyinbo. I have researched widely on this and can prove the word has its root in the Igbo history.
‎

And where is the proof of all these??

If the word has a literal meaning that correlates with its current use then what your saying makes no sense at all.

No offense.

obidevine:
Oyinbo was sort of a derogatory remark made by the early white slave merchants to refer to an Ibo slave.  The early White slave merchant could not hide their preference for Igbo slaves whom they saw as hardworking and up to the task . To register that preference, the whites usually asked for Onye Ibo which they themselves mid pronounced as Oyinbo. I have researched widely on this and can prove the word has its root in the Igbo history.
‎

Dilish007:




Oga the person u quoted is correct.
The white is referred to as Ndi Ocha or Ndi Beke in igbo land. In the yoruba land, the white man is referred to as Awon Oyinbo. In pidgin its Oyibo pipu.

Dont put people down cos u cant find d strength to climb, just take a fvcking seat n chill.

So why do we use obodo oyibo, aku oyibo, oyibo for the English language...?

No one uses bekee upland. That's exclusively an Abia/Imo thing.

AgricSalt:


In Igbo we have akuoyibo (coconut) ~ white man's nut
Ukwaoyibo (jackfruit) ~ white man's breadfruit
Ubeoyibo ( avacado) white man's pear . etc

This is further proof that the word came from the same source and timeline when this foreign stuffs appear in the country, brought by missionaries.

Now this folksong conceal the fact with the Yoruba:

Labe igi orombo,
Ibe la gbe nsere wa,
Inu wadun, ara waya,
Labe igi, orombo.

Under the apple tree
There we were playing away,
Our heart rejoices, our soul excited,
Under the apple tree.

This song means that the first schools started under trees, mostly planted by european missionary teachers, they lure children with all sort of plaything (montessori) that made them excited to learn.

Thus, that song was composed from nolstagic teacher to pass the tradition onward till we now have classrooms instead of the shades of the apple tree.

If the fruits with the oyinbo words has arrived at different times from different sources, the names won't have similar undertone as we now have it.

Mrchippychappy:




Oyinbo is an adulterated version of the word "Onyebo" which in itself was a mockery of the white mans inability to pronounce IGBO or Onye IGBO. They pronounced it as EBO.

Onyebo is used within the Ika area and not Igbo. Eboh is used for anything of European origin in Edo and Ika and Onyebo means White man in Ika. the other dissections don't make sense at all

One thing igbos do is that they hate to admit that they have learnt a lot from Yoruba and Hausa especially the yorubas

Oyinbo or oyibo, ashewo, moin moin, boli, egusi etc are all of Yoruba origin

Now in igbo weddings we have Aso ebi, agbada etc which are yoruba origin as well.

The truth is that igbos before colonialism where forest dwelling people unlike yorubas, nupe, fulani and hausas that travelled a lot.

Even my great grand father when going to hajj want to Mecca by foot. Took him about 8 months or so.

There have mixing of cultures before the igbos became civilised so it is only natural for them to borrow from us.

Not only that things like moin moin beans and melon seed only grow in arid land which the igbos never had.

Please Don't be offended but it is the truth.

"Oyibo" is an Urhobo name.

The name comes in variations such as:

Omoyibo, abbreviated as Moyibo is a unisex name and means "little white" or "fair skinned person."

Oyibo, also a unisex name and means "white" or "fair skinned person."

Oyibonanarhoro, abbreviated as Oyiborhoro, Oyibo, or Oyibode, a male name and means "this is a big white"/ fair skinned person."

Oyiborhoro, abbreviated as Oyibode or Oyibo, also male name and means a "big white/ fair skinned person."

Oyiborode, abbreviated as Oyibode or Oyibo, also a male name and means a "big white" or "fair skinned person."