Fulaman198: Good post, a lot of these words do make sense too, it's kind of scary how many West African languages have Arab loan words. It is also a bit sad at the same time.

Negro_Ntns:

The truth of the matter is that both Yoruba and Arabic have roots in old Hebrew, and not the popular misconception that Yoruba borrowed from Arabic.

There are many words in Yoruba which coincide with Arabic but does not exist in Songhai or Hausa language and one have to wonder how the leapt could have been possible without a middle link. This is so because no one is studying or researching Yoruba language as a proto semitic tongue, the researchers are always looking for a middle link to explain the conjunction between Yoruba and Arabic.

For example. . .Ale (night in Yoruba) is equivalent to Al'Layl (night in Arabic) but does not occur in either of Songhai or Hausa. Also, Alantakun (spider in Yoruba) is Al'Ankabut (spider in Arabic) and does not have same form in Songhai or Hausa.. Most words in Yoruba that begin with Al or L will have this conjunction with Arabic and is strictly because they both evolved out of the same tongue source. Arabic has remained in its semitic landscape and region whereas Yoruba has vacated and moved far away and ended in dilution by different influences in the host landscape.

Some point of corrections. . . Kahlifa exist in Yoruba as a separate word from Alfa, so it is not a mixup. Also, Imale exist seaparate from Mola (Mu'allim), there is no confusion in its use or meaning.

booqee: But arabic coulda been borrowed from yoruba too. Don't you think its possible?? :-/

PAGAN 9JA:
i thought wahala is derived from wallahi, = i swear by God in Arabic. .

~Bluetooth:


What the heck is borokini ? Is that a yoruba word ?

PAGAN 9JA:
i thought wahala is derived from wallahi, = i swear by God in Arabic. .

kabiyesiii: Arabic, like most languages, borrowed tons of words from Ancient Egyptian/Nubian language. In addition, through Jihad, the Arabs absorbed many loaned words from the Berbers, Tuaregs, Persians, Turks, Chinese and Indians. We tend to give Arabic too much credits on loaned words. Are we intellectually lazy?

Adura in Yoruba is not an Arabic word, but rather, it is a contraction of Ado Iwa. It is in odu ifa and it means the "divine energy/force of existence". It means the same thing in Ancient Egyptian language, which by the way, is very close to many West African languages. Ara is associated with Jakuta (Ṣango). Are you telling me that Yoruba never had a name for thunder until the encounter with Arabic? I no fit laugh o.

If you're not sure of the origin of a so called "loaned word", go to the ancient link, the KEMET/Nubian language group.

Thus, which language is much older between the Ancient Egyptian and "new kid on the block" Arabic? I rest my case.

alaoeri:
Abraham & Egypt which first exist or u don't forget that Arabs are descendant of Abraham, its just that civilisation stated in Egypt which doesn't make it older than the Arabs beside most egyptian sees themselves as Arabs.

Olayinkaoj: Good work there but I disagree with the following items:
5. Atele... A-te-le. If the word is broken down , same as I just did, one will see that it is a combination of Yoruba letters with meaning. Meaning A-We, te-le-follow, meaning we follow

7. Amo ....A-mo (in-addition) Mo means plus in Yoruba

8. Imale is a word from Imo-to-le meaning knowledge-that-is-difficult, there is nothing like Mali here

9. Iwaju, I think is a pure Yoruba word but I cant contest this much