Yoruba

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A language of Nigeria

ISO 639-3
yor
Alternate Names
Yariba, Yooba, Yorùbá
Autonym
Èdè Yorùbá
User Population

44,600,000 in Nigeria, all users. L1 users: 42,600,000 in Nigeria (2020). L2 users: 2,000,000. Total users in all countries: 45,612,560 (as L1: 43,612,560; as L2: 2,000,000).

Location

Widespread, in southwest.

Language Maps
Language Status

2 (Provincial). De facto provincial language in southwestern region.

Classification
Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Volta-Congo, Benue-Congo, Defoid, Yoruboid, Edekiri
Dialects

Oyo, Ijesha, Ila, Ijebu, Ondo, Wo, Owe, Jumu, Iworro, Igbonna, Yagba, Gbedde, Egba, Akono, Aworo, Bunu (Bini), Ekiti, Ilaje, Ikale, Awori, Ào.

Typology

SVO; prepositions; noun head initial; no articles; 17 consonant and 11 vowel phonemes; tonal (3 tones: high, mid, low).

Language Use

Also use English [eng]. Used as L2 by Akpes [ibe], Bokobaru [bus], Ebira [igb], Iyive [uiv], Ukaan [kcf].

Language Development

Literacy rate in L2: 35%. Taught as subject in most primary and secondary schools in grades 1–9. Taught in a few primary schools through grade 3. Newspapers. Radio. TV. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 1900–2005.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Yoruba
Writing

Arabic script, Naskh variant [Arab], no longer in use. Braille script [Brai]. Latin script [Latn], used since 1865, primary usage.

Other Comments

Christian, Muslim, traditional religion.

Also spoken in:

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