Graduate from Ọbáfẹ́mi Awólọ́wọ̀ University Ilé-Ifẹ̀ Ọ̀ṣun State Nigeria, B. A. (Hons.) Yorùbá

Learn more about Fabunmi

• 1) Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher inspired you to learn?

  Yes, it's because of my heritage and the love I have for it.

• 2) Can you name a living, historical or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language's culture?

  Tortoise (Ìjàpá), vulture (Igún), and bushfowl (Àparò). The Yorùbá believe that "A kìí jẹgún, a kìí figún bọrí," meaning no one eats vulture, and it is not used for sacrifices or rituals.

• 3) Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition or behaviour in the language that you particularly like?

  Yes (proverbs, idioms, and ambiguity).

• 4) Why does speaking this language matter to you?

  I speak the language because it empowers me.

• 5) What is the main difficulty in learning this language and what can help the process of learning?

  The main difficulty in learning this language is the inability to identify tones and the prioritisation of foreign languages over indigenous ones.

• 6) Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your days at school.

  When I was in secondary school, we didn't take our Yorùbá language teacher seriously. We frustrated the teacher because it was the same language we spoke. However, today I am a scholar of it.

• 7) How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language?

  Travelling greatly helped me while conducting my research project on the names of animals in some local dialects, allowing me to learn more about what they call them.

• 8) What makes you a Superprof in language?

  I have a passion for teaching the language.