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Yoruban

Yoruban

1 8.1
A person who belongs to the Yoruba people or speaks their language
  • noun
  • /jɔːˈruːbən/
: yoruba
  • This process of species replacement, in turn, was facilitated by the Yoruban biological system of classification, which stressed sensory attributes like taste and smell as opposed to floral characteristics.

Examples

  • The Yoruban community in the United States celebrates its rich culture through traditional music and dance.

  • On arrival in the New World, Yoruban religious leaders found themselves in a totally alien cultural environment.

    Academic text (1990)
  • You know what she said... ...to the Yoruban interpreter today?

  • Reduced in number from the Yoruban pantheon, these deities early assumed the names but not the identities of Roman Catholic saints.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Once in New Orleans, West Indian religious dance practices merged with those from Yoruban, Congolese, and Dahomean descendants who were forcefully migrated to the city.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Many of the slaves came from well-tutored, upper-class Yoruban families; included among them were priests, mediums, and healers, some of whom were afforded much respect by other slaves and, in a few instances, even by slave owners.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Yoruban captives came to dominate the urban landscape in Salvador not only numerically but also culturally (Rodrigues 1977, 215-217).

    Academic text (1990)
  • Many Yoruban people maintain their cultural practices even while living in other countries.

  • As a Yoruban speaker, she often participates in community events that promote her language and heritage.

Synonyms

Yoruba
vsYoruban
5 6.5

A person from a West African ethnic group mainly in southwest Nigeria and nearby areas

is broader and also covers language speakers who are not ethnic members

Surface Forms

Yoruban singular
Yorubans plural

Morphology

Yoruban = Yoruba (transparent) = Yoruba + an

Nominal/adjectival formation from the ethnonym 'Yoruba' with the demonymic suffix '-an', yielding a person or adjective relating to the Yoruba.

Etymology

Yoruban comes from the name Yoruba, the people of West Africa, plus the ending -an meaning 'from' or 'person from', so a Yoruban is someone who belongs to or speaks the language of the Yoruba people.