Ọmọlúwàbí, Ọmọ Oòduà, Ọmọ Káàárọ̀-oòjíire, these names resonate deeply with the Yorùbá people, a West African ethnic group known for their rich heritage and cultural identity. The name omọlúwàbí represents the values and characteristics that the Yorùbás strive to embody. Central to the identity of a Yorùbá person is the concept of Ọmọlúwàbí, which literally translates to “the child begotten by the chief of ìwà (character)”. It speaks to the very essence of his or her being. Ọmọlúwàbí is much more than a terminology, it is about being “ọmọ tí a bí, tí a kọ́, tí ó sì gba […]
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Myths in Language Learning: Why you Can(not) Learn a New Language
Frank Smith once said, “One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.” As you embark on your language learning journey, you might encounter some pesky roadblocks, thoughts that whisper doubts and make the path seem daunting. In this post, I want to tell you why those thoughts are simply myths Myth #1: Learning a new language is easier for special kind of people In my years, I have encountered some who believe fluency is reserved for a select few blessed with a “language gene.” You have to be “special” to […]
Comparing Mangoes
While living Life, we discover the most interesting things.Do you enjoy eating Mangoes? Can you differentiate between different types of mangoes? Do you know what mangoes are called in Yoruba? Check out this episode of Comparing Mangoes, and see how mangoes from different regions of the world compare. I have some special tasters to help out too!
The bi-lingual journey – A Steep Climb
It’s sometimes heartbreaking to see my 3-year-old, my youngest kid, “my personal experiment”, speak and respond to me in English as he starts to communicate more fluently. “Mummy wanna go outside!” he says as he points towards the door indicating he wants to go outside. “Socks, shoes…” he continues.” I quickly respond back to him saying “o fẹ́ lọ sí’ta? Bàtà ẹ dà?” (Which means, “You want to go outside? Where are your shoes?”) It feels like I am failing sometimes! 🙁 I was not as intentional in speaking in Yoruba to my 2 older kids, but I’ve been very […]
The Journey Begins….
This blog site was explicitly created to document our journey to revitalizing the Yoruba Language and Culture for the Next Generation! I am an Engineer, a bilingual mom, an immigrant in the western world, who wants to pass on her heritage and a second language on to her children but I didn’t start out as a passionate linguist. I have three children; DD is 8, DS is 5 and DDS is 2 years old. What motivated me towards this movement, was that although my husband and I spoke our language in our home to each other and occasionally to our […]
Culture Propagation!
I was at my daughter’s tennis practice and got talking to another parent while we waited for the kids. She was an Indian lady who like me was an immigrant and was raising young kids in the US. We talked about everything from managing schedules, to work-life balance and extracurricular activities. While talking about extracurricular activities, she mentioned how their son had language classes for 3 hours every Sunday! Alas! That completely got my attention. Apparently, she was also one of their teachers! So, we got talking; I told her how challenging it is from people from the African culture, […]
