Yoruba personal naming system
Traditions, patterns and practices
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/sols.37825Keywords:
anthroponomy, personal names, traditions, identity, Yoruba, NigeriaAbstract
The Yoruba, like many other ethnic nationalities in Africa, have developed personal naming traditions, practices and patterns that represent the beliefs, expectations and circumstances surrounding new births. This article examines this aspect of the Yoruba culture, set as models and practiced by members of every Yoruba speech community. It discusses the typology of Yoruba personal names by focusing on their sociolinguistic features, and the impact of Western culture, Christianity and Islam on these names. The data collected for the study were drawn primarily from participant observations and oral interviews in addition to previous studies on Yoruba personal names. Textual data were sourced from the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) lists of Yoruba candidates and admission lists of four universities. This article is based on indexicality theory which purports that the referent of a name is determined by the context. It is revealed that these names tell stories of families’ socio-economic backgrounds, represent customs and religions, reflect dreams, as well as predict the child’s future path. Yoruba personal names, therefore, mirror their cultural norms and social imaginaries.
References
Adeoye, C. I. (1972) Orúkọ Yoruba. Ibadan: Ibadan University Press.
Adeoye, C. I. (1979) Asa ati Ise Yoruba. Ibadan: Ibadan University Press.
Agyekum, K. (2006) The sociolinguistics of Akan personal names. Nordic Journal of African Studies 15(2): 206–235.
Akínnaso, F. N. (1980) The sociolinguistic basis of Yoruba personal names. Anthropological Linguistics 22(7): 275–304.
Akinola, O. A. (2014) Communicative role of Yoruba names. International Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature 2(9). Retrieved on 22 June 2017 from: www.arcjournals.org.
Akintoye, O. S. (2015) Social implication of Yoruba indigenous names. International Journal of Information Research and Review 2(1): 252–255.
Alford, R. D. (1987) Naming and identity: A cross-cultural study of personal naming practices. New Haven: Connecticut HRAF Press.
Algeo, T. (1992) Onomastics. In T. McArthur (ed.) The Oxford companion to the English language 727–724. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Al-Zumor, A. Q. G. (2009) A sociocultural and linguistic analysis of Yemeni Arabic personal names. Journal of Language Studies. Ejournal.ukm.my. Retrieved on 2 November 2017.
Baines, D. (2018) African baby naming ceremonies. Retrieved on 31 July 2018 from: http://www.africanfathers.org.
Bernhartdt, S. (2001) African names: Reclaim your heritage. South Africa: Struik Publishers.
CIA Factbook (2013) The World Factbook. Retrieved on 15 November 2018 from: https://www.cia.gov.
Daramola, O. A. and Jeje, A. (1967) Àwọn Àsààti ÒrìsàIlẹ̀ Yorùbá. Ibadan: Onibon-òjé Press.
Ekundayo, S. (1977) Restrictions on personal name sentences in the Yoruba noun phrase. African Linguistics 19: 55–77.
Fadare, S. (2016) Battle to save Yoruba Language. thenationonlineng.net. Retrieved on 10 December 2017.
Fasiku, G. (2006) Yoruba Proverbs: Name and National Consciousness. The Journal of Pan African Studies 1: 4.
Fitzpatrick, L. A. (2012) African names and naming practices: The impact slavery and European domination had on the African psyche, identity and protest. Unpublished M.A. Thesis, The Ohio State University.
Frege, G. (1949) On sense and nomination. In H. Feigl and W. Sellars (eds) Readings in philosophical analysis 89–102. New York: Apple-Century-Crafts.
Ikotun, R. O. (2011) The sociolinguistic criteria guiding invitation to meals among the Yoruba of South-Western Nigeria. Journal of West African Languages 38(2): 21–31.
Ikotun, R. O. (2013) New trends in Yoruba personal names among Yoruba Christians. Linguistik online 59(2/13): 67–85. Retrieved on 5 November 2017 from: http://www.linguistik-online.de.
Lyons, J. (1977) Semantics. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press.
Mbiti, J. S. (2001) African religions and philosophy. London: Heinemann.
Mensah, E. (2015) Frog, where are you? The ethnopragmatics of Ibibio death prevention names. Journal of African Cultural Studies 27(2): 115–132. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/13696815.2014.976545.
Oduyoye, M. (1972) Yoruba names. Ibadan: Daystar Press.
Okédìjì, O. F. and Okediji, F. A. (1971) The sociological aspects of traditional Yoruba names and titles. Odu 5: 64–79.
Orie, O. O. (2006) Historical changes in Yoruba names. Retrieved on 11 December 2017 from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication.
Rey, A. (1995) Essays on terminology. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.9.
Rosenhouse, J. (2002) Personal names in Hebrew and Arabic: Modern trends compared to the past. Journal of Semitic Studies XLVII(1): 97–114. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/jss/47.1.97.
Silverstein, M. (1976) Shifters, linguistic categories and cultural description. In K. Basso and H. Selby (eds) Meaning in Anthropology 11–55. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.
Sodiku, N. and Sodiq, Y. (2004) Naming and names. In N. Lawal, M. Sodiku and P. A. de Dopamu (eds) Understanding Yoruba life and culture 513–529. New Jersey: Africa World Press.
Uzo, U. (2011) Names and the value of a human person. In Just Genesis: African naming practices. Retrieved on 7 July 2018 from: http:// jadyongenesis.blos.com.
