The Jeliya catalogue uses Yorùbá / Yoruba. Glottolog indexes the corresponding language as Yoruba (yoru1245). Its ISO 639-3 code is yor. [1]
Draft — awaiting native-speaker review
Spoken across southwestern Nigeria and neighbouring countries, with deep connections to diaspora communities. Tone and underdots distinguish sounds and meanings.
Opening retained from the existing catalogue; awaiting editorial and speaker review.The Jeliya catalogue uses Yorùbá / Yoruba. Glottolog indexes the corresponding language as Yoruba (yoru1245). Its ISO 639-3 code is yor. [1]
Glottolog associates this record with the following country codes: BJ, NG. Catalogue locations do not enumerate diaspora or second-language use. [1]
No dated, scope-checked speaker estimate has been approved for this page.
The catalogue classification follows this sequence: Atlantic-Congo → Volta-Congo → Benue-Congo → Defoid → Yoruboid → Edekiri → Ede → Eastern Ede → Southeastern Ede → Nuclear Yoruba → Lucumi-Yoruba. [1]
INALCO describes the extension of the name Yorùbá from the Ọ̀yọ́ area in the nineteenth century to a broader language and cultural space. Its historical account distinguishes a network of kingdoms and city-states from a single uniform origin. [2]
The Glottolog bibliography includes a linguistic description attributed to Sandoval, P. Alonso de 1627 and a more recent one attributed to Stevick, Earl W. and Olaleye Aremu 1963. These are publication dates, not language origins. [1]
Latin alphabet with ẹ, ọ, ṣ and tone accents. A missing underdot changes the vowel or consonant; a missing tone may change meaning. Copy source diacritics exactly.
Existing linguistic-map notes are planning material, not newly verified facts. A named reviewer and reference are still needed.Three level tones: high /˥/ á, mid /˧/ a, low /˩/ à; connected speech creates contours and downstep effects. Seven oral vowel qualities /i e ɛ a ɔ o u/, plus nasal vowels. GB is a single co-articulated /ɡ͡b/; syllabic nasals can carry tone. Syllables are mainly V, CV or syllabic N.
Existing linguistic-map notes are planning material, not newly verified facts. A named reviewer and reference are still needed.A PHOIBLE record links published sound-inventory descriptions for this language. Inventory analysis can differ by variety and study; example words, letter values and a learner-facing pronunciation table still require a checked reference and speaker recordings. [5]
A reviewed alphabet, sound-by-sound IPA guide and reference recordings are still needed.
Awaiting a cited, language-specific contribution and speaker review.
Subject–verb–object; serial verbs, preverbal aspect markers and particles carry much of the grammar. No Bantu-style noun classes or grammatical gender.
Existing linguistic-map notes are planning material, not newly verified facts. A named reviewer and reference are still needed.Standard written Yorùbá; label regional speech
Existing linguistic-map notes are planning material, not newly verified facts. A named reviewer and reference are still needed.The standard described by INALCO draws on Ọ̀yọ́ and Ẹ̀gbá speech. Regional language identities remain important; a standard is not a reason to reject a documented local form. [2]
Named child varieties in this record include Aworo, Ekiti, Gbedde, Igbomina, Ila (Yoruba), Iworro, Jumu, Owe, Yagba, Central Yoruba, Awori, Egba. These labels do not select Jeliya’s teaching variety. [1]
An entry separates the headword, part of speech, senses and cited examples. A variant is another documented form; a synonym is a different word with a related meaning. Derived expressions can have their own entry. Follow source links and variety tags before using a form.
Search the everyday spelling and check tone-marked forms. ɛ, ɔ, ɲ and ŋ are letters, not removable accents. Search tolerance does not mean two spellings are the same word. Save an entry to keep its stable identity in your wordbook.
Open the dictionaryINALCO documents use of standard Yorùbá in schooling, broadcasting and literature, alongside cultural connections with Brazil, Cuba and the Caribbean. [2]
Editorial adaptation: Jeliya
Language reviewer: awaiting appointment
Last revision: 10/12/2026
Harald Hammarström, Robert Forkel, Martin Haspelmath and Sebastian Bank
CC BY 4.0
Source checked: 10/12/2026Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales
Source checked: 10/12/2026Stevick, Earl W. and Olaleye Aremu 1963
Source checked: 10/12/2026