Language resources for listening and speaking Yoruba and a Language activity

Here are 5 language resources for acquiring speaking and listening skills in Yoruba:

1. Textbook: Schleicher, Antonia Yétúndé Folàrín. Colloquial Yorùbá: the Complete Course for Beginners. Routledge, 2015.
The textbook provides useful conversations about everyday life in Yoruba. Every conversation is followed by an English translation and audio.

2. YouTube Channel: Nalingo Naija.
This channel offers an entertaining and informative way to learn the Yoruba language. Videos are created by professional Nigerian language teachers, actors, and filmmakers.

3. YouTube Channel: Yorùbá Lessons with Adérónkẹ́.
Adérónkẹ́ Babájídé teaches for the preservation, promotion, and appreciation of the Yorùbá language and culture in all its richness. Her videos cover a wide range of topics, including grammar, history, folktales, culture, and other everyday topics.

4. uTalk App: A language learning app that provides Yoruba lessons. It caters to speakers of more than 100 languages, not just English speakers.

5. Podcast: I Speak Yoruba Too – Speak Real Yoruba.
This podcast, hosted by Eniola Ogunleye and available on Spotify, offers Yoruba grammar lessons with examples and native speaker pronunciations.

Yoruba Language Learning Activity: Óunję yi gbóná

Objective: To practice Yoruba phrases related to dining in a restaurant, discussing the temperature of food, table manners, and related conversational expressions.

Materials Needed:
1. Yoruba video with subtitles: Óunję yi gbóná, from Nalingo Naija
2. A large piece of paper for writing phrases and vocabulary.

Instructions:

1. Start by introducing the topic of dining in a restaurant in Yoruba. Explain that the activity will involve watching a video about a father and son eating in a restaurant. Mention that learners will practice phrases related to food temperature, table manners, and simple conversational expressions.

2. Play the Yoruba video with subtitles. Encourage learners to pay attention to the dialogue and write down new expressions.

3. After watching the video, introduce key expressions from the video.  Examples:

– Jẹ ki mu oúnjẹ rẹ tutù. (Let me make your food cold.)/ Jẹ ki fi hàn ó. (Let me show you.)
– Ṣaa fẹ́ atẹ́gun sí. (Just blow breeze on it.)
– Jẹ ki kọ́ ẹ ni nkan ti ma mu lọ títí aiyé. (Let me teach you what you will find useful for life.)
…

4. Divide learners into pairs. Encourage learners to imitate the dialogue in the video or create their own dialogues using the phrases and vocabulary they’ve learned.

5. The mentor asks learners about any challenges they faced and how they felt using Yoruba in a restaurant scenario. Encourage feedback and provide additional support as needed.