UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS

FACULTY OF ART

DEPARTMENT: LINGUISTICS, AFRICAN AND ASIAN

Get speaker A - Ègbá or Ondo

Get speaker B - Awori or ijebu

Ask them to say this English short text in their languages:

*When I make BIG money, I shall call everyone to a BIG party and celebrate in a BIG

way*

Step 1: Record the language data

Step 2: transcribe data phonetically

Step 3: Identify all the phonetic sounds

Step 4: following IPA, draw a consonant and vowel chart for all the phonetic speech sounds

you can find in the data.

GROUP 12

AINA OLUWATOMISIN ELIZABETH- 230113132

ADEDIRAN TAIWO ADESHOLA- 230133145

What is Phonology?

Phonology is the study of the way sounds operate in a particular language or languages,

especially in terms of patterns and contrasts that are used to convey meaning (David Crystal

2008).

It examines how sounds function in particular languages or dialects and how they are used to

convey meaning (Ladefoged, Peter. 2005). Phonology is essential for understanding linguistic

variations and preserving language diversity.

Phonology can also be defined as the branch of linguistics that studies the sound system of

languages, including the distribution, patterning, and organization of speech sounds (phonemes)

(Clark, J., Yallop, C., & Fletcher, J. (2007).

OBJECTIVE AND PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT.

The aim of this project is to investigate the phonological differences and similarities in the four

Yoruba dialects: Ègbá, Ondo, Ijebu, and Awori. By translating, transcribing, and analyzing a

single English sentence. This study highlights the linguistic richness of these dialects and

contributes to their documentation and understanding.

2. Methodology

Language Consultants:

1. Speaker A: Dialect: Ijebu

Name: Mr. Oluwole

Language acquisition: L1

Stay in Ijebu: 30 years in Ijebu

Residence: Lagos State

Discussion took 8mins 42sec

Mode of collection of data: Physical

2. Speaker B: Dialect: Ijebu

Name: Mr. Ola

Age: 57 years

Language acquisition: L1

Stay in Ijebu: 21 years in Ijebu

Residence: Lagos State

Discussion took 8 mins

Mode of collection of data: Physical

3. Speaker C: Dialect: ijebu

Name: Mr. Michael Oyenuga

Language acquisition: L1

Stay in Ijebu: 50 years

Residence: Lagos State

Discussion took 7mins 15secs

Mode of collection of data: Physical

4. Speaker D- Dialect: Ijebu

Name: Mr. Aina Adelaja

Age: 40 years

Language acquisition: L1

Stay in Ijebu: 15 years

Residence- Lagos State

Discussion took 4mins

Mode of collection of data: Physical

Name: Mr. Olarewaju

Age: 47

Language acquisition: L1

Stayed in Ondo- 14years

Residence -Ikorodu, Lagos State

Discussion took 5mins 12secs

Mode of collection of data: Physical

6. Speaker F - Dialect: Ondo ( owo sub-dialect)

Name: Odeyemi Adeosun

Age- 45

Language Acquisition - L1

Stayed in Ondo: 17 years

Residence- Ogijo, Lagos State.

Discussion took 10mins

Data Collection Tools:

Smartphone for audio recording

Notebook and pen for field notes

Laptop for transcription and analysis

Data Collection Process:

Each speaker was given the English sentence:

"When I make BIG money, I shall call everyone to a BIG party and celebrate in a BIG way."

The sentence was recorded and translated into their respective dialects.

Recordings were done in person over a single session per speaker, lasting about 4 minutes each.
All recordings were transcribed phonetically using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).

3. Data Presentation and Analysis

STEP 1: TRANSLATION OF IJEBU AND ONDO

IJEBU TRANSLATION

Kí ǹ bá nẹ́ owó rè é pọ̀, màá pe èdede ènìyàn sí àpèjọ ńlá, màá wá ṣe ayẹyẹ rè lárinrin

1. Ondo: Owo sub-dialect

Kìn ǹ bá réwé lágbà, mà á pe gedegede wá, à á jàjọyọ̀ ní ọ̀nà yó lála gan-an.

STEP 2: PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION (IPA)

Ijebu:

/Kĩ́ ǹ bá nɛ́ owó rè é k͡ pɔ̀, màá k͡ pe èdede ènìjã̀ sí àk͡ pèdʒɔ ńlá, màá wá ʃe ajɛjɛ rè lárĩrĩ./

ONDO: OWO SUB-DIALECT

/Kĩ̀ ǹ bá réwé láɡ͡bà, mà á k͡ pe gedegede wá, à á dʒàdʒɔjɔ̀ ní ɔ̀nà jó lála gã-a/̃.

Consonants:

 Stops: /b/, /d/, /k/, /kp/

 Nasal: /m/, /n/

 Fricative:/ʃ/, /y/

 Affricate: /dʒ/

 Central Approx.: /r/, /j/, /w/

 Lateral Approx.:/l/

Vowels:

 High vowel sounds - /i/ and /u/

 High-mid vowel sounds - /e/and /o/

 Low-mid vowel sounds- /ɛ/ and /ɔ/

 Low vowel sound -/a/

BILABIA DENTAL PALATO PALATA VELAR LABIO

L ALVEOLA ALVEOLA L VELAR

R R

STOP b d k kp

NASAL m n

FRICATIVE ʃ

AFFRICATE

dʒ

CENTRAL r

APPROX. j w

LATERAL l

APPROX.

ATE KONSONANTI

Afejietepe Aferigip Afajaferigip Afajap Afafasepe Afafasefetepe

e e e
ASENUPE b dʒ k kp

AFUNPE ʃ

ARANMUPE m

AREHON

AFRGBEENU

PE l

ASEESETAN w

VOWEL CHART

TONGUE POSITION FRONT BACK

High i u

High-mid e o

Low-mid ɛ ɔ
 Low a

ATE FAWELI

Iwájú Aarin Èyìn

Àhánupè. i u

Àhánudièpè e o

Àyanudièpè ẹ ọ

Àyanupè a

CONCLUSIONS

1. Yoruba dialects share a common phonological structure but differ in tonal patterns and

pronunciation of certain sounds.

2. Despite variations, all dialects exhibit similar consonant and vowel inventories.

3. IPA transcription facilitates systematic comparison across dialects.

CHALLENGES

During the data collection process, several challenges were encountered:

expressing themselves in English. This led to difficulties in obtaining precise translations, as they

often used circumlocutions or lengthy explanations.

2. Cultural, religious and linguistic nuances: The consultants' interpretations were sometimes

influenced by cultural, religious and linguistic nuances specific to Egba dialect, which made it

challenging to accurately capture the intended meanings.

3. Subtle tonal differences were difficult to capture.

4. Identifying fluent speakers and arranging recording sessions required significant effort.

5. Transcription Challenges: Writing down the dialect in writing form was a challenge.

Recommendations

To improve the data collection process, we recommend:

1. Using Yoruba language to provide instructions and explanations to consultants, ensuring they

fully understand the task.

2. Seeking consultants who are fluent in both English and their local dialects to facilitate more

accurate and nuanced translations.

3. Incorporate tone marking and acoustic analysis in future studies to better capture tonal

variations.

4. Work with a larger pool of speakers for greater linguistic accuracy.

References

 Awobuluyi, O. (1978). Essentials of Yoruba grammar. University Press Limited.

 Bamgbose, A. (1995). The Yoruba language and its nearest relatives. University Press

Limited.

 Clark, J., Yallop, C., & Fletcher, J. (2007). An introduction to phonetics and phonology

(3rd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.

 Crystal, D. (2008). A dictionary of linguistics and phonetics (6th ed.). Blackwell

Publishing.

 Kenstowicz, M., & Kisseberth, C. (1999). The phonology of the world's languages.

Blackwell Publishing.

 Ladefoged, P. (2005). A course in phonetics (6th ed.). Thomson Wadsworth.

 Roach, P. (2009). Phonetics (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Website:

 International Phonetic Association. (2005). Handbook of the international phonetic

alphabet. Cambridge University Press.

 University of California, Los Angeles. (1972). Yoruba word list.

https://archive.phonetics.ucla.edu/Language/YOR/yor_word-list_1972_01.html