Ìrò Ohùn: Oké, Ìsàlẹ̀, Àláàárín – Basic 6 Yoruba Lesson Note (Third Term)

Ìrò ohùn (tone) is the rise and fall of the voice on a syllable, and Yoruba has three tones: oké (high), ìsàlẹ̀ (low) and àláàárín (mid).

Behavioural objectives

1. State the three tones of Yoruba and write the mark for each.
2. Read and write words with oké, ìsàlẹ̀ and àláàárín tones.
3. Explain that a change of tone can change the meaning of a word.
4. Name five traditional rulers (ọba aládé) and their towns.
5. Explain what òwe onítàn is and give two examples of Yoruba sayings.

What is ìrò ohùn in Yoruba?

Ìrò ohùn is the pitch of the voice used to say each syllable of a Yoruba word.

• Syllable: a part of a word said with one push of breath, such as ba in ba-ba.
• Tone mark: a sign written over a vowel to show the tone.
• Pàtàkì (important): ohùn yàtọ̀, ìtumọ̀ yàtọ̀. A different tone gives a different meaning.

What are the three tones in Yoruba?

There are three tones in Yoruba: ohùn oké, ohùn ìsàlẹ̀ and ohùn àláàárín.

Ohùn oké (high tone)

• Mark: acute accent (´).
• Sound: the voice is raised.
• Word example: kẹ́kẹ́ (bicycle).
• Syllable examples: bá, pá, rá.

Ohùn ìsàlẹ̀ (low tone)

• Mark: grave accent (`).
• Sound: the voice is lowered.
• Word example: ìyà (suffering), where both syllables are low.
• Syllable examples: bà, pà, rà.

Ohùn àláàárín (mid tone)

• Mark: macron (¯), used in class to show the mid tone.
• Sound: the voice stays level, between high and low.
• Word example: igba (two hundred), where both syllables are mid.
• Syllable examples: bā, pā, rā.
• Note: in normal Yoruba writing, the mid tone is usually left unmarked.

What are the tone marks and their names?

Each Yoruba tone has its own name and mark, as shown below.

How can one word carry more than one tone?

A word with two or more syllables can have a different tone on each syllable.

• Sílẹ̀ (down, on the ground): sí is high and lẹ̀ is low.
• Ilẹ̀ (land, ground): i is mid and lẹ̀ is low.
• Kẹ́kẹ́ (bicycle): both syllables are high.

How does tone change the meaning of a word?

Tone changes meaning because words with the same letters but different tones are different words.

How do we mark tones on words?

1. Say the word slowly, one syllable at a time.
2. Decide whether each syllable is high, low or mid.
3. Write ´ over a high syllable.
4. Write ` over a low syllable.
5. Write ¯ over a mid syllable, or leave it unmarked.
6. Read the word aloud to check the marks.

Àṣà: Who are the traditional rulers (ọba aládé) in Yoruba culture?

Ọba aládé are crowned traditional rulers, and each has a special title linked to a town.

Orúkọ oyè (titles and praise names of a king)

• Kabiyesi: the greeting and praise name used to address a king.
• Aláṣẹ: one who holds authority.
• Igbákejì Òrìṣà: deputy of the deity, a title that shows the respect given to a king.

Lítíréṣò: What is òwe onítàn?

Òwe onítàn is a proverb told through a story so that the lesson is easy to understand.

Àkóónú (content)

• Òwe: proverb, a short wise saying.
• Ìtàn: story.
• Òwe onítàn: proverbs in stories.
• Ẹ̀kọ́: they teach a lesson, so listeners learn good behaviour.

Àpẹẹrẹ (examples)

• “Ẹni tó bá gbọ́n, á mọ̀”: a wise person will understand.
• “Kò sí ọmọ tí kò lè kọ́”: there is no child who cannot learn.

Ìwúlò (uses)

• Ọgbọ́n: they teach wisdom.
• Ìmọ̀: they pass on knowledge to children and young people.

Evaluation

1. Àmì ohùn oké ni: A) (`) B) (´) C) (¯) D) (.)
2. Ọba ilú Ifẹ̀ ni: A) Aláàfin B) Ọọ̀ni C) Olú D) Alákétu
3. Òwe onítàn wà nínú: A) Ilé B) Ìtàn C) Oko D) Ọjà
4. Write the name and mark of the three Yoruba tones.
5. Match each title to its town: Aláàfin, Alákétu, Olúwo.

Assignment

Fi àmì ohùn sórí àwọn ọ̀rọ̀ wọ̀nyí: ba, pa, ra, ka, da. Write each word three times, once with each tone mark (´, ` and ¯).