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Yoruba

A language of Nigeria

ISO 639-3: yor

Population	18,900,000 in Nigeria (Johnstone 1993). Population total all countries: 19,380,800.
Region	Most of Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Kwara, and Lagos states; Kogi state, west LGAs. Also in Benin, Sierra Leone, Togo, United Kingdom, United States.
Language maps	Nigeria, Map 1, reference number 36 Nigeria, Map 6, reference number 36 Nigeria, Map 9, reference number 36
Alternate names	Yariba, Yooba
Dialects	Oyo, Ijesha, Ila, Ijebu, Ondo, Wo, Owe, Jumu, Iworro, Igbonna, Yagba, Gbedde, Egba, Akono, Aworo, Bunu (Bini), Ekiti, Ilaje, Ikale, Awori.
Classification	Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Volta-Congo, Benue-Congo, Defoid, Yoruboid, Edekiri
Language use	Official language in southwest. Used for government notices. 2,000,000 L2 speakers.
Language development	Literacy rate in L2: 35%. Taught in primary and secondary schools. Newspapers. Radio programs. TV. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 1884–2006.
Writing system	Latin script.
Comments	SVO. Christian, Muslim, traditional religion.

Also spoken in:

Benin

Language name	Yoruba
Population	465,000 in Benin (Johnstone 1993).
Region	Porto-Novo and widespread in towns and major villages.
Alternate names	Ede-Yoruba, Yariba, Yooba
Dialects	Egba.
Language use	Also use French.
Language development	Literacy rate in L1: 1%–30%.
Comments	Traditional religion, Christian, Muslim.

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

CAHILL, Michael, author. 2006. "Perception of Yoruba word-initial [gb͡] and [b]."

DURIEUX, J. A.; DURIEUX-BOON, E. I. K.; KLUGE, A., authors. 1999. Abrégé de l'enquête sociolinguistique sur le Nago du nord du Bénin et du Togo.

HAGBERG, Lawrence R., author. 2006. An autosegmental theory of stress.  

HUTTAR, George L., author. 1999. Review of: Trinidad Yoruba: from mother tongue to memory, by Maureen Warner-Lewis.

MARCHESE, Lynell, author. 1982. Review of: Essentials of Yoruba grammar, by Oladele Awobuluyi.

NEELEY, Paul, author. 1995. Review of: Yoruba dundun music and Yoruba bata music, by Muraina Oyelami.

ROBERTS, David, author. 2008. "Thirty years of tone orthography testing in West African languages (1977-2007)."  

ROSS, Malcolm, author. 1996. Review of: The Yoruba koiné—its history and linguistic innovations, by J. Gbenga Fagborun.

SAVAGE, T. Dale, author. 1987. "Some abstract features of Kwa vowel harmony: An autosegmental approach to Engenni, Igbo, Akan, and Yoruba."

STARWALT, Coleen Grace Anderson, author. 2008. The acoustic correlates of ATR harmony in seven- and nine-vowel African languages: a phonetic inquiry into phonological structure.