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Yoruba Visual Language Patterns Olanike Orie Anthropology/Linguistics/ADST

Yoruba Visual Language Patterns Olanike Orie Anthropology/Linguistics/ADST. Introduction. Language modalities among the Yoruba: a. Mouth talk (voice-ears: spoken language) b. Hand talk (manual-eyes: visual language) c. Eye-Face talk (non-manual-eyes/face: visual)

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Yoruba Visual Language Patterns Olanike Orie Anthropology/Linguistics/ADST

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  1. Yoruba Visual Language PatternsOlanikeOrie Anthropology/Linguistics/ADST

  2. Introduction • Language modalities among the Yoruba: a. Mouth talk (voice-ears: spoken language) b. Hand talk (manual-eyes: visual language) c. Eye-Face talk (non-manual-eyes/face: visual) d. Yoruba Linguistic Competence: Spoken and Visual language modalities are required. Visual language critical in: --child language acquisition --old age-induced muteness --deaf/mute population --secrecy Praise/condemnation: Praise: ologbonomo, omo to moju “ a wise child who understands eye/face language” Condemnation: adojutiniomo t ko moju, t ko mora “one who brings shame—a child who does not understand eye/face/body language” “one who is linguistically incompetent” e. Yoruba linguistic competence contradicts the general assumption in linguistic theory, for example, generative grammar (Chomsky 1957, 1965, 2002, etc.): --Compartmentalization of language modalities Spoken language: Hearing communities Visual language: Deaf communities --Gestures treated as paralinguistic (ie., adding shades of meaning to an utterance)

  3. Visual language: Yoruba Facial Identity • Pattern #1: Oboro, “plain-faced, unmarked face” or Ojurabesa“the face that runs from the surgical knife” • Common among the Ife and Ekiti

  4. Ojurabesa

  5. Ojurabesa

  6. Visual language: Yoruba facial identity Pattern #2 Okola“facially-stripped”

  7. Òkola “facially-stripped”

  8. Pattern #2 Okola“facially-stripped”Johnson 1921

  9. Pattern #2 Okola“facially-stripped”Johnson 1921

  10. Summary of patternsOrie 2011 • Ife and Ekiti: the face that runs from the surgical knife—plain face • Ondo: 1-1 (vertical symmetrical on each cheek; symbolism—oneness, forthright) • Oyo, Egba, Ijebu, Ekiti, Ife: --3-3 (symmetrical, vertical or horizontal; symbolism—strength, stability) --4-4 (symmetrical, vertical or horizontal; symbolism—square, perfect all around) --combinations of 3 and 4: 6-6, 7-7, 8-8, 9-9, 11-11

  11. Yoruba Sign language (Orie 2012)Sign word for YORUBA: okola

  12. Modern Cartoon Depiction of YorubaNigerian Tribune, April 5, 2014 • 3 men fighting over a baby’s paternity: “this baby is mine”

  13. Retention of Yoruba visual language in Diaspora: King of Oyotunji

  14. Retention of Yoruba visual language in Diaspora: Cuban Orisa dancers

  15. Retention of Yoruba visual language in Diaspora: Cuban Orisa dancers

  16. Visual language: Hand talkOrie 2012 • Pronouns: I/we, you/you pl., him, her/they • Gestured or signed by pointing with the RIGHT hand; Left hand taboo for people pointing • Right hand point is age-constrained --Index point for peers and younger --whole hand point to show respect --whole hand point with fingers spread apart for plural pronoun

  17. Visual language: Hand talkPronoun “I or me”

  18. Visual language: Hand talkPronoun “you”

  19. Visual language: Hand talkPronoun “her/him”

  20. Plural: Whole hand, fingers spread + movement

  21. Visual language/face talk: lip pointingOrie 2009

  22. Visual language: eye talk • Yoruba movie: Awodi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXowPsaUwws

  23. Summary • Language modalities among the Yoruba: a. Mouth talk (voice-ears: spoken language) b. Hand talk (manual-eyes: visual language) c. Eye-Face talk (non-manual-eyes/face: visual) d. Yoruba Linguistic Competence: Spoken and Visual language modalities are required

  24. Language continuum: Yoruba Gestures and Yoruba Sign Language (YSL) • Counting 1-10 with fingers • Retention of gesture counting fingers 1-5 in YSL • Innovation in the counting of 6-10 in YSL • Innovation of the orientation of the hand in YSL counting

  25. Hearing Yoruba: Counting

  26. Deaf Yoruba: Counting

  27. Conclusion • Yoruba Linguistic Competence: requires competence in both spoken and visual Yoruba. • Gestured Yoruba and Yoruba Sign language present evidence for Kendon’s (2004) visual language continuum: gesticulation----gesture ---- sign language

  28. Further Research • We have seen the retention of Yoruba facial marking in diaspora (Oyotunji village, Cuba orisa dancers) • Yoruba Hand Talk in Diaspora? • Yoruba Face/Eye Talk in Diaspora? • Yoruba Sign Language features in Diaspora?

  29. Selected References • Johnson, Samuel 1921 The history of the Yorubas. Lagos: CMS Bookshops • Kendon, Adam 2004 Gesture: Visible action as utterance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press • Orie, Olanike 2009 “Pointing the Yoruba way,” Gesture 9 (2), pp 237-261 • Orie, Olanike 2011 “The structure and function of Yoruba facial scarification,” Anthropological Linguistics 53 (1), pp 15-33 • Orie, Olanike 2012 Acquisition Reversal: The Effects of Postlingual Deafness in Yoruba, Berlin/Boston: Mouton de Gruyter (De Gruyter Series: Studies on Language Acquisition 47

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