Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Bade Ajayi
69
Bade Ajayi
to form an Omo Odu (Ogbe on the right and
called Ogbefun
ofun on the left).The
combination can be
OO O
reversed to produce
O
O
Ofunmagbe
OO O
O
OO
O
O
O
O
O
OO
3
4
O
O
70
Bade Ajayi
Bade Ajayi
(Owonrin-ties-Ogbe-down)
We may give a tentative
statement or speculate what happens in
the process of this derivation. It may be
possible that after inserting a verb such
as lu (to beat), bo (do cover) between the
underlying form, the vowel of the
inserted item is deleted leaving only the
consonant remnant which of course,
helps to suggest the inserted verb. On
purely phonological evidence, what we
have are intrusive consonants which do
not seem to be predictable. However, a
semantic consideration will make us
consider that a syllable has been inserted.
A phonological process of vowel
deletion follows, in cacti of the above
examples, it is another Odu that
collocated with Ogbe. Can we therefore,
conclude that when any of the other
fifteen Odu combines with Ogbe a
monosyllabic word (preferably a verb) be
inserted?
Definitely, such a rule or
generalisation would not be workable
because it does not cut across all Apola
Ogbe of similar combination. Examples
are 6, 8, 14 24 and 26. The, operation in
17 and 20 is even more complicated for,
in the former, the initial vowel of the
second Odu is elided and two other
syllables arc added. In the latter, a single
syllable is inserted.
(c) Ogbc + Osa
= Ogberikusa
Ika + Ogbe
= Ikagbemi
What all these irregular systems
of combination amount to is that we
cannot use phonological rules to ezplain
the derivation of every minor Odu in
Apola Ogbe. Semantically, the second
Odu of some Omo Odu not have bearing
with the original odu. Consider the
following:
(d) Ogbe + Iwori =
Ogbeweyin
Ogbe + Owonrin =Ogbehunle
Irosun + Ogbe =Irosunokanjua
Ogbe + Otua = Ogbealara
Bade Ajayi
Bade Ajayi
.
Popular Names
Ogbesa
Ogbefun
Ofunnara
Ogundabede
Ogbeyonu
Ikagbemi
Ogarabogbe
Otuaoriko
Osealaroye
Owonrinsogbe
Nickname/Appellation
Ogberikusa
Ogbefohunfolohun
English equivalent
Ogbe-runs-away-from-death
Ogbe-gives-something-tothe-right-owner
Ofunnagbe
Ofun-beats-Ogbe
Ogundamorogbe
Ogunda-I-have-seen-Ogbe
Ogbeegun, Ogbegunda
Ogbe-is-long, Ogbe-joinsOgunda
Ikaalakengbe,
Ika-has-big-gourd, FatherBabaalakengbe
has-a-gourd
Obaraonigba,
Obara- Obara-the-owner-ofOlowuu Obara-the-owner- calabash, people/Obara-theof-Owu
owner-of-thread.
Otuaorikoku, Otuaoriire,
Otua-head-rejects-death,
Otua-ogood-destiny, Otua
generousity-pays-me.
Oseawoko Oseafibisoloore
Ose-the-talking-bird, Osewho-repaygoowith-evil
Owonrin-onigbagbo,
Owonrin-of-the-OwonrinElejigbo,
believers
or
Christian
faithfuls,
Owonrin-of-the-King-ofEjigbo
Emi n lo ile oko aaro
74
Bade Ajayi
Abimbola
Ogbeyeku
Oyekulogbe
Ogbeweyin
Iworibogbe
Ogbehunle
Mcclelland
Ogbe-Oyeku
Oyeku-Ogbe
Ogbe-Iwori
Iwori-Ogbe
OgbeOwonrin
Owonrinsogbe OwonrinOgbe
Ogbeyonu
Ogbe-Ogunda
Ogundabede
Ogunda-Ogbe
75
Bade Ajayi
Oyekulogbe
O
OO
O
OO
O
OO
O
OO
can this alternating effect in the language
and the Odu can be coincidence, an
accident or a design? As pointed out
earlier. Odu signs arc marked and sad
from right to left (the way Arabic words
are written). But Yoruba, like English
and French is written from left to right.
Since the system of marking the Odu and
writing the name of the same Odu takes
different directions, there is bound to he
changes of position in the sign and the
language though both presenting the
same thing. These changes would not
have been necessary if the Odu are
named in Arabic. Chinese, odu sign is
written from top downwards. Thus, a
babalawo prints an odu sign in the
following order:
2
1
3
3
6
5
8
7
76
Bade Ajayi
77
Bade Ajayi
78