How Contact With Neighbouring Peoples Shaped Yoruba Dialects

Yoruba has several dialects, as do many languages around the world. Long-term contact, cohabitation and intermarriage with neighbouring ethnic groups helped shape differences in pronunciation, vocabulary and speech patterns across Yoruba communities. For example, Yoruba communities in Ondo State had historical contact with Benin and Ijaw peoples. Yoruba speakers in parts of Oyo, Kwara and Osun also interacted with Nupe and Bariba communities. These relationships may have influenced how Yoruba is spoken in those areas. Some Awori communities in Lagos had contact with Egun and Ewe speakers, which also affected local speech patterns. Communities that experienced less external influence, including Ife and some Awori areas, are often seen as retaining speech forms closer to older Yoruba usage.

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