HETERONYMS / HOMOGRAPHIC WORDS

A heteronyms is a word that has a different pronunciation and meaning from another word but the same spelling. In Yorùbá Language, the difference in pronunciation is due to differences in tone marks.

• Heter = other (Gr. hetero)
• nym = name,word (Gr. onoma)

As briefly stated in TONES & TONE MARKS, these words are not exactly homographs (because they actually have different tone marks), but they might be better called heteronyms (because they have different pronunciations and meanings).

Difference between English heteronyms and Yorùbá "heteronyms"

ENGLISH HETERONYM	YORÙBÁ HETERONYMS
Heteronym pronunciation vary in stress pattern, vowel realisation etc.	Heteronym pronunciation vary in tone marks.
English heteronyms usually come in pairs	Many Yorùbá heteronyms are in trios, quartet, quintet etc.
The only way to pronounce a written heteronym correctly is to check the context.	The ways to pronounce a written heteronym correctly is to check the tone marks or context.
Examples: Present (N) – Gift present (V) - give	Examples: Ìyá – mother Ìyà – sufferings

Examples of “Heteronyms” in Yorùbá

Ìgbà – Time, Season	Igba  - Two thousand	Igbá  - Calabash	Ìgbá – Garden Egg / the acacia tree	Igbà  - Twisted rope for climbing trees
Ìkà – Wickedness, Cruelty	Ìka - Finger
Ìlù - Drum	Ìlú - Town
Iṣẹ́ - Work	Ìṣẹ́ - Poverty
Ki - Thick	Ki - Greet
Ògún - god of iron	Ogun - war	Ogún – Twenty, Inheritance	*Òògùn - medicine, charm	*Òógùn - Sweat
Òjò - Rain	Ojo – Fear, Cowardice	Òjó - Name
Òpó – Pillar, pole	Opó - Widow
Ọ̀wọ̀ – Honour, Respect	Ọ̀wọ́ – Flock of birds, Company of travellers	Ọwọ̀ – Broom	Ọwọ́ – Hand

*Cases where letters are to be doubled is explained under OTHER CONCEPTS (Doubling)

The letters ẹ, ọ, ṣ are different from e, o, s || Yorùbá homonyms

1. Ẹ, Ọ, Ṣ ≠ E, O, S

We have established in PRELIMINARY CONCEPTS and TONES & TONE MARKS that the letters with subdots differ from their counterpart without dots under i.e. Ẹ, Ọ, Ṣ ≠ E, O, S.
Take a look at the tables below to see practical examples of these:

GROUP A: TOTALLY DIFFERENT WORDS WITH THE SAME TONES. NOTE : The words in COLUMN 2 consists of vowels with subdots.

COLUMN 1	COLUMN 2
Orò - custom, a festival only celebrated by males	Ọrọ̀ - riches, wealth
Ayò - Yorùbá Mancala (a game)	Ayọ̀ - Joy
Owó - Money	Ọwọ́ - Hand

These are a lot lesser in number than the second group below.

GROUP B: TOTALLY DIFFERENT WORDS WITH DIFFERENT TONES.

LETTERS (1/2)	WITH LETTER 1	WITH LETTER 2
E / Ẹ	Ilé (House)	Ilẹ̀ (Landed property)
E / Ẹ	Ike (Plastic) Iké (Hunch back)	Ìkẹ́ (Care)
E / Ẹ	Eyín (Teeth)	Ẹyin (Egg) Ẹyìn (Palmnut) Ẹyín (Coal of fire)
E / Ẹ & O / Ọ	Ejò (Snake)	Ẹjọ́ (conversation)
O / Ọ & E / Ẹ	Òde (Outing)	Ọ̀dẹ̀ (fool) Ọdẹ (Hunter)
O / Ọ & E / Ẹ	Olè (A Thief)	Ọ̀lẹ (A Sluggard)
O / Ọ	Ìró (Wrapper)	Irọ́ (Lie)
S / Ṣ	Ẹsẹ̀ (Feet)	Ẹ̀ṣẹ̀ (Sin)

2. YORÙBÁ HOMONYMS

Homonyms (as opposed to heteronyms) are words with the same spelling and pronunciation but different meanings.
There are a few homonyms in yorùbá. Check the table below:

YORÙBÁ WORD	MEANING 1	MEANING 2
Wá	to come	to look for
Ogún	Twenty	Inheritance
Ìdí	Buttocks, Buttom	Reason

Practice 10 (Pre-Intermediate 2)

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Practice 11 (Intermediate 2)

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Practice 12 (Pre-advanced)

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4. You can't exit from the Quiz while you're playing.

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