Wole Soyinka has described Yoruba as a highly tonal and complex language, noting that its structure makes it difficult for non-native speakers to master.
In a video shared on his Instagram page on Sunday, drawn from an Oxford University Media and Tunde Kelani session, he reflected on his background in linguistics while comparing Nigerian languages.
“Yoruba is a very difficult language. It’s tonal. I wouldn’t recommend it for my favourite scholar at all,” he said.
He contrasted Yoruba with Hausa, which he said has a less complex tonal structure.
“Hausa is looser, for instance. I studied language, linguistics and things like that. Hausa is looser than Yoruba,” he added.
Soyinka also compared Yoruba with Igbo, noting that each language presents its own level of difficulty.
“Igbo, I think I would say, is a little bit more tortuous than Yoruba, but nothing compares with the musicality of Yoruba. Yoruba sings, and some people are tone-deaf. It’s not their fault,” he said.
He referenced his 2011 satirical play Alápatà Àpáta, where tonal variations in Yoruba are used to show how meaning can change dramatically with pronunciation, sometimes leading to misunderstandings and social confusion.
