Although the relationship between Yoruba and Arabic language remains a subject of debate among scholars of linguistics and history, it will not be exaggeration to agree that the Arabic and Islamic culture has directly or indirectly, influenced the Yoruba language. In the case of Turkish, there is no doubt about the influence of Arabic language, as a whopping number of over 6000 words were loaned to Turkish-(let’s pretend it is an overdraft)…smirks. Well, no qualms as a language dies when it fails to loan words.

I will be sharing with you 10 out of many similar words in Turkish and Yoruba that have their roots in Arabic language. Enjoy your reading!

Continue reading “Yorkish Episode 1: Similar Turkish and Yoruba Words of Arabic Origin” →