A Grammar of the Yoruba Language

“that house ;”—namely, the thing, man, or house, alluded to. When a thing is spoken of indefinitely, the word ọkan, contracted into ’kan, “one,” is always added to the noun; as, ọkọnri ’kan, “one man,” i.e. “a man;” ille ’kan, “a house;” kinni ’kan, “a thing,” “one thing.”

SUBSTANTIVES.

Substantives are primitive and derivative. Primitives are those whose derivative cannot be ascertained; as, omi, “water;” iná, “fire;” iggi, “wood;” enia, “people.” Derivatives are such as are derived from verbs and verbal adjectives; as, from dé, “to cover,” adé, “a covering, a crown;” bùn, “to give,” ẹbun, “a gift;” bí, “to bear,” ibí, “birth; pejapeja, “a fisher;” gbẹnagbẹna, “a carpenter;” wọnsọwọnsọ, “a weaver.”

Derivation of Substantives.

Substantives are formed—

I. FROM VERBS : BY VARIOUS PREFIXES, AND BY REDUPLICATION :—

First, By Various prefixes, as under :—

1. By prefixing a; as, pẹja, “to fish,” apẹja, “a fisherman;” bò, “to cover, shelter,” abò, “shelter, covering, refuge;” lagbẹdẹ, “to have a smith’s shop,” alagbẹdẹ, “a smith.”

2. By prefixing ati; as, bọ̀, “to come back;” atibọ̀, “return;” lọ, “to go,” atilọ, “a going;” ṣe, “to do,” atiṣe, “a doing.”

3. By prefixing e or ẹ; as, legbè, “to have support,” elègbè, “a supporter;” lẹṣẹ, “to have sin,” ẹlẹṣẹ, “a sinner.”

4. By prefixing i; as, fọ̀, “to wash,” ifọ̀, “the act of washing;” sè, “to cook,” ìse, “the act of cooking;” kiri, “to wander,” ikiri, “wandering;” gbóna, “to be warm,” igbóna, “warmth, heat;” lọra, “to be slow, tardy,” ilọra, “slowness, tardiness.”

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