By skyforbes 
I came across a video on TikTok of a guy who claimed to be revamping Yorùbá words and innovating new ones. That in itself isn’t a bad thing — language grows, after all — but the real question is: is it right? Has it been accepted by the wider Yorùbá linguistic community?
I disagree with most of what he said. Language evolves over time, yes, but the Yorùbá language has always described colors by likening them to familiar objects. For instance, green can be àwọ̀ ewé (the color of leaves) or àwọ̀ igi (the color of trees); orange can be àwọ̀ olómi ọ̀sàn (the color of orange juice).
So where did he even get all those strange terms from? What are those things he mentioned that people neither know nor relate to? The three main color terms in Yorùbá that we all recognize and have names for are dúdú, pupa, and funfun.
Oh, he got them from Bishop Ajayi Crowther’s old dictionary? The same one that has been revised multiple times by different ìgbìmọ̀ (language committees)? So now, one person alone wants to become an ìgbìmọ̀?
This lack of standardization among Yorùbá linguists — irú wá, ògìrì wá — is not helping matters. Anyone can just pick up a phone and a microphone, go online, and decide to alter spellings or orthography at will in front of a ring light.
Let’s be clear:
Grey is àwọ̀ eérú (the color of ashes).
Green is àwọ̀ ewé (the color of leaves).
Blue is not just aró (the dye) but àwọ̀ aró (the color of the dye).
Brown is àwọ̀ igi (the color of wood).
The Yorùbá we speak and write today has undergone several revisions by language committees since writing was first introduced to us by the missionaries. They based the orthography on English, and adjustments have been made over time. Language grows, no doubt but you can’t just sit in front of a ring light and start inventing words or drag us back to the era of Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther.
Honestly, what in the name of Ògún is sowè, éwẹ̀yọ, or òbẹ́dò supposed to mean for “green”?
Anyways!