What is it about?
Beyond quieting, soothing, and rocking babies gently to sleep, lullabies for babies convey the human voice and may provide much-needed language stimulation with important long-term consequences for future learning. It shows that Yoruba lullabies (orin are̩mo̩lé̩kún) not only offer insights into Yoruba cultural beliefs but also depend greatly on figurative expression and prosodic systems. These rich literary qualities identify lullabies as the earliest sub-genre of children’s poetry.
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Why is it important?
Although Yoruba lullabies may function to lull and sooth the child, they also contain a wide range of themes which reveal and pass on cultural values and social norms.
Perspectives
I hoped that this preliminary work will encourage others to undertake systematic documentation of Yoruba cultural values. The need is urgent given the current rapid changes in the Yoruba language and culture attendant upon forces such as globalisation. Performing and preserving oral literature, including in its earliest form, like lullaby, is central to maintaining key aspects of Yoruba socio-cultural life.
Olusanmi Babarinde
University of Nigeria
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Themes, Diction, and Prosodic Systems in Yoruba Lullabies, International Research in Children s Literature, July 2019, Edinburgh University Press,
DOI: 10.3366/ircl.2019.0288.
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