A critical review of a 21st-century Yoruba-English dictionary

Abstract

Since the publication of the first dictionary of the Yoruba language, A Dictionary of Yoruba in 1843, a handful of other dictionaries have appeared with varying degrees of commercial success. One of them is the Yoruba Modern Practical Dictionary (YMPD) by Kayode J. Fakinlede, which was first published in 2003. It takes pride in its comprehensiveness, claiming to contain over 26,000 dictionary articles and extensive outer texts that cover scientific measurements and rudimentary mathematical terminology. This thesis reviews this widely acclaimed dictionary in an attempt to evaluate its strengths, weaknesses, unique features and its position in relation to earlier Yoruba dictionaries from the 19th and 20th centuries. In doing this, this thesis draws inspiration from the criteria for dictionary criticism proposed by Svensen (2009) and Hütsch (2017), as well as other relevant scholarly contributions to dictionary criticism. There is a shortage of academic reviews of Yoruba dictionaries. While David Olmsted’s (1959) and Robert G. Armstrong’s (1959) reviews of the Dictionary of Modern Yoruba (1958), as well as E. C. Rowlands’ (1971) review of A Dictionary of Yoruba Monosyllabic Verbs (1969) stand out, they are brief, typically not longer than three pages and focused on isolated areas of criticism. Fagborun (1992) albeit belatedly takes a more holistic approach to review the Dictionary of Modern Yoruba (1958). Furthermore, Adetoyese (2020) also reviews two pioneering Yoruba dictionaries, namely, A Dictionary of the Yoruba Language (1913) and Dictionary of Modern Yoruba (1958) - both from the 20th century respectively. Thus, it appears that in spite of the general shortage of academic reviews of Yoruba dictionaries, there seems to be a common tendency among reviewers to opt for reviewing the Dictionary of Modern Yoruba (1958), while neglecting other dictionaries. However, Adetoyese reviews the aforementioned in light of their roles and influence as pioneering dictionaries in their epochs. This motivates the author of this thesis to examine a Yoruba dictionary which, firstly is an influential work, secondly, belongs to a different period, and thirdly, also suffers from the lack of substantial academic review. Thus, the YPMD (2003) is reviewed in this thesis in terms of its contents and features and as a Yoruba dictionary for 21st-century users. In order to provide ample background knowledge on the object of this thesis, the opening chapter reflects on the Yoruba language and Yoruba lexicography. The second chapter introduces the dictionary in focus, the YPMD. The third chapter reviews the existing literature on dictionary criticism and highlights the methods of dictionary criticism to be used in the thesis. The fourth chapter criticises the lexicographical aspects of the YPMD, namely macrostructure, microstructure, mediostructure, frame structure and typographical presentation. The fifth chapter gives an overall assessment of the dictionary and some recommendations for possible revision and improvement, while the sixth chapter concludes the thesis.