owun

Ede Idaca

Etymology

Older form for the term salt mostly found in Eastern Yoruba varieties. See Igala ómu, Ifè oŋu, proposed to be derived from Proto-Yoruboid *ó-ɓũ. The form likely referred to an indigenous salt, perhaps related to rock salt or halite, which was later replaced by salt imported from the North. The existence of this term in Ede Idaca suggests that it existed in Proto-Yoruba and not just Proto-Edekiri, and also may suggest that the Ede group of languages (including Ede Ife and Idaca) split before the Northwest and Central Yoruba dialects split.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ō.wũ̄/

Noun

owun

1. salt

Gun

Owùn

Alternative forms

• wùn

Etymology

From Proto-Gbe *-wũ. Cognates include Fon wùn

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ō.wũ̀/

Noun

owùn (plural owùn lɛ́ or owùn lẹ́)

1. thorn

Itsekiri

Etymology 1

Older form for the term salt mostly found in Eastern Yoruba varities. Cognates with Ede Idaca owun, Igala ómu, Ifè oŋu, proposed to be derived from Proto-Yoruboid *ó-ɓũ. The form likely referred to an indigenous salt, perhaps related to rock salt or halite, which was later replaced by salt imported from the North.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ō.wũ̄/

Noun

owun

1. native salt

   Synonyms: uwanguẹ́ (“salt”), uwangwẹ́ (“salt”)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ō.wũ̄/

Verb

owun

1. (transitive) to be (to have a quality or identification)

Usage notes

This verb cannot be used with regular subject pronouns such as mo or ó, and emphatic subject pronouns must be used in their place. This verb is also often used in a flipped structure where the quality or identification becomes the grammatical subject of the verb while an object pronoun is used for the actual subject of the sentence. The latter translated sentences better reflect the Itsekiri word order.

1. Àghan dede owun mo kpè. – I am calling them. or It is them that I call.
2. Ujó eyí wé nọ̀kàn owun ó ká jó – She/he only dances this dance. or It is this dance alone that she/he dances.

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ò.wũ̀/, /ō.wũ̀/

Noun

òwùn or owùn

1. voice
2. language

Olukumi

Etymology

Compare with Igala ómu, Ifè oŋu, Ede Idaca owun, Northeast Yoruba oghun, proposed to be derived from Proto-Yoruboid *ó-ɓũ. Olukumi and Northeast Yoruba are the only descendants of Proto-Yoruba that retain this term

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ó.wṹ/

Noun

ówún

1. salt

Yoruba

Alternative forms

• òun

Etymology

Cognate with Yoruba òun, Igala òñwù

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ò.wũ̄/

Pronoun

òwun

1. (Ijebu) she/he/it (emphatic third-person singular personal pronoun)

See also

Ijebu personal pronouns

		subject		object1	emphatic
		affirmative	negative
singular	1st person	mo	mèé	mi	èmi
	2nd person	wo	wé	ẹ	ìwọ
	3rd person	ó, é	[pronoun dropped]	[preceding vowel repeated for mono­syllabic verbs] / ẹ̀	òwun, òun
plural	1st person	a	á	ẹni	àwa
	2nd person	wẹn	wẹ́n	wẹn	ẹ̀wẹn
	3rd person	wọ́n	wọn	wọn	ọ̀wọn

¹ Object pronouns have a high tone following a low or mid tone monosyllabic verb, and a mid tone following a high tone. For complex verbs, the tone does not change.