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xix A Note on Language and Translation Conversations were conducted and recorded in Yoruba and English, with each language inevitably infusing the other in some ratio, depending on the occasion and the relationship between participants. Now and again, Nigerian Pidgin was brought into the linguistic mix for expressive emphasis. Since my facility with Yoruba language was functional but still halting, Ṣọlá Ajíbádé helped facilitate most Yoruba conversations; he later transcribed them and translated them. Afterwards, I proofed each transcription against its original sound recording, and then measured translation against transcription, making adjustments as required. To do this, I often sought interpretive advice from many Yoruba speakers, and endlessly consulted Abraham’s monumental Dictionary of Modern Yoruba (London: University of London Press, 1958). In the present book, excerpts from conversations, whether they were originally in Yoruba, English, or both, are presented in English. In most cases, however, I make no mention of the original language, largely because it interrupts narrative flow. That said, a Yoruba term set in parentheses in the midst of a quoted English passage indicates, however discreetly, that the passage was originally in Yoruba. Shorter Yoruba phrases, as well as prayers, proverbs, medicinal incantations, portions of divination orature, and so on usually accompany their English translations in the body of the text. Lengthier explanatory passages in Yoruba, by contrast, are presented in footnotes, though I do not pretend to have been consistent in this practice. For the reader who wishes to further consult transcriptions, please feel free to contact me. ...

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