Comparative Analyses between Chinese and Yoruba Phonology

Abstract

The study of the Chinese language by the Yorubas has rapidly grown in Nigeria. This article uses the comparative method by using the works of some Chinese linguists like Wang (2014) and Yoruba linguists like Owolabi (2011) to highlight the overview of the two languages, thereby making this paper point out the differences and similarities between the Chinese and the Yoruba phonological systems, focusing on the consonants, vowels, and tones. There are some sounds peculiar in Mandarin sounds that Yoruba speakers might find difficult to pronounce such as consonants like zh[tʂ], ch[tʂʰ], sh[ʂ], j[tɕ], q[tɕʰ], x[ɕ], vowels ü[y] and e[ɤ] and so on; but with the comparative analysis in this paper and in-depth descriptions of sounds in both languages, the Yoruba speakers will eventually find it easy to pronounce the unique sounds in Mandarin and vice versa.