This intermediate textbook for courses in Yoruba, one of the principal languages in Nigeria, presents a theme-based, communication-oriented approach that teaches language through culture as well as grammar. The book—the first intermediate Yoruba text to emphasize written, oral, and cultural activities—includes monologues, dialogues, poems, and songs, as well as twelve readings used as points of departure for individual and class exercises that further students’ proficiency in reading, speaking, listening to, and writing Yoruba.

By the end of the course, students will have learned to read Yoruba short stories and prose found in newspapers, letters, and magazines; become sensitive to some of the problems of contemporary life in Yoruba-speaking areas; developed their ability to communicate thoughts orally and in writing and to understand conversational Yoruba. The texts and accompanying illustrations provide a wide range of authentic materials for students to apply the language creatively for their own purposes.