Categories and functions of Yoruba oral poetry for children

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Periodical article

Title:	Categories and functions of Yoruba oral poetry for children
Author:	Oyesakin, Adefioye
Year:	1983
Periodical:	Nigeria Magazine
Issue:	146
Pages:	62-72
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Nigeria
Subjects:	youth literature oral poetry
Abstract:	Yoruba oral poetry for children, a genre of Yoruba oral literature, is meant for children not only in their various past-time activities in the traditional Yoruba society, but is also used in schools, in radio and television programmes, and in advertisements in the mass media. The potentials of this Yoruba oral poetry for children are not yet thoroughly exploited. It should form an essential item of what the children learn in nursery schools located in Yoruba-speaking areas. The poems can also serve as an important means of promoting the sales of children consumer products. This article is primarily aimed at further uses to which the poems may be put in contemporary Yoruba society. The Yoruba oral poetry for children is classified here according to the functions the poems perform. Also the functions that each category of the poems performs are pointed out. Notes.