🇳🇬 Language

Iyayu

Evidence: Well documented

Iyayu is an Edoid language spoken in one quarter of the town of Idoani, in Ose LGA of Ondo State.

Key facts
Type
Language
Belongs to
Edoid
Glottocode
iyay1238
Overview

Iyayu is an Edoid language spoken in one quarter of the town of Idoani, in Ose LGA of Ondo State. Roger Blench's Atlas of Nigerian Languages (2020) classifies it as North-Western Edoid (Osse) and cites 9,979 speakers in 1963. Wikipedia's article on Idoani names Iyayu as one of the town's six historic quarters, whose people speak both Yoruba and Iyayu, a language described as non-Yoruba.

Connections
  • Iyayu is associated with:
    Idoani Confederacy (Iyayu, one of the six founding communities, speaks the Iyayu language)
  • Iyayu is spoken in:
    Ondo State · Ose
Other names
  • Idoani · alternative
    Blench's Atlas (2020), field 2.C: other name, also used of the people.
Sources
  1. An Atlas of Nigerian Languages (2020 edition) — Roger Blench, Kay Williamson Educational Foundation / McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, 2020 · Academic source · link (accessed 24 Sep 2026)
    Supports: Iyayu: location, classification, other names, speakers
  2. Glottolog language index (resourcemap) — Glottolog · Academic source · link (accessed 26 Sep 2026)
    Supports: Glottocode iyay1238
  3. Idoani — Wikipedia · Reference source · link (accessed 7 Oct 2026)
    Supports: Iyayu: location or description
  4. Ose, Nigeria — Wikipedia · Reference source · link (accessed 7 Oct 2026)
    Supports: Iyayu: location or description
How evidence is graded
  • Verified: Supported by an official source, or by two or more independent sources that agree.
  • Well documented: Supported by credible sources, but not yet independently confirmed.
  • Reported: Found in a credible source; further corroboration is welcome.
  • Needs corroboration: The evidence is thin or incomplete; more sources are being sought.
  • Disputed: Credible sources or community accounts disagree; the differing accounts are noted.
  • Uncertain: There is not yet enough information to classify this responsibly.

Sources are marked official, academic, reference, community or general web. Sources that copy each other count as one. Oral traditions are recorded as traditions, not as proven fact.

Archive ID: LANG-IYAYU · Last updated 7 October 2026. Spotted an error or have a source to add? Tell us.

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