community definition
in language
Consecration
Liturgical Phrase
Sacred Speech Act
ፊደል (Fidel)
Oath / juramento
Iroko Framework: Qal Module (Sacred Lexicons and Liturgical Language)
Arabic script (Ajami)
Formal speech acts that close a ceremony or take leave of a spiritual entity.
A noun or noun phrase (entity names, place names, object names).
has phrase
Lwa secret name (Vodou)
Àwọn ètò ìkọ̀wé mímọ́
Orisha camino (path name)
Sistemas de escritura sagrada
Àwọn ìrú ọ̀rọ̀ mímọ́
Domain module. Vocabulary for documenting sacred lexicons, liturgical languages, and esoteric terminology across Afro-Atlantic and related African sacred traditions. Qal (ቃል) — Ge'ez for 'word.' Covers liturgical Yorùbá (Lucumí), Kikongo (Palo), Haitian Kreyòl sacred register, Fon/Ewe, and Ge'ez. Integrates with the OntoLex-Lemon Ontology for Lexicography for multilingual lexical data. Access control distinguishes public knowledge (language names, general vocabulary) from restricted esoteric terminology and secret names. Use with iroko-epistemic to model secret name and esoteric term disclosure constraints; iroko-narrative for liturgical phrase transmission chains and praise poetry provenance.
Parts of Speech
Parties du discours
The sacred language to which this lexical entry belongs. Range: iroko:SacredLanguage.
Language transmitted exclusively orally without a writing system. The majority of Afro-Atlantic liturgical languages fall here historically; Latin transcription is secondary.
esoteric definition
The conventional written form of this term in the liturgical language. Language-tagged. Community-restricted.
Tipos de ato de fala sagrado
Lexical Entry
Arabic script used to write African languages in religious contexts, particularly in Ajami traditions (Fulfulde, Hausa, Wolof in Arabic script). Relevant in West African Islamic contexts that intersect with Afro-Atlantic traditions.
Full liturgical language
Secret name convention not covered by existing concepts.
Other
Speech that calls or invites a spiritual entity. Typically more restricted than salutation in terms of who may perform it.
A verb or verb phrase (ceremonial actions, states).
Sacred register of a vernacular
Adverb
Salutation / greeting
The name of the sacred language or register. Language-tagged.
A modifier (epithets, descriptive terms for entities).
Fixed formula
Partes de la oración
Lexical Sense
Links a LiturgicalPhrase to the SacredSpeechAct type it instantiates — oath, invocation, greeting, prohibition, praise, or similar. SacredSpeechAct is a classification of the ceremonial function a phrase performs within ritual protocol; this property tags the phrase with that type. A phrase may instantiate more than one speech act type. Access: community-only.
Grammatical category of this term. Range: iroko:PartOfSpeechScheme.
Convenções de nomes secretos
The Abakuá graphic script with lexical and communicative functions. Cross-listed with iroko-veve; included here for documentation of the semiotic/communicative dimension.
Secret Name Conventions
A sworn commitment made in the presence of spiritual witnesses, binding on the speaker. Examples: Abakuá juramento; Palo Monte pact formulas. Initiated-only.
A language used in its complete grammatical form as the primary medium of sacred communication. Examples: Yorùbá in continental Yorùbá religion; Fon in Beninese Vodun; Ge'ez in Ethiopian Orthodox liturgy.
The Ethiopic abugida used to write Ge'ez, Amharic, Tigrinya, and other Ethiopian and Eritrean languages. The sacred script of Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox liturgy.
phrase function
has sense
Tipos de lengua sagrada
Script system not covered by existing concepts.
The Ejagham ideographic writing system, functioning as both script and graphic sign system. Cross-listed with iroko-veve for its graphic dimension; listed here for its lexical and communicative dimension.
script system
Types d'acte de parole sacré
speech act type
A system in which graphic signs function as lexical or semiotic units, functioning analogously to writing. Examples: Nsibidi (Ejagham) as a graphic communication system; Anaforuana signs with lexical referents. Linked to iroko-veve for the graphic dimension.
Praise / oriki
Conventions des noms secrets
Naming
ISO 639 code
The secret name itself. No-access: never exported to RDF, stored internally for provenance only.
Script Systems
Nsibidi (Ejagham)
Oral tradition (no script)
Partes do discurso
Farewell / closing
Speech act type not covered by existing concepts.
A word, term, or morpheme in a sacred language with its liturgical or ritual meaning documented. Subclass of ontolex:LexicalEntry for integration with multilingual lexicographic infrastructure. A single lexical entry may have multiple senses (iroko:LexicalSense), including restricted senses whose esoteric meaning is not disclosed publicly. The existence of a term is community-restricted; its esoteric sense is initiated-only.
The secret name of a specific camino (path) of an Orisha, revealed in divination. Community-restricted in general; the specific name is initiated-elder only.
Verb
phrase translation
Invocation
Part of speech not covered by existing concepts.
Formal greetings addressed to an entity, elder, or ceremonial space. Examples: Orisha salutation formulas (Mojuba); Vodou bonjou to specific lwa.
A multi-word fixed expression that functions as a unit in ceremonial contexts.
cognate terms
language name
orthographic variants
Terms in related languages that are etymologically cognate or semantically parallel. Used to document cross-tradition vocabulary relationships (e.g., Yorùbá 'Egúngún' → Lucumí 'Eggun'; Fon 'Legba' → Haitian 'Legba').
Alternative spellings in use across lineages or transcription traditions. Language-tagged.
Speech that transforms an object, person, or space from secular to sacred status. Among the most restricted speech acts.
Formal praise speech honoring an entity, ancestor, or lineage. Oriki in Yorùbá-derived traditions; analogous forms in other traditions.
Blessing
Noun
Nkisi name (Palo)
African Christian liturgical language
part of speech
Nombre de ecobio
A definition appropriate for community members and practitioners, including cultural context not meant for general publication. Language-tagged.
Sacred language type not covered by existing concepts.
Nombre del camino del Orisha
Adjective
Àwọn ìpín ọ̀rọ̀
Sacred Language
public definition
Sacred Language Types
Ecobio name (Abakuá)
A formally defined speech act type within a tradition's ceremonial protocol: oath-taking, naming, cursing, blessing, consecration, authorization. Distinct from a specific utterance: a SacredSpeechAct is the category (e.g., 'Ifá greeting formula') while a LiturgicalPhrase is a specific instance. The existence of a speech act type is community-restricted; its specific form and context are initiated-only to elder-only.
Nombre del nkisi
The initiatory name given to an Abakuá member at their juramento. No-access.
geographic base
The ISO 639-3 code for the base language, where applicable (e.g., 'yor' for Yorùbá, 'kng' for Kikongo, 'hat' for Haitian Kreyòl, 'gez' for Ge'ez).
The ceremonial function of this phrase. Range: iroko:SpeechActTypeScheme.
Speech acts that declare or reinforce a taboo, restriction, or prohibition.
Anaforuana (Abakuá)
Speech Act Types
A language, language register, or language variety used as a liturgical or ritual medium in Afro-Atlantic or related African sacred practice. Includes fully distinct languages (Yorùbá in Lucumí/Candomblé; Kikongo in Palo Monte; Fon in Haitian Vodou), sacred registers of creole languages (Haitian Kreyòl ceremonial register), specialized vocabularies (Lucumí as Afro-Atlantic-adapted liturgical Yorùbá), and graphic-lexical systems (Nsibidi as both script and vocabulary system). Also includes African Christian liturgical languages: Ge'ez (Ethiopian/Eritrean Orthodox), Coptic (Egyptian Coptic Church).
Prohibition / taboo declaration
phrase language
language type
name holder
A standalone ceremonial exclamation or ritual call-and-response marker.
Akan visual symbols functioning as a lexical and semiotic system. Cross-listed with iroko-veve; included here for semantic documentation of individual symbol meanings.
Links a SacredLanguage to a LiturgicalPhrase expressed in that language. Inverse of iroko:phraseLanguage. Enables a researcher to start from a language and traverse its attested liturgical formulas, invocations, greetings, and oaths. Access: community-only — attested liturgical phrases are appropriate for practitioners and qualified scholars; phrase translations and full texts are governed at initiated level on the LiturgicalPhrase instances themselves.
authority required
has secret name
Types de langue sacrée
A restricted name of a specific lwa, known only to initiates at a specific grade.
A specialized ceremonial register of a vernacular language, with vocabulary and formulas specific to sacred contexts. Examples: the Vodou ceremonial register of Haitian Kreyòl; the ceremonial Jamaican Patois of Kumina.
Classification of this sacred language. Range: iroko:SacredLanguageTypeScheme.
Nombre de itá
secret name
Initiate name (from itá)
The secret name of a specific Nganga/nkisi in Palo Monte, given at preparation. Known to the Tata and their lineage.
Tipos de língua sagrada
Nom secret du lwa
Àwọn ìlànà orúkọ àṣírí
Systèmes d'écriture sacrée
The sacred language in which this phrase is spoken. Range: iroko:SacredLanguage.
The formal conferral of a sacred or initiatory name on a person, object, or entity.
Secret Name
The type of secret name convention this follows. Range: iroko:SecretNameConventionScheme. Community-restricted.
has entry
Latin script
Links a LexicalEntry to one of its LexicalSenses. A single entry may carry multiple senses at different access levels — a public sense (general meaning), a community sense (practitioner usage), and an esoteric sense (initiated meaning). Each sense is a separate LexicalSense instance governed by its own access level. Declared as rdfs:subPropertyOf ontolex:sense to maintain OntoLex-Lemon alignment. Access: community-only at minimum; individual senses carry their own access governance.
Ge'ez / Ethiopic script
The writing system used for this language, where applicable. Range: iroko:ScriptSystemScheme.
A general, publicly accessible definition of this sense: what a general reader can know. Language-tagged.
written form
The initiation level or title required to speak this phrase in ceremony. Range: iroko:AccessLevelScheme concept.
The spiritual entity denoted by this sense, where applicable. Range: iroko:SpiritualEntity.
Afro-Atlantic liturgical language
The geographic region(s) where this language is primarily used. Free-text.
An esoteric or restricted name for a spiritual entity, practitioner, or sacred object known only to initiated members at a specific grade or above. Examples: the secret name of an Orisha camino revealed in itá; a Palo Tata's nkisi name; an Abakuá ecobio name. The existence of secret name conventions within a tradition is public; the names themselves are no-access.
An adverbial modifier.
Interjection / exclamation
Links a SacredEntity to a SecretName it holds. Inverse of iroko:secretNameHolder. Scoped to SacredEntity rather than SpiritualEntity alone because initiated practitioners also hold secret names (oruko awo and analogous esoteric designations). The existence of a secret name relationship is itself restricted; the name text is governed at no-access on iroko:secretNameText and is never exported to RDF — it is stored internally only. Access: initiated-only.
The entity (spiritual or human) who holds this secret name. Range: iroko:SpiritualEntity or foaf:Person. No-access.
name convention
phrase text
A specific meaning of a lexical entry, which may carry different access levels than the entry itself. An Orisha's name (entry) may be public, while a path-specific epithet (restricted sense) is community-restricted, and a secret name (esoteric sense) is no-access. Multiple senses of the same term are documented as separate LexicalSense instances with appropriate access levels.
Adinkra symbols (Akan)
A source language preserved in Afro-Atlantic in a fossilized or adapted form, used for liturgical purposes but no longer a community vernacular. Examples: Lucumí (Afro-Atlantic Yorùbá in Cuba); Kikongo as used in Cuban Palo Monte; liturgical Fon in Haitian Vodou.
Links a SacredLanguage to a LexicalEntry in that language. Inverse of iroko:inLanguage. Enables a researcher to start from a language and traverse its full lexical inventory. A SacredLanguage may have many entries; each entry belongs to exactly one SacredLanguage via inLanguage. Access: community-only — the lexical inventory of a sacred language is appropriate for practitioners and scholars with community standing.
A name or identifier given to an initiate in their itá (life reading). Typically held as private to the initiate and their elders.
entity reference
The initiated or esoteric meaning of this sense, disclosed only to qualified practitioners. Initiated-only.
A multi-word expression, formula, invocation, or greeting used in Afro-Atlantic sacred contexts. Examples: Yorùbá greeting formulas specific to Orisha (mojuba formulas); Palo Kikongo invocations; Vodou salutation phrases for specific lwa. Phrases are documented with their tradition, ceremony context, and speaker authority requirements. General greetings are community-restricted; ceremonial invocations are initiated-only.
Àwọn ìrú èdè mímọ́
Graphic-lexical system
Latin alphabet as used to transcribe liturgical Yorùbá, Lucumí, Kikongo, Haitian Kreyòl, and most documented Afro-Atlantic liturgical languages.
Tipos de acto de habla sagrado
Sistemas de escrita sagrada
A formally authorized speech act conferring spiritual benefit, protection, or grace. Requires recognized authority to perform.
Translation of the phrase into a non-liturgical language. Initiated-only.
Convenciones de nombres secretos
Languages of African origin used in pre-colonial or early-colonial African Christian traditions. Ge'ez (Ethiopian Orthodox, Eritrean Orthodox), Coptic (Egyptian Coptic Church). Included here because of their continuity with African sacred language traditions and their presence in Afro-Atlantic communities.
The text of the liturgical phrase in its original language. Language-tagged. Initiated-only.