dey play
The phrase dey play in Yoruba.
Did you know?
- Although the words are English, the word dey functions like a Yoruba verbal marker, acting as a continuous tense indicator similar to the Yoruba particle ń.
- In Nigerian social media culture, saying dey play to someone is often a way of accusing them of being naive or taking a situation too lightly.
- While the words are English, the cadence and tonal inflection used when saying dey play often follow the musical tonal patterns of the Yoruba language.
Example conversation
Yejide tells Babatunde about a serious matter, but he laughs.
- YejideBabatunde, ọ̀rọ̀ yìí jẹ́ nǹkan gidi.Babatunde, this matter is serious.
- BabatundeMi ò gbà pé ó jẹ́ nǹkan gidi.I don't believe that it is serious.
- YejideṢé o dey play ni?Are you joking?
- BabatundeRárá, mo kàn ń sọ òtítọ́ ni.No, I am just telling the truth.
