#  Taiwo Ehineni 

African Language Program Preceptor

 

 

 



   ![Taiwo Ehineni](/sites/g/files/omnuum8896/files/styles/hwp_4_5__320x400/public/aaas/files/taiwo_ehineni.jpg?itok=7NnTv5xc) 

 



 

 email [taiwo\_ehineni@fas.harvard.edu](mailto:taiwo_ehineni@fas.harvard.edu) 

 



 

**Taiwo O Ehineni** is a Preceptor of African Languages in the Department of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. He holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics with a concentration in African Languages and an M.A. in Linguistics, both from Indiana University Bloomington, where he was also a J. William Fulbright Scholar. He earned a second M.A. in English from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

At Indiana University, Dr. Ehineni played a key role in establishing the Yoruba language program, which now offers instruction from elementary to advanced levels. From 2013 to 2019, he taught Yoruba in the university’s African Studies Program and contributed to curriculum development and language resource design.

Dr. Ehineni’s research spans various areas of African linguistics, Yoruba language and culture, and language pedagogy. He has published numerous scholarly articles in respected journals and edited volumes, including *Journal of African Languages and Cultures*, *Language Matters*, *A Journal of African Studies*, *International Journal of Linguistics*, and *Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics*, among others. He is the author of the recent book *Yoruba Names: Language, Culture, and History* (Routledge, 2025).

A two-time recipient of the Derek Bok Center Award for Teaching Excellence at Harvard, Dr. Ehineni’s innovative use of music in language instruction was featured by the Office of the Vice Provost for Advances in Learning in the article, *Developing Cultural and Linguistic Competencies Through Music*. His previous honors include the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies Fellowship, the Patrick O’Meara Award, the *Africa Today* Research Award, and the Emerging Scholar Award from New Directions in the Humanities.

Beyond Harvard, he serves on the Executive Board of the African Languages Teachers Association (ALTA) and is a faculty affiliate of the West African Languages Institute at Indiana University. He also serves on the editorial board of *Ìmọ̀ Èdè: Journal of Yoruba Language Pedagogy (JYLP)*. Dr. Ehineni has worked as a consultant for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), contributing to multiple Yoruba standards-setting initiatives.

His expertise in language assessment and technology has led to additional roles as a Yoruba language specialist for ALTA Language Services, where he contributed to ILR-level comprehension module development, and as a language consultant for organizations including Google and Productive Playhouse, focusing on Yoruba and Nigerian English.



 

 

 





 

 

- ## People
    
     [Lecturers and Preceptors](/people/lecturers-and-preceptors)