Orunmilang is a minimal, beginner-friendly programming language inspired by the syntax and linguistic structure of Yoruba, a major African language spoken by millions in Nigeria 🇳🇬, Benin 🇧🇯, Togo 🇹🇬, and parts of Ghana 🇬🇭, Ivory Coast 🇨🇮, Sierra Leone 🇸🇱, and The Gambia 🇬🇲. Designed to teach programming fundamentals through culturally relevant constructs, Orunmilang bridges the gap between technology and indigenous knowledge systems. The name Orunmilang derives from Yoruba words: òrúnmìlà (the deity of wisdom and divination in Yoruba spirituality) and ọ̀rọ̀ (word or language), symbolizing a "language of wisdom." This reflects its mission to empower learners by making coding intuitive and culturally resonant.

Orunmilang was created as part of a master’s coursework project in Open Source Software at Nankai University, China, in 2025. It aims to democratize programming education by offering a tool that resonates with African and diasporic learners while being accessible to anyone interested in culturally inspired computing. In a world where technology often reflects Western paradigms, Orunmilang promotes diversity in tech by embedding Yoruba linguistic patterns, such as verb-object structures and tonal expressiveness, into its syntax. This makes it a powerful educational tool and a potential domain-specific language (DSL) for cultural computing, fostering inclusivity and representation in the global tech landscape.

Orunmilang aims to make programming inclusive by blending coding with Yoruba linguistic structures. It serves as an educational tool and potential domain-specific language (DSL) for cultural computing. Future goals include expanding the type system, adding data structures, and deepening cultural relevance.

• Add list/array support

• Implement basic file I/O

• Expand standard library

• Full Yoruba localization

• Visual programming interface

• Educational materials in Yoruba/English

To enhance your development experience, Orunmilang is now available as a Visual Studio Code extension! This extension provides:

• ✅ Syntax highlighting
• ✅ Language snippets
• ✅ Error diagnostics
• ✅ Integrated language support

1. Open Visual Studio Code
2. Go to the Extensions sidebar (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Search for: Orunmilang
4. Click Install on the extension by lanlokun

If you've downloaded the .vsix file (e.g. orunmilang-0.0.1.vsix), install it using the command below:

code --install-extension orunmilang-0.0.1.vsix

Once installed, open or create a supported file (.oru, .orun, .orunmilang, or .yo) to get started!

📝 Supported File Extensions: .oru, .orun, .orunmilang, .yo

✅ Variable Declaration (pa): Declare variables with initial values
✅ Variable Assignment (fi): Update variable values
✅ Print Output (tẹ): Display text, numbers, or variable values
✅ Arithmetic Operations: +, -, *, /, %
✅ Conditionals (ti/bí kò ṣe): If/else-if/else statements
✅ Loops (nigba): While loops
✅ Functions (iṣẹ/pe/pada): Define and call reusable functions
✅ Comments: Single-line documentation

✅ CLI Support: Run programs with error reporting
✅ Type Checking: Runtime type validation
✅ Yoruba Keywords: Culturally relevant syntax

• Yoruba keywords and syntax structure
• Support for Yoruba diacritics in strings
• Culturally relevant error messages

• pa - Variable declaration (pa oruko pẹlu "Lanlokun")
• fi - Variable assignment (fi oruko "Malik")
• tẹ - Print output (tẹ("Kaabo!"))
• ti/bí kò ṣe - If/else conditionals
• nigba - While loops
• iṣẹ/pe - Function definition and calls

// Calculate the square of a number
iṣẹ square(num) {
    pada num * num;
}

pa x pẹlu 10;
pa y pẹlu 5;
pa sum pẹlu x + y;      // 15
pa squared pẹlu pe square(x);  // 100

tẹ("Sum:");
tẹ(sum);
tẹ("Square of x:");
tẹ(squared);

ti (sum > 20) {
    tẹ("Sum is large");
} bí kò ṣe {
    tẹ("Sum is small");
}

Sum:
15
Square of x:
100
Sum is small

pa <name> pẹlu <value>;  // Numbers, strings, or booleans

fi <name> <value>;  // Update existing variable

tẹ(<value>);

<value1> + <value2>  // Addition
<value1> - <value2>  // Subtraction
<value1> * <value2>  // Multiplication
<value1> / <value2>  // Division
<value1> % <value2>  // Modulo

ti (age > 18) ṣe {
    tẹ("O ti tobi!");    // "You're grown!"
} bí kò ṣe {
    tẹ("O tun kekere");  // "You're still young"
}

pa i pẹlu 0;
nigba (i < 5) ṣe {
    tẹ(i);
    fi i i + 1;
}

iṣẹ greet(oruko) {
    pada "Kaabo, " + oruko;
}

tẹ(pe greet("Lanlokun"));  // Kaabo, Lanlokun

// Single-line comment

git clone https://github.com/Lanlokun/orunmilang.git
cd orunmilang
npm install 
npm link
npm run build

orunmilang example.orun

• Fork the repository.
• Create a branch: git checkout -b feature/your-feature.
• Commit changes: git commit -m "Add your feature".
• Push to the branch: git push origin feature/your-feature.
• Open a pull request.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive community. Please adhere to the Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct. Report unacceptable behavior to [email protected].

Orunmilang is in active development, with core features (arithmetic, conditionals, loops, functions) stable. It’s suitable for educational use but lacks advanced features like arrays or a standard library. Contributions to address limitations are encouraged.

Crafted with love by Malik Kolawole Lanlokun. Reach out via GitHub to collaborate or share ideas.

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.