DEPARTMENT OF LINGUISTIC STUDIES

The aim of this study was to examine body part polysemy in Igbo with a view to understanding how linguistic and cultural meanings are extended across contexts. The objectives of the study were to identify commonly used body part terms in the Igbo language that exhibit polysemous behavior, analyze patterns of semantic extension, investigate linguistic and cultural factors influencing meaning shift, and examine how these terms function in proverbs, idioms, and everyday expressions. Despite its insightful findings, the study is limited to selected body part terms in central Igbo and focuses mainly on semantic analysis, without covering all dialects, linguistic levels, or extensive data sources. The study also compared the patterns observed in Igbo with those reported in other languages. Using Prototype Theory and Conceptual Metaphor and Metonymy Theory as its theoretical framework, data for the study were gathered from ten Igbo native speakers aged 25 to 65 years through informal interviews, supplemented by participant observation. The findings reveal that body part terms in Igbo extend beyond their literal meanings and are used in proverbs and idiomatic expressions to convey cultural values and worldviews. This shows the deep connection between language, thought, and culture in the Igbo linguistic system. The study recommends that future researchers explore body part polysemy across other Igbo dialects and expand the range of terms analyzed using larger data sources. The study concludes that body part polysemy

This study examines the concept of lexical relations in Ibibio, a Lower Cross language spoken in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. It explores the semantic interconnections that exist among lexical items in the language, focusing on the relationships of synonymy, antonymy, polysemy, hyponymy, and meronymy. The study is anchored on the structuralist theoretical framework, which posits that meaning is relational and that words derive significance from their place within a linguistic system. Data were gathered through descriptive and analytic methods, drawing from native speakers’ intuitions and examples found in natural Ibibio usage. The analysis reveals that lexical relations in Ibibio are context-dependent and culturally motivated rather than absolute, reflecting deep connections between linguistic structures and sociocultural realities. For instance, synonymous words in Ibibio are often differentiated by pragmatic and situational nuances, while antonyms may display complementary or gradable features. The study further shows that polysemy in Ibibio is influenced by metaphorical and metonymic extensions, and that hierarchical relations like hyponymy and meronymy play a crucial role in lexical categorization and meaning organization. Overall, the research contributes to the understanding of Ibibio semantics, highlighting the interdependence between language, thought, and culture. It also underscores the need for more descriptive studies of African languages to enrich the global body of linguistic knowledge

This study is an attempt to carry out a morphosemantic analysis of Yoruba adjectives. The aim of the study is to examine the morphosemantic features of adjectives in Yoruba. The study relied on utterances gathered from primary sources. The data sample comprises forty (40) adjectives which were divided into various categories. The data was collected from four (4) native speakers who live in Lagos State where the language is indigenous. The speakers were 3 women and 1 man. The informants were selected based on the differences in age range, sex, place of early childhood and level of formal education. The collection procedures engaged informants in different forms of interaction such as interviews and storytellings. The theoretical framework employed for the research is the Construction Grammar (C×G) theory framework developed by Filmore, Kay, Michaelis and Sag (1988). The findings revealed three things which are: there are morphemes that make up adjectives in Yoruba, there are meanings attached to the morphemes, and lastly, there are various semantic functions of adjectives within the language. The study concludes that Yoruba adjectives are composed of various morphemes, such as prefixes, root words, and reduplications. These morphemes combine to form adjectives in different patterns. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of Yoruba adjectives underlying how morphemes constitutes the adjectives, the meanings attached to the morphemes and the semantic functions of adjectives within the language. Further research in this area can continue to explore the intricate nature of adjectives and their significance within the broader linguistic landscape of Yoruba and other Nigerian languages.

This study examined language ideology of Igbo feminine praise names in Igbo language. The research relied on the primary method of data collection. Competent speakers of Igbo who are well equipped with the different praise names in Igbo were met, with their ages between 35–50 years, comprising both men and women. The data were extracted using oral interviews with these speakers. Also, the researcher, being born, raised, and a competent speaker of the Igbo language, used her intuitive knowledge of the language to provide some data which complemented those gotten from other sources and was used for data analysis. The data analysis was organized into five key components: praise names for beauty, praise names for leadership/strength, praise names for character/attributes, praise names for wealth/prosperity, and praise names for family and relationships. The analysis was guided using the ideology theory framework. The findings revealed the complex role of women within Igbo society, shaped by different ideologies. Praise names for beauty emphasized the importance of physical appearance, suggesting that a woman’s value is often tied to her attractiveness. In contrast, praise names for leadership and strength highlight the growing recognition of women’s leadership roles, challenging traditional gender norms and celebrating women’s authority and power in both domestic and public spheres. Praise names for character and attributes reinforce the ideal of women as caretakers, nurturing their families and embodying virtues such as respect, loyalty, and responsibility. Praise names for wealth and prosperity acknowledge women as symbols of financial success and generational wealth, highlighting their contributions to economic and familial stability. Lastly, praise names reflecting family and relationships celebrate women as key figures in family structures, emphasizing their roles in maintaining social and moral order.

This focus of this project work is to examine from a linguistics perspective, heroes and heroines eulogies in Igbo language. Eulogy is an intriguing aspect of linguistic expression in Igbo land as it encapsulates the essence of individuals on the entire speech communities. It is one of the important aspects of orature in Igbo language as the Igbos holds in high regards the good and heroic deeds of their people. The thrust of this study is an ethnographic analysis of these eulogies. To highlight the roles of eulogies in preserving the collective memory and cultural identity among Igbo people. Oral interviews were made in collection of the data for this study. A number of eulogies to certain heroes and heroines in Igbo land was collected and these data were analyzed using Dell Hymes’ S.P.E.A.K.I.N.G model of ethnography of communication. Each eulogy present was analysed in respect to ‘settings/scene’, ‘participants’, ‘ends’, ‘act of sequence’, ‘key’, ‘instrument’, ‘norms’, ‘genre’, of which the acronym ‘S.P.E.A.K.I.N.G’ was coined. The findings depicts huge cultural significance, oral traditions, linguistics expression, social cohesion, gender dynamics and adaptation to change. Ethnography of communication analysis entails the analysis of communication within the wider context of the social and cultural beliefs and practices of members of a particular culture or speech community. Documenting heroes and heroines eulogies preserves and ensure the continuity of this cultural heritage. Eulogies also are characterized by rich linguistics expressions including metaphors, proverbs and address terms. Eulogies provide a comprehensive understanding of the roles, contribution and importance of individuals within the Igbo society. This research study is recommended for further study, and for teaching the cultural significance and heritage of Igbo language in institutions.

Yoruba folksongs, deeply ingrained within the oral customs of the Yoruba community, hold immense value as preservers of cultural legacy, language customs, and communal principles. This study is an attempt to carry out an ethnographic analysis on Yoruba folksongs, with the motivation of understanding the rich dimension of the Yoruba folksongs. The data for this study were collected using the oral interview method, from native speakers, these data include different folksongs in Yoruba. The ethnography of communication theory is used as the guiding theoretical framework for the study. The analysis reveals that these songs are primarily utilized in settings such as the home, palace, or community, serving as vehicles for the transmission of linguistic norms and values. Yoruba folksongs are characterized by metaphorical expressions that offer insights into societalnorms, history, and collective knowledge. They are often used for praising individuals, including royalty, employing high-status language to describe esteemed figures. Through metaphor and symbolism, folksongs convey the mood, thoughts, and locations associated with celebrated actions, enriching the understanding of societal dynamics within the Yoruba community

This study explores the role of Ukwuani youths in this language endangerment, examining their attitudes, choices, and the social forces influencing their linguistic preferences. Grounded in Fishman’s Language Shift Theory (1964), the research adopts a quantitative approach, gathering data from 50 Ukwuani-speaking youths through structured questionnaires. Findings reveal a significant decline in Ukwuani usage, with English being the preferred language for daily interactions. While some youths still speak Ukwuani at home or during cultural events, its relevance in education, social media, and peer interactions is alarmingly low. Key contributing factors include urbanization, globalization, and the lack of formal instruction in Ukwuani. Despite this decline, hope remains. Many respondents support initiatives to revive the language, such as integrating Ukwuani into school curricula, promoting it on digital platforms, and encouraging community-based language programs. This study highlights the urgent need for collaborative efforts between families, educators, policymakers, and the media to ensure that Ukwuani is not just a language of the past but a living, thriving part of the future.

This study investigates the systematic occurrence of vowel harmony in Anam Igbo, a Benue-Congo language variety known for its distinct phonetic characteristics. While standard Igbo typically adheres to a strict harmony system based on the feature [±ATR] (Advanced Tongue Root), Anam Igbo exhibits unique variations and "opaque" behaviors that challenge traditional rule-based phonology.

This study examined the emergence variety of Igbo in Onitsha and the study focused on the speech style of Urban Onitsha youths. The emergence of globalization in the 21 century has made the youth to employ language in a remarkable way to shape and advance to new Identity for urban youth language, emerging speech style of youths which may be regarded as a new dialect and every day, it continues to experience and go through innovations. The major focus of this research work is to analyse where and how the the emerging speech style affect the lives of the youth and Igbo people as a whole.The research questions are, who are the speakers of youth language in urban Onitsha and how the urban youth language develop.The features of youth language in urban Onitsha, Is urban Onitsha youth language an anti-language? And how the urban language contribute to communication among the youth and the older youth?. The objectives of this study are to identify the speakers of youth’s language in Urban Onitsha. To find out how youth language develops in urban Onitsha, Examine the features of the youth language of urban Onitsha,to determine the status of the youth language in the society and examine how the youth language of urban Onitsha contribute to the mutual understanding and communications among the youths and other members.This research employs both the primary and secondary method of data collecting needed for this research,since the main focus of this research work where youths, particularly youth who are fans of Onitsha language. Part of the data were collected from prominent speakers of Igbo language from the department of Linguistic studies were also used as a method of data collection. It was found from the study that Youth language emerge from the mainstream language and has slangs, heavy vernacular, pidgin,non standard vocabulary, style shifting,and other host of linguistics and others as it's scope and features. Youths as one of the most influential social groups has employed their own language in a remarkable way to shape and advance to new Identity for themselves.

In this study, we are restricting our analysis to twelve novels of Joseph Zobel’s Diab’là and La Rue Cases-Nègres, Jacques Roumain’s Gouverneurs de la Rosée and La Montagne Ensorcelée, Simone Schwarz-Bart’s Pluie et vent sur Télumée Miracle and Ti Jean L’horizon, Patrick Chamoiseau’s Texaco and Solibo Magnifique, Maryse Condé’s Traversée de la Mangrove and Hérémakhonon, Edouard Glissant’s Le Quatrième Siècle and La Lézarde. The choice of these novels was not pertinent. Each society has its own culture and a past. Historically, concerning the Antillean Society, it is about a painful and shameful past where the novelists made attempt to reveal in their works the different facets of the Antillean reality and the cultural abundance of their island world. The theoretical framework of this thesis is to analyse culture as a demonstration of the Antillean identity using the postcolonial theory. The theme identity constitutes a problem in itself. The identity of a people, of an individual or that of a community, constitute a major problem in the Antillean society. Therefore, the writers depict a society undergoing transformation through their literary works to demand for their existence and their identity. After the colonial era, there came neo-colonialism where a lot of people and countries were left to manage their own affairs, hence, the quest to rebuild their own identity, with the hope of wiping with illusion the scars inflicted by the slave masters, during the colonial era. Most of the selected writers made accurate representation of the culture and the Antillean way of life to safeguard their cultural heritage. It is important to present the old and the new literary currents such as: Orality, Antillianity, Creolity and Word Literature in order to be able to situate the Antillean identity quest. Our study reveals the role of each writer using culture to demonstrate the genuine Antillean identity. Six authors will be examined in the course of our study where Zobel, Chamoiseau and Glissant are from Martinique while Jacques Roumain is from Haiti. The two other female writers; Maryse Condé and Simone Schwarz-Bart are from Guadeloupe. All the literary works of these authors present in a striking manner the cultural reality of the Antilleans. The expansion of the Antillean literature dated back to beyond during the time of Aimé Césaire. Due to the consciousness created by him, Antillean literature was now being written by Antilleans themselves instead of the French people as it was the case. Their literature is embedded in Orality whereby some historical novels will be examined to serve as an important tool for dressing historical wounds in order to restore the pride of a people who were slave descendants through the creation of national hero, a typical example of maroonage. From the literary works of our study, our focus will be based on the twinning of the French language and the oral creole to showcase the real image of the linguistic beauty of the Antilleans. The use of culture as an expression of identity amongst writers is related to the development of oral tradition and creole language. They throw more light on the originality of their culture. During the course of our study, majority of our novelists made us to have a feel of oral culture showing this through a lively and permanent manner, all thanks to the emergence of written works. The predominant roles of writers cannot be overemphasised and many others who helped in the recovery of creole language after decolonisation. Our study revealed also the term Antillanity, as a literary and ideological movement which was launched in the mid twentieth century. This literary current favoured the rehabilitation of the Antillean which gives him a full-fledged identity, an identity which has no relationship with Africa or Europe. Next is creolity, a literary current amplified by Jean Bernabé, Patrick Chamoiseau and Raphael Confiant having the burning desire to strengthen the Antilleans through Creole language. Then the World Literature which helps in bringing xi together 44 authors to put an end to francophone literature to encourage the diversity of works written in French Language. In conclusion, we established that the Antillean suffered a lot of oppression, linguistic suppression, prejudices either based on class, culture or colour and so many others. Antillean writers use literature to reclaim their cultural identity, challenge stereotypes, and rebuild their image, striving for authentic representation and self-definition.