DEPARTMENT OF LINGUISTICS STUDIES

This study examines the pragmatic aspects of Yoruba taboo folktales, with special focus on selected tales from Ogbomoso. While Yoruba folktales have often been explored for their literary and artistic merits, their pragmatic roles, particularly as acts of communication, have received less attention. The aim of this research is to investigate how taboo folktales function as speech acts and employ politeness strategies that uphold social, moral, and spiritual order in Yoruba society. The study relied on eight taboo folktales, which were collected through oral interviews with competent Yoruba speakers and later translated into English. The data were analyzed using Speech Act Theory (Austin, 1962; Searle, 1969) and Leech’s Politeness Principle (1983). Direct and reported utterances from the folktales were examined at the locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary levels, and further classified according to Austin’s and Searle’s categories of speech acts. The politeness analysis assessed the cultural purposes of the utterances, as well as the ways in which they conformed to or violated conversational maxims. Findings reveal that Yoruba taboo folktales are not merely entertaining stories, but performative acts that sustain cultural values. They preserve spiritual balance, instill discipline, and transmit ancestral wisdom across generations. Further research can focus on the linguistic philosophy underlying Yoruba taboo folktales, with attention to the deeper cultural beliefs and worldviews they embody

This study specifically seeks to identify the major morphological processes in the language, analyze how they operate using examples from native speakers, identify their semantic functions, and describe the structural patterns and rules governing their use. The study is anchored on the Item- and-Arrangement theoretical framework, which explains how morphemes combine systematically to form complex words. Data for the study were collected through oral interviews with native Edo speakers and from written Edo texts. The sample population comprised adult native speakers of Edo language drawn from Benin City and its environs. The findings reveal that Edo employs several productive morphological processes such as affixation (prefixation, suffixation, circumfixation, and suprafixation), reduplication, compounding, and infixation. These processes play significant roles in deriving new words, marking grammatical categories, and extending meaning. The study further shows that tonal variation functions as a suprafix, affecting word meaning and grammatical distinctions. The need for this study arises from the relative lack of detailed morphological description of Edo despite its linguistic richness. The hypothesis that Edo morphological processes are rule-governed and structurally patterned was confirmed. In conclusion, the study contributes to the understanding of Edo morphology and provides a basis for further linguistic research on Niger-Congo language.

This study investigates the sociolinguistic patterns of greetings in the Ngwà dialect of the Igbo language, with the aim of identifying, documenting, and analysing the various forms, functions, and social variables influencing their use. The motivation for this research stems from the growing concern over the gradual erosion of indigenous communicative practices in Ngwà society due to modernization, language contact, and urbanization. The study adopts a qualitative ethnographic approach, involving participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and natural speech recordings from native speakers across different age, gender, and occupational groups. The analysis is grounded in Hymes’ (1972) Ethnography of Communication theory, which provided the framework for understanding the cultural, pragmatic, and interpersonal dynamics of greeting exchanges. Findings reveal that greetings in Ngwà dialect serve vital functions beyond mere phatic communion; they reinforce social hierarchy, express respect, and sustain kinship solidarity. Moreover, factors such as age, gender, and situational context significantly determine greeting choices and strategies. The study concludes that preserving Ngwà greeting traditions is crucial for maintaining both linguistic and cultural identity within the broader Igbo community.

This study investigates the phenomenon of generational language change and variation in the Edo language, focusing on the differences between urban elders (60+ years) and youths (15-25 years) in Benin City, Nigeria. Framed within the sociolinguistic theories of Language Change and Social Networks, the research employs a mixed-methods approach to analyze linguistic data across lexicon, phonology, and grammar. Findings reveal a significant linguistic divergence: the youth variety is a systematic hybrid, characterized by high rates of intra-sentential code-mixing and the integration of exclusive English loanwords and slang (e.g., Mád, Crúz). Conversely, elders preserve the traditional Edo lexicon and grammar. This innovation is strongly correlated with exposure to formal education, mass media, and peer-group dynamics, which serve as "loose" social networks accelerating change. Elders view the change with anxiety, perceiving it as degradation, while youths view it as pragmatic evolution necessary for urban identity and modernity. The study concludes that age is the primary vector for language change in the urban Edo community, leading to the formation of two distinct generational speech varieties..

The study examined code-switching and code-mixing as a sociolinguistic medium in Nigeria music industry, with a specific focus on Davido and Zinoleesky. The method used for this study is the secondary method of data collection. The main sources of data were selected songs by Davido and Zinoleesky, which were chosen based on their popularity and rich use of mixed languages. The lyrics of these songs were collected from a trusted online platform; Spotify and popular lyrics websites. The Markedness Model Theory framework by Myers-Scotton (1993) was used for the analysis of the study. The findings revealed that code-mixing is a major part of Davido and Zinoleesky’s music, helping them connect with different kinds of listeners across Nigeria. They often switch between English, Pidgin, Yoruba, and sometimes Igbo to express emotions, share cultural ideas, and reflect real life in a way that feels natural and relatable. English and Pidgin help them reach a wide audience, while Yoruba and Igbo add local flavor, deep meaning, and emotional power. Their use of slang, street language, and everyday expressions shows that they are part of the youth culture and understand what their fans go through. 12 This switching and mixing of languages also reflects the multilingual and urban lifestyle of many Nigerians, especially in cities like Lagos. Through code-switching and code- mixing, the artists show pride in their roots, relate to the struggles of ordinary people, and keep their music fun, catchy, and meaningful.The study examined code-switching and code-mixing as a sociolinguistic medium in Nigeria music industry, with a specific focus on Davido and Zinoleesky. The method used for this study is the secondary method of data collection. The main sources of data were selected songs by Davido and Zinoleesky, which were chosen based on their popularity and rich use of mixed languages. The lyrics of these songs were collected from a trusted online platform; Spotify and popular lyrics websites. The Markedness Model Theory framework by Myers-Scotton (1993) was used for the analysis of the study. The findings revealed that code-mixing is a major part of Davido and Zinoleesky’s music, helping them connect with different kinds of listeners across Nigeria. They often switch between English, Pidgin, Yoruba, and sometimes Igbo to express emotions, share cultural ideas, and reflect real life in a way that feels natural and relatable. English and Pidgin help them reach a wide audience, while Yoruba and Igbo add local flavor, deep meaning, and emotional power. Their use of slang, street language, and everyday expressions shows that they are part of the youth culture and understand what their fans go through. 12 This switching and mixing of languages also reflects the multilingual and urban lifestyle of many Nigerians, especially in cities like Lagos. Through code-switching and code- mixing, the artists show pride in their roots, relate to the struggles of ordinary people, and keep their music fun, catchy, and meaningful.

This work is centered on showing the morphosemantic relationship that exists in agentive nominalizations. It shows the interplay between semantics and morphology with the use of the Lexeme-Based Morphology framework in which the smallest unit of a word is a lexeme. This framework examines how base lexemes which can be nouns or verbs are transformed into agentive nominals which depicits an individual being the doer of an action. The data used for this research work were secondary sources which are from past works of this topic. The findings of this work indicated that most Yoruba agentive nominalizations are usuallyformed through prefixation and a few are formed through reduplication. The prefix “oni-” was used in the derivation of agentive nominals. The semantic interpretation of agentive nominals showed that these derived nouns are divided into occupational, status, habitual and legal roles as a semantic field. It was also noted that the thematic role for these derived forms are Agents which means that each of them are the ones who performs an action. The findings of this research work bring to limelight the morphosemantic relationship that exists in the derivation of agentive nominals

This study examined negation strategies in the Irrua variety of Ésàn. The aim of the research was to investigate the negation strategies in Irrua, by identifying the negation markers used in the dialect. Also, to examine the syntactic positions of negation markers in Irrua sentence structures, and analyze how negation is realized in Irrua when applied to other construction-specific rules. The motivation for this study is to showcase the various negation markers in the Irrua variety of Ésàn. The method of data collection was both primary and secondary. The primary source for data collection involved 6 native speakers of Irrua, specifically elderly and linguistically competent individuals who possess fluent command of the traditional and contemporary use of Irrua. The secondary sources such as published grammars, previous research works, language textbooks, and online linguistic resources on Ésàn language were also consulted to provide a broader perspective and to support the elicited data. The theoretical framework used for the research was Chomsky's X-bar theory of (1970). The findings revealed that negation in the Irrua variety of Ésàn employs lexical strategies, with four distinct negation markers used based on tense and context. These markers consistently appear before the verb, maintaining a fixed NEG–V structure. Furthermore, negation integrates seamlessly with complex syntactic processes such as passivization, relativization, and reflexivization, without altering sentence structure. This highlights the systematic and flexible nature of negation strategies in the Irrua variety of Ésàn. The research recommends further study on this research work and areas not touched in this research work or any aspect of negation strategies in Irrua Variety of Ésàn language or Ésàn language in general be carried out by scholars, linguists and any other person interested in the syntax of Irrua and Ésàn Language

The study aimed at investigating the revitalization of the endangered Urhobo language. The goals of the study are to develop a comprehensive revitalization plan for the Urhobo language and to preserve and promote Urhobo cultural identity. This study is motivated by a desire to preserve the indigenous Urhobo language and explore the sociolinguistic phenomena of language shift, endangerment, and revitalization. The data for the study was gathered through responses to a questionnaire conducted with 50 native speakers of the Urhobo language. For demographic information, the respondants were categorized into various age groups, gender and educational level. The data were analyzed using the Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale (GIDS) framework. The findings of the study are that the Urhobo language is not well-represented in formal domains such as education,
government, and media and that data from Stages 5 and 6 indicate that while some families encourage children to learn Urhobo, the frequency of use within homes is declining. The study recommends that language immersion programs are to be implemented to enable children to learn the Urhobo language in a natural environment and implementation of community-based language initiatives is required to preserve the endangered Urhobo language.

The correct, proper interpretation and application of perceptual verbs in English is a major challenge to the Yoruba learners. The topic "PERCEPTUAL VERBS" such as "look, see, taste, hear, touch, smell, e.t.c. is an unresolved problem for linguistic theories. This work examines the meaning and understanding of the various perceptual verbs in relation to Yoruba language. Languages differ in their number of basic verbs that describe perceptual experiences. Some languages have only two of such verbs. One for visual perception, another for non-visual perception. Yoruba is a language of verbs which has different verbs for each perception. This
research work is aimed at solving perceptual verb problems, educating people on the true meaning and reality of perception. I collected the data in Lagos state by choosing from random people with potentials in Yoruba language. People who speak the language profoundly, scholars in the language. The providers of the data of this research work were "twenty one old generation speakers" and "thirteen new /younger generation of Yoruba speakers". These two generational speakers gave amazing feedbacks just that the older generation feedback was more competent as they had the translation to all the verbs I provided them with. The new generation now mix English with their Yoruba when speaking while the older generation make use of pure Yoruba. This work is laid out in five different chapters followed by the references and appendix. The work allocates the semantic perceptual verbs that fall under the five classes of perceptual verbs into their various classifications.

The study examined the strategies for intensification in Ikare. The aim was to account for and describe the various processes evident in the realization of intensity in Ikare. Data for the study were drawn from several discourses where native speakers use the language for discourse and constructions for intensification were elicited. Using, Cognitive Linguistics theory. This theory posits that language is not just a set of arbitrary symbols, but rather a reflection of human cognition and experience. It emphasizes the role of conceptual systems in shaping linguistic structures and meanings. It views language as an essential element of human thinking and emphasizes the role of cognitive processes in shaping linguistic structure and meaning. It offers valuable insights into the study of intensification by examining how conceptualize and express heightened degrees of meaning. This study described the different strategies– adverbs, prefixes, adjectives, reduplication, repetition hyperbole, etc.– in use in the language to satisfy the basic human need to emphasize. The study discovered that adverbs such as gbe, bù, yán, ówàná, and adjectives like duro, prefixes like áwon, repetition like Ọmọ, gbe, are all techniques used for emphasizing itensity. The study’s findings reveal that Ikare language utilizes tactics such as reduplication, exclamations, and hyperbole to enhance emphasis and intensity.”