DEPARTMENT OF LINGUISTICS STUDIES

Igbo riddles form part of the Igbo Oral Tradition. In the traditional Igbo community, riddles are part of the moonlight games children gather to play after the day’s activities. Riddles are fun and interesting to take part in because of the puzzling form in whatcha they appear and the various personifications used to present the riddles. It is worthy of note that riddles are not just for fun alone, they possess and convey deep cultural elements in them in which the child comes to be aware of when he/she participate in the riddling and which are passed from generation to generation. The Igbo riddles are a powerful tool through which the Igbo culture, traditions and values are passed to younger generations. But now in our modern world and ‘modern Igbo towns’, the value for, interest in and usage of these riddles are slowly deteriorating due to the impact of formal education and technology and the cultural embodiments of these riddles are not exploited, appreciated or even passed down to generations. This study set to examine the Igbo riddles using an ethnographic approach. It presents the importance of Igbo riddles to the Igbo culture and determine how the riddles affect the culture of the Igbo people. It
discusses and stresses on how riddles also affect the child’s cultural and social cognition and thickly explains the Igbo riddle from a cultural perspective and context. Data for analysis will be attained through non-participants observation of a riddling event and oral/virtual interview and the bulk of data collected will be collated and written for proper analysis. This study essentially dwells on the ethnographic study of Igbo riddles and concludes with appropriate recommendations in sustaining and preserving these riddles and also encouraging their usage in the society.

This research focuses on the socio-semantic analysis on belief of preordained names in Yoruba. It explores the values, interpretation and how these names are considered to influence its bearers in the society. This help understand the deeper meanings of these names, which not only serve as a label but embody cultural and historical context. The study adopted sociolinguistics theory adopted and embraced by many scholars such as William Labov and Dell Hymes for the description and analysis of the data. This study used both the primary and secondary method of data collection. The primary method of data collection was used my oral interview and telephone calls from Yoruba informants of 35-60 years age range. The secondary method of data collection was used through watching of different YouTube videos by elderly Yoruba speakers. This study arranged the preordained names into five classes for better understanding and analysed the names showing the beliefs, values of Yoruba people. The study addressed 3 main objectives, the first was grouping the preordained names into 5 categories: Lastly future research on preordained names could be the exploration of the impact of globalization and cultural exchange on naming practices. This could involve studying how names are influenced by cross-cultural interactions, migration, and the adoption of names from different languages and cultures.

This research examines cohesion and coherence in Yoruba discourse, studying song texts used in Yoruba engagement ceremony. Cohesion is both the grammatical and lexical linking of sentences in a text. This is related to the concept of coherence, which deals with meaningfulness. The aim of this study is to examine how this concept of cohesion and coherence is achieved in the Yoruba discourse. The need of this study is for other linguists and interested researchers to know and understand how cohesion and coherence functions and achieved in both the Yoruba discourse and other African languages. The data collection technique for this research adopted both the primary and secondary method of data collection. The primary data collection techniques used to collect data by adopting the non- participant observation, I used writing, video recording and audio recording materials to gather data. I used the secondary data collection technique to gather secondary data and materials from libraries, internets and textbooks

The study investigated an aspect of the morpho-phonological structure of Ẹdo language and its focus was to examine the structure of names and the linguistic processes associated with name derivation. The study was based on the desire to get a proper insight into the structure of words in Ẹdo language and how they affect the general world view of the people in the process of naming. The method of data analysis employed is the qualitative research method which consists of personal names analyzed by breaking them down into components units. The study shows that names represent an important aspect of the morphological and phonological structure of Ẹdo language and they possessed a unique compositional nature and are expressed following the circumstance of birth. Naming of children is of great significance in the African society and it often marked by ceremonies and rituals. Within Edo community Osa personal names assigned to children carry deeper meanings, cautions, emotions, and references to God’s guidance and protection and the names also function as a form of acknowledgement to God for his mercies as the names in Ẹdo are drawn from the general beliefs of the people, and are believed to guide the child through life and determine their fate. Personal names in Ẹdo can be a phrase or even complete sentence which are often abbreviated for ease of use. This means that the names are post-lexical forms that have been merged into a single word by desententialization.

This study looked at several selected Yoruba proverbs that were translated into English. For the selected proverbs, the researcher used a contextual and functional analysis. According to the results of the contextual study, despite the proverbs serving various contextual purposes in our daily interactions, the English translation reflected some lexico-semantic qualities, such as meaning distortion, meaning substitution, meaning modification, meaning constriction, and sometimes, the meaning is actually kept. However, the study found that the poetic elements embedded in Yoruba proverbs were not well disseminated through translation practice in the use of proverbs in communication.

This project work is a semantic analysis of Nigerian Pidgin proverbs in online media. Proverbs are a common phenomenon among languages of the world, and in Nigerian Pidgin, they play a central role in communication and cultural expression. The aim of this study is to examine the proverbs employed by BBC Pidgin on Facebook, focusing on their meanings and interactive functions. The study analyzes the meanings expressed in these proverbs as well as examines how Facebook users respond to and interact with the proverbs in the comment section, which contributes to a deeper understanding of meaning, cultural identity and the dynamics of online communication in Nigeria. Data for this research was gathered from BBC pidgin’s official Facebook page, where a list of 100 proverbs was collected, categorized and analyzed. The theoretical framework employed is Relevance Theory as proposed by Sperber and Wilson (1986), which argues that human communication is guided by the search for relevance. It emphasizes that every act of communication carries the assumption that the information provided will be relevant enough to warrant the listener’s attention. The findings reveal that audiences actively engage with these proverbs through comments, humour, and reinterpretation, thereby demonstrating that proverbs remain a powerful tool of interaction in the digital space. This study therefore contributes to a deeper understanding of how proverbs are employed in online communication

This study examines requests and commands in Nigerian Pidgin English(NPE), focusing on their structure and pragmatic functions. The research investigates how speakers convey directives and negotiate social relationships through language. The study is motivated by the wide spread use of NPE in Nigeria and the lack of detailed research on its directive forms. Guided by Speech Act Theory (Austin, 1962; Searle, 1969) and Politeness Theory (Brown & Levinson, 1987), data were collected from adult NPE speakers in urban settings using participant observation, audio recordings, and semi-structured interviews. Analysis shows that requests and commands often employ uninflected verbs and pragmatic markers such as abeg, which serve to soften, intensify, or emphasize directives depending on context. Social factors, including power dynamics, age, and familiarity, influence whether speakers use direct or indirect forms. The study concludes that NPEis a pragmatically rich language capable of managing complex social interactions. Findings contribute to the descriptive study of NPE, enhance understanding of directive speech acts in multilingual settings, and support the recognition of NPE as a legitimate language in Nigeria.

The Edo people of Nigeria have a rich cultural heritage and their traditional marriage are marked by variety of songs and rituals that carries significance meaning. This project aims at conducting a semantic review of the songs and rituals use in the Edo traditional marriage ceremony through an interdisciplinary approach that combines linguistics analysis, and cultural interpretation. This study seeks to explore the linguistic, cultural, and social dimensions of these songs and rituals by delving into the lyrics of the songs and also by analyzing the symbolic significance of various rituals. This study employed data collected from participation observation at a selected traditional marriage in Benin using a phone camera, and also the interviews of native speaker who are well grounded in the Edo marriage rituals. In analyzing the marriage song, the difference level of translation will be use to analyze the lyrics of the songs. By the end of this research

Language is a dynamic and multifaceted tool of communication, often characterized by polysemy and lexical ambiguity, which contribute to depth and richness in meaning. This study examines the phenomena of polysemy and lexical ambguity in Urhobo proverbs, exploring how multiple meanings of words shape interpretations, cultural wisdom, and linguistic expression. Given that proverbs serve as an essential comp nent of Urhobo oral tradition, their meanings are often layered, requiring contextual understanding to fully grasp their implications. The study investigates various polysemous words in Urhobo proverbs, such as "evun" (which can mean stomach, pregnancy, or inside), "oto" (ground, movement, or meaning), and "hwe" (kill, punish, or break), among others. These words introduce lexical ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations depending on the speaker’s intent, audience, and cultural setting. By analyzing specific proverbs, this research highlights how ambiguity is intentionally used to convey moral lessons, social values, and philosophical insights within the Urhobo language. A qualitative approach was employed, drawing data from Urhobo oral literature, linguistic analysis, and interviews with native speakers. The findings reveal that polysemy and lexical ambiguity are deliberate linguistic strategies that enrich Urhobo proverbs, making them flexible tools for storytelling, education, and moral instruction. Moreover, the study emphasizes the role of context in deciphering the intended meaning of ambiguous expressions, underscoring the complexity of Urhobo semantics.

This study presents a stylistic analysis of language in advertisements, focusing on the Vanguard new spaper as a case study. The study explores the techniques and strategies employed in crafting persuasive messages within this specific print media context. By examining linguistic choices, rhetorical devices, and visual elements, it aims to uncover the unique stylistic features that contribute to the news paper's advertising effectiveness.The data forthe study were collected from vanguard newspaper respectively, each adverts were scanned and attached to the work, these adverts encompasses a wide range of adverts types, which include text and display adverts (with visual elements). Using the linguistics stylistics theoretical frameworkthrough a comprehensive analysis, this research sheds light on the intricate relationship between language and advertising within the Vanguardnewspaper,providing valuable insights in to the art of persuasion,use of metaphorical expression and social influence in print media. Our findings therefore reveal that language of advertisement employ the use of different devices to drive home its effectiveness, these findings include; Advertisements frequently employ rhetorical devices such as metaphors, similes, and hyperbole to create vivid and memorable messages. These devices enhance the overall appeal of the advertisements, The language in Vanguard Newspaper advertisements often incorporates cultural references, idiomatic expressions, and local context to resonate with the target audience and establish a sense of familiarity, Careful selection of words and phrases is evident, with advertisers opting for persuasive and positive terminology to promote products or services effectively. This includes the use of buzzwords, Beyond language, visual elements such as color schemes, fonts, and layout play a significant role in reinforcing the message The implications of these findings have a big impact on how languages are necessitating concise/careful approaches in advertisements.