DEPARTMENT OF LINGUISTICS STUDIES

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.

The abstract concludes that Vietnam was a definitive example of limited war, where the diplomatic objectives of the superpowers preventing global escalation frequently clashed with the local objectives of their Vietnamese allies. The conflict ultimately demonstrated the limitations of superpower influence in the face of determined nationalist movements and the complexities of multi-polar diplomacy in a supposedly bipolar world.

One of the three major languages spoken in Nigeria is Igbo. The language is spoken by the Igbo people, and ethnic group in the south East of Nigeria. So many has been written about this particular ethnic group but in some aspect of their life, not really much has been done. It is widely believed that the study of Igbo language is still relatively in its infancy. Many aspects of the language have not been given due attention especially the dialects. This has been observed by a number of scholars. Armstrong (1972) notes that no detailed study of Igbo language has ever been published. Also, Ikekaonwu(1986) writes "... Up till now, this yawning academic vacuum has not to my knowledge been filled" Anam is one of the dialects of the Igbo language with very special future but unfortunately, nothing has been written about it. This might be as a result of historical disadvantage as the people trace their origin to Igala land, so, possibly, they are not considered the Igbo people. Another reason may be the geography of the place. In this chapter, I'll discuss the geographical location of Anam people and their occupation. Methodology and the theoretical framework used, statement of the problem, purpose of the study, and the significance of the study

This research examines the structure and sociolinguistic functions of greeting expressions in the Itsekiri language. The study was motivated by the urgent need to document and preserve the language, which is gradually becoming endangered due to globalization and language shift. Using Speech Act Theory (J.L. Austin) and Dell Hymes’s Ethnography of Communication, the research analyzed Itsekiri greetings at three levels — linguistic (lexical/morphological), interactional (exchange), and sociolinguistic (contextual). Findings reveal that greetings in Itsekiri are not merely polite expressions but are deeply embedded in the culture’s values of respect, kinship, and communal harmony. The word “Ere” (meaning “well-being” or “good news”) frequently occurs as a greeting initiator, showing that greetings carry a strong illocutionary force of wishing peace and prosperity. The use of appellatives when addressing chiefs or elders demonstrates how social hierarchy and politeness are encoded in language. The study concludes that Itsekiri greetings serve both communicative and cultural functions. It recommends the preservation of these expressions through linguistic documentation, tone-marked dictionaries, and pedagogical materials for native and non-native speakers.

This study examines Ten stories and songs in Ẹdo: A case study of Ora, by investigating the cultural significance of these stories and songs, analyzing the content and meaning of the stories and songs in Ora, and lastly, promoting the understanding and appreciation of the Ora culture. The study relied on oral and documented data collected from primary sources. The oral data which made up the primary data were elicited from competent native speakers of Ora language. The interviewees were residents of Edo State whose ages range from fifty years and above. The respondents are: old people (3 man and 2 women), who are competent speakers of Ora language and also vast with the history, traditional stories and songs of the land. The data collected were recorded using a voice recorder which were then written down for organization and categorical analysis. The ethnography of communication, Hymes (1964) theoretical framework was used, several methods of data analysis was employed to explore the intersection of stories and songs in Ora. . Findings revealed that there are cultural significance of the stories and song in Ora, the stories and songs in Ora have content and meaning, and lastly, these stories and songs can be promoted when they are sung and thought especially to the younger generations as it will help in preserving the Ora's culture. The researcher recommends further studies in this particular area and any aspect not touched in this study be treated by linguist, scholars or any other researchers who have interest in the documentation and preservation of the stories and songs in Ora or any other Edoid language.

This research work on a semantic analysis of the Urhobo kinship system, aims to discuss kinship terms in the Urhobo language, analyzing their semantic meanings, the specific terms used for various family relationships and socio-cultural connections within Urhobo society. The study employs both primary and secondary methods of data collection, focusing on direct personal interviews with community members and inlook by a native speaker. The study applies Frame Semantics Theory (Charles Fillmore, 1975). Using a descriptive approach and qualitative data analysis techniques, the research examines various kinship terms. The findings reveal that a structured kinship system in the Urhobo community, categorizing kinship terms into descent, siblingship, and affinity, with a focus on consanguinal relationships. Together, these terms demonstrate the Urhobo people's respect for family bonds and their significance in maintaining social harmony. This study also shows that the Urhobo kinship system is more than a way of describing relationships—it is a key part of passing down cultural values and societal norms.

The Uneme language is the language of the inhabitants of Ekpedo community in Akoko Edo(Edo North). This work aimed at giving a detailed account on the effects of multiple languages on the Uneme Ekpedo people, it is discovered that the language is under-utilized in formal settings and shares equal status with other languages in informal settings, hence a thorough examination of the linguistic situation of this community is presented in this research work. This work is targeted at finding the vitality of the Uneme language with a view to knowing the prestige and danger of extinction of the language. The framework of this study is sociolinguistics framework and it is targeted at bringing into limelight effect of language, and in this case multilinqualism has on a society. Chapter one provides an introduction of the study, statement of the problem, purpose of the study, research questions, significance of study, scope and limitations. Chapter two provides a review of related literature and theoritical framework. Chapter three entails a look into research design and methodology, population of study, area of study research instrument, sampling method/data collection and method of data analysis, the present study employed data obtained through questionnaire. chapter four contains the analysis and discussions. Chapter five summary of findings, conclusion, recommendations, references and appendix

This research provides a morphological analysis of affixation in the Ghotuo language using a descriptive linguistics approach. The study examines how affixes, including prefixes, suffixes, infixes, and circumfixes, modify root words to create new words and alter their grammatical and lexical functions. The research uses a qualitative method of data collection by conducting oral interviews with native speakers and consulting secondary sources. The analysis also explores other mophological processes such as disfixes, duplifixes, reduplication, suprafixes, and
simulfixes. The research demonstrates that affixation is a productive process in Ghotuo for creating new words and modifying their grammatical and lexical functions, including indicating plurality, negation, possession, and changes in lexical categories, while also showcasing processes like reduplication and tone alterations

This study aimed at helping the Edo second language (L2) speaker overcome the problems of transfer from his (first language or mother tongue) L1 and to become more competent in the use of English structures. The study concludes that language teachers need to draw students' attention to the differences and spend more time teaching students the correct usage so that students can become more proficient in using the two languages. This study considers that this piece of work would be important for language teaching and as such create better Edo speakers of English language. Working with the framework of the research, it accounts for the contrastive analysis of English and Edo languages. It is concerned with the comparison of both languages to determine the similarities or differences between them. This research work is divided into five sections. The first chapter is background to the study, the second chapter is the review of related literature. The third chapter is concern with Data presentation and the methodology used in
carrying out the research findings, population of the study, sampling techniques, source of data collection, tools of data collection, method of data analysis, All procedures followed in data collection are described. The fourth chapter deals with the data analysis. Some of these have been shown clearly in table form while the rest appear in sentences in the form of analysis. The fifth chapter being the last chapter of the research report is composed of the summary, conclusion and recommendation of the research report.

his 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