FACULTY OF ARTS

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 study examines the theme of poverty, unemployment, and exploitation as an economic challenge facing the current Nigerian state, as represented in Niyi Osundare's "Songs of the Season" and Kola Eke's "May 27". The poets proffer solutions from their perspective. The findings reveal how Kola Eke and Osundare use everyday language, incorporating literary devices to convey the situation of poverty affecting the masses, the extent of inequality leading to exploitation, and the devastating effects of unemployment on citizens. This was viewed through marxist literary theory, which depicts a society where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, a reality currently captured in the Nigerian context. The findings challenge the idea that poverty is a result of laziness; instead, they highlight poverty as a tool used by the ruling class to weaken workers. The poets call for a revolution, emphasizing the need for equitable distribution of resources to eradicate poverty, unemployment, and exploitation

This project explores the theme of suppression and survival of queer characters in Tendai Huchu’s The Hairdresser of Harare and Chinelo Okparanta’s Under the Udala Trees. Both set in Zimbabwe and Nigeria, the novels confront the cultural, religious, and political forces that marginalize non-heteronormative identities in African societies. The study examines how queer characters navigate environments marked by homophobia, societal expectation, and institutional repression. Dumisani’s covert existence and eventual ostracization in The Hairdresser of Harare, alongside Ijeoma’s journey from silence to self-assertion in Under the Udala Trees, reflect different strategies of survival in oppressive contexts. Drawing on queer theory and postcolonial perspectives, this analysis highlights the complex interplay between personal identity and societal norms. This study argues that these narratives not only expose the realities of queer suppression in Africa but also celebrate the resilience of queer individuals who assert their right to live and love freely despite enduring stigma and resistance.

The study investigates the syntactic patterning of possessive markers in Yoruba and how Yoruba possessive construction plays a crucial role in conveying ownership, relationship, identity and kinship within discourse. A qualitative approach was adopted. The data used were obtained from primary sources via interviews with natives of Yoruba, while some of the data were obtained from secondary sources such as textbooks and journal articles. The study adopts the Government and Binding theory of Noam Chomsky. The findings of this study revealed the difference between the English possessive construction markers and the Yoruba possessive construction markers , it shows that English language is a head-first language. In head-first languages, the head typically comes before its modifiers and the Yoruba language is a head-last language, in head-last languages, the head comes after its modifiers. however possession is not mark on the owner of the entity rather the object owned precede the owner to show possession . It shows how possessive construction plays a crucial role in conveying ownership, relationship, identity and kinship in the Yoruba language.

This research reveals the complex nature of manhood in the context of contemporary Nigerian society by examining the challenges of masculinity in Chigozie Obioma's An Orchestra of Minorities and Elnathan John's Born on a Tuesday. Through a detailed analysis of the texts and with insights from masculinity studies and gender performativity, the project delves into how the characters struggle against, the rigid and traditional expectations of masculinity that emphasise strength, emotional restraint, and financial provision. The project emphasises that masculinity is a dynamic social construct that experiences crises when control, financial stability, and external validation are endangered by analysing the challenging pathways of Chinonso and Dantala. The study challenges the conventional belief that equates male strength with physical dominance or emotional suppression, shedding light on the vulnerabilities and futility inherent in a masculine identity built on violence and superficial measures of success. In the
end, the research advocates for a deeper and more compassionate understanding of manhood, the one that recognises the emotional complexities, psychological demands, and significant influence of socio-political circumstances on men's lives.

This study examines conversational implicature in three Nollywood films Lionheart (2018), The Wedding Party (2016), and King of Boys (2018) focusing on how dialogue conveys implied meaning and reflects Nigerian cultural values. Using a qualitative approach and Grice’s Cooperative Principle as an analytical framework, the research identifies instances where characters flout the maxims of Quantity, Quality, Relation, and Manner. The study highlights the role of linguistic elements such as proverbs, code-switching, innuendo, idioms, and humor in creating and interpreting conversational implicatures. Findings reveal how indirect speech shapes character development, advances plot progression, and reinforces thematic concerns, including hierarchy, social negotiation, and interpersonal relationships. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of pragmatic meaning in Nollywood cinema and demonstrates how Nigerian filmmakers employ dialogue to communicate cultural, social, and narrative significance.

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

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 research presents a descriptive analysis of the semantic functions of reduplication in the Esan language, a member of the Edoid language family spoken predominantly in Edo State, Nigeria. Reduplication is a highly productive morphological process in Esan, used by native speakers to extend, intensify, or modify the meaning of base forms across various word classes. The primary objective of the study was to identify the types of reduplication in Esan, explore the semantic functions they perform, analyze how they operate within different grammatical categories, and determine what insights they offer into Esan speaker usage and morphology. The study was anchored on the Descriptive Linguistic Approach, backed by Basic Linguistic Theory (BLT), which emphasizes that grammatical and semantic patterns should be described as they are naturally used by speakers. Data were collected from native speakers through interviews, observations, and recordings of natural speech. The analysis revealed that Esan
employs both total and partial reduplication, with total reduplication being more common and used across all word classes including nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and time expressions. Reduplication in Esan was found to serve multiple semantic functions such as abundance, intensification, aspect marking, emphasis, repetition, plurality, diminutiveness, and emotional
or figurative expression. The study concludes that reduplication in Esan reflects both linguistic functionality and cultural expressiveness, making it a fundamental part of the language’s morphological and semantic system. This research contributes to the field of African linguistics by expanding the documentation and understanding of Esan grammar, while also showcasing
reduplication as a practical and versatile tool for meaning-making natural language use.

This project work examines the communication strategies employed by AI-driven chatbots and their effects on user interactions. In an era where conversational AI systems such as ChatGPT, Meta AI, Google Assistant, Gemini, and Replika are increasingly integrated into everyday communication, understanding how these systems shape human-machine interactions has become crucial. The purpose of this study was to analyze the communicative behaviors of chatbots through the lens of Grice's Cooperative Principle and the Social Presence Theory, with the aim of identifying the strategies they use, assessing their effectiveness, and evaluating their influence on user trust, engagement, and satisfaction. The motivation for this research arises from the growing role of chatbots not only as information providers but also as relational companions, raising questions about both their benefits and their risks in human communication. Chatbot-user conversations were collected and critically analyzed to evaluate how responses adhered to Grice's maxims of Quantity, Quality, Relation, and Manner, while also examining how chatbots projected social presence through empathy, personalization, and human-like responses. The study also identified communication strategies such as personalization, empathy framing, positive reframing, immediacy of response, and explanatory clarity. The findings
revealed that chatbots generally adhere to the Cooperative Principle by providing relevant, clear, and concise responses, though occasional lapses occur in the form of repetition and overgeneralized statements. Through Social Presence Theory, the study found that chatbots successfully simulate human-like warmth and empathy, creating a sense of companionship and
trust for users. The research recommends that chatbot developers integrate more adaptive communication strategies that balance factual accuracy with empathy and personalization. By doing so, AI-driven systems can strengthen both the cognitive and emotional dimensions of user interaction, leading to improved satisfaction, trust, and long-term adoption.