FACULTY OF ARTS

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.

This study systematically investigates the complex problems and systemic challenges impeding the practice of costume design within Nigerian theatrical contexts, focusing primarily on university theatre programs and professional companies in Benin City, Edo State. Recognized as a vital visual language essential for establishing character identity, social status, and narrative clarity, costume design in Nigeria is fundamentally constrained by factors ranging from chronic resource limitations to inadequate professional structures. Specifically, designers operate under severe financial constraints marked by low budgetary priority, coupled with extensive infrastructural deficiencies such as the lack of dedicated, equipped costume workshops. This environment is compounded by significant educational and training gaps, where a shortage of specialized university programs perpetuates a cycle of amateurism rather than professional expertise. The research employed a mixed-methods approach, utilizing a descriptive survey design alongside document analysis of production records. Data were gathered via structured questionnaires from a purposive sample of eighty respondents, including professional theatre practitioners and students of costume design at the University of Benin. Findings overwhelmingly confirmed that costume design is a cornerstone of theatrical success, with over 85% of respondents affirming its role in enhancing aesthetic coherence and audience comprehension. However, the study also empirically validated the severity of the identified problems, revealing structural, financial, and pedagogical limitations as the core obstacles. Key interventions were proposed, with a strong consensus advocating for increased institutional funding (93%), the establishment of modern costume workshops (91%), and developing industry partnerships for material and skill exchange (90%). The conclusion posits that sustainable artistic excellence requires comprehensive systemic reform, including enhanced professionalrecognition and the development of digital archives, to elevate costume design to its rightful standing as a serious creative discipline in Nigerian theatre.Here’s a suitable Keywords section you can add to the end of you’re abstract: Keywords: Costume Design, Nigerian Theatre, University Theatre Programs, Professional Theatre, Benin City, Theatrical Production, Resource Constraints, Costume Workshop, Theatre Education, Artistic Development, Cultural Production, Systemic Challenges, Visual Aesthetics, Creative Industry Reform.

Storage and display of textiles are as important as creating the textiles it self. The longitive of textiles depends on how well it has been stored, handled and preserved, also to appreciate properly a good textile produce it has to be displayed in the right manner to be appealing to the human sense of sight. This research is aimed at tackling the problem of storage and display of textiles in the textile unit, which will help improve the lifespan of textiles produced, protecting them from factors that damage textiles and also help showcase the beautiful textiles done in the university of Benin by the textile unit of the department of fine and applied art. The major aim of this research is to provide specially adapted compartments for the display and storage of textiles through construction. The concept of the compartments are gotten from comparative studies of various display and storage compartments in art museums, galleries and other higher institutions with a textile unit. It is hoped that the specially adapted compartments for storage and display of textiles will be useful in reducing fabric damage and help display textiles properly for it's beauty to be appreciated

This study examines the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in contemporary global conflict since 2000AD. The rapid advancement of digital technology and artificial intelligence has significantly transformed the nature of warfare, security operations, intelligence gathering, and international conflict management in the twenty-first century. The study explores how AI technologies have been applied in modern conflicts through autonomous weapons systems, surveillance technologies, cybersecurity operations, drone warfare, intelligence analysis, and military decision-making processes. It also investigates the implications of AI on global peace, security, and international relations. The study adopted a descriptive and analytical research design using secondary sources of data, including books, journal articles, government publications, online reports, and scholarly materials related to artificial intelligence and modern warfare. Findings revealed that AI has improved military efficiency, speed, precision, and intelligence capabilities in many countries involved in global conflicts. Nations such as the United States, China, and Russia have increasingly invested in AI-driven military technologies to strengthen national defense and strategic advantage. The study also found that AI has contributed to the rise of cyber warfare, automated surveillance systems, misinformation campaigns, and the development of autonomous combat weapons. Despite these advantages, the study identified several challenges associated with the use of AI in contemporary conflicts. These include ethical concerns, civilian casualties resulting from autonomous systems, loss of human control in warfare, cyber threats, privacy violations, and the possibility of AI technologies being used by terrorist groups and criminal organizations. The study further revealed that the absence of comprehensive international regulations on military AI poses serious risks to global security and stability. The study concluded that artificial intelligence has become a major factor shaping the nature of contemporary global conflict since 2000AD. While AI offers opportunities for improved security and military effectiveness, its misuse and uncontrolled expansion could threaten international peace and human safety. The study therefore recommended the establishment of global policies and ethical frameworks to regulate the use of AI in warfare, encourage international cooperation, and ensure that AI technologies are used responsibly for the promotion of peace and security worldwide.

This study examines the influence of Christian missionaries in Owerri between 1910 and 1990. The arrival of Christian missionaries in Owerri brought significant social, educational, religious, and economic changes that transformed the traditional structure of the society. The study investigates the activities of various missionary groups and evaluates their contributions to the development of Owerri during the colonial and post-colonial periods. It also explores the interaction between Christianity and the indigenous beliefs and practices of the people of Owerri. The study adopted a historical research design using both primary and secondary sources of data. Primary sources included oral interviews and archival materials, while secondary sources consisted of textbooks, journals, articles, and previous research works related to missionary activities in Eastern Nigeria. Findings from the study revealed that Christian missionaries played major roles in the establishment of schools, hospitals, churches, and other social institutions in Owerri. They contributed greatly to the spread of Western education, literacy, healthcare services, and moral teachings, which helped in shaping modern social and political development in the area. However, the study also found that missionary activities led to the decline of some traditional religious practices, cultural values, and indigenous institutions. The introduction of Christianity created both cooperation and conflict between converts and traditional worshippers. Despite these challenges, the overall impact of Christian missionaries in Owerri between 1910 and 1990 was largely positive, particularly in the areas of education, religion, and social transformation. The study concluded that Christian missionary activities significantly influenced the historical development of Owerri and contributed to the modernization of the society. It therefore recommended that the positive legacies of missionary efforts, especially in education and healthcare, should be preserved while promoting respect for indigenous cultural heritage and values.

The aim of this study was to examine the age long practice of denying Esan women the right to inherit from their parents. This practice which is rooted in custom and tradition of the Esan people have resulted in social, economic and political disequilibrium among family members. Parents are abandoned by their rich children in protest of a tradition that denies them the right of inheritance. The objectives of the study were to analyze the geographical location and the world view of the Esan people, examine the phenomenon of inheritance in Esan land as it relates to women, investigate women's rights to inheritance, investigate the root causes of the denial of women’s rights to inheritance in Esan land, bring to the fore the impact of disinheritance on Esan women, identify the similitude of Zelophehad’s daughters in Numbers 27:1-11 with the Esan situation and investigate if Moses’ judgement was a one-off practice or it became the norm in Israel. The study deployed a multidimensional methodological approach. The first is African biblical hermeneutics approach which has to do with the decolonization of biblical studies by putting into consideration African social, cultural, political and economic environment in interpreting biblical text. Another is the exegetical approach of biblical inquiry. This approach, adopts the grammatico- historical analysis of words and clauses in biblical text and applies its findings to a particular context. Additionally, this thesis utilized various secondary materials such as Hebrew dictionaries, lexicons, journal collections, and library resources. Oral interviews were also conducted to get views of the
Esan people on the subject of inheritance. The findings of the research include inter-alia: that the denial of inheritance to women in Esanland is against the 1999 Nigerian constitution as amended in section 42 which protects every Nigerian against discrimination. Denial of inheritance to women in Esan is rooted in economic and spiritual matrix. The ancient Israelite society, though patriarchal in nature in an exceptional case gave inheritance of land to Zelophehad daughters; that the analysis of Numbers 27:1-11 is relevant to the Esan context as a model to address women right of inheritance; that there is a similarity between the ancient Israelite custom of inheritance and the Esan people in relation to women; that in the course of this research it was discovered that the beneficiaries of this current system prefer the status quo. While other who are disadvantaged by the system want a change. The research concludes that Esan land faces the problem of implosion if inheritance laws are not amended. Moses’ approach would go a long way in correcting a practice that has become a ticking time bomb in Esanland.

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, the ethical implications and moral rights associated with it are becoming more significant. This research looks into whether AI systems, especially those that are very advanced, deserve moral attention. The analysis focuses on important ethical concepts, including utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics, to assess the moral position of AI. Furthermore, it looks at different standards for moral personhood, such as awareness, independence, and the ability to feel pain. This study also explores the actual effects, such as legal systems, the role of AI in making decisions, and the possible impacts on society if AI does or does not receive moral consideration. By examining these debates, this research seeks to offer a fair perspective on the challenge of whether machines can or should be granted moral rights, as AI technology becomes more integrated into our lives. In this research, we will be using the critical analytic method for us to be able to understand the topic

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, the ethical implications and moral rights associated with it are becoming more significant. This research looks into whether AI systems, especially those that are very advanced, deserve moral attention. The analysis focuses on important ethical concepts, including utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics, to assess the moral position of AI. Furthermore, it looks at different standards for moral personhood, such as awareness, independence, and the ability to feel pain. This study also explores the actual effects, such as legal systems, the role of AI in making decisions, and the possible impacts on society if AI does or does not receive moral consideration. By examining these debates, this research seeks to offer a fair perspective on the challenge of whether machines can or should be granted moral rights, as AI technology becomes more integrated into our lives. In this research, we will be using the critical analytic method for us to be able to understand the topic