Oral traditional

This research examines Igbo traditional marriage songs as a vital aspect of the Igbo people’s oral literature and cultural heritage. The study explores the linguistic, stylistic, thematic and cultural features of the songs performed during traditional marriage ceremonies. It aims to reveal how these songs serve as instruments of communication, education, entertainment and cultural preservation. Data for the study were collected through oral interviews, observation and recordings of live performances. The analysis focused on the language use, poetic structure, stylistic devices and underlying meanings of the selected songs. The study is anchored on two theoretical frameworks – the Semiotic/Structuralist Theory and the Performance Theory. The Semiotic/Structuralist approach provides a framework for interpreting the symbols, signs, ad structures embedded in the songs, helping to uncover the deeper cultural meanings conveyed through linguistic and poetic patterns. The performance Theory, on the other hand, views the songs not just as texts but as dynamic acts of performance that involve interaction, participation, and emotion, reflecting the social and cultural context of Igbo marriage ceremonies. Finding shows that Igbo traditional marriage songs are rich in imagery, metaphor, repetition, proverbs and call and response patterns that promote communal participation and aesthetic beauty. Thematically, the songs express love, unity, fertility, respect and moral instructions all of which reflect the Igbo worldview about marriage as a sacred and communal institution. The songs also serve as a means of transmitting cultural values and social norms from one generation to another. The study concludes that Igbo traditional marriage songs are not merely for entertainment but are powerful tools for sustaining the people’s language, traditional and identity. It recommends the documentation, preservation and promotion these songs as an essential part of Nigeria’s intangible cultural heritage.

This research, the Stylistic analysis of oral traditional funeral poetry in Awkuzu, aims to depict the importance of oral traditional funeral poetry in Awkuzu community and its impact in the community’s everyday life. Precisely the study seeks to analyze the stylistic features associated with oral traditional funeral poetry in Awkuzu, to examine the effect of death in the life of Awkuzu people as expressed through oral traditional funeral poetry and to convey the gender disparity associated with them. The data for analysis was collected through interview, non- participant observation and library research. The dirges are arranged in to sections according to the gender of the deceased involved. The data are studied immensely and analyzed by identifying the stylistic features of the funeral dirges. The ethnopoetic theory was employed in this study, the study looked at the style, performance, the oral text and also written text in regards of the ethnopoetic analysis. The dirges are compared with one another to find out the language features and as well depict the effect of death and gender disparity in them