Itsekiri language Greeting expressions Sociolinguistics Speech Act Theory Ethnography of Communication Language preservation Cultural communication

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.