STRATEGIES FOR INTENSIFICATION IN IKARE

The study examined the strategies for intensification in Ikare. The aim was to account for and describe the various processes evident in the realization of intensity in Ikare. Data for the study were drawn from several discourses where native speakers use the language for discourse and constructions for intensification were elicited. Using, Cognitive Linguistics theory. This theory posits that language is not just a set of arbitrary symbols, but rather a reflection of human cognition and experience. It emphasizes the role of conceptual systems in shaping linguistic structures and meanings. It views language as an essential element of human thinking and emphasizes the role of cognitive processes in shaping linguistic structure and meaning. It offers valuable insights into the study of intensification by examining how conceptualize and express heightened degrees of meaning. This study described the different strategies– adverbs, prefixes, adjectives, reduplication, repetition hyperbole, etc.– in use in the language to satisfy the basic human need to emphasize. The study discovered that adverbs such as gbe, bù, yán, ówàná, and adjectives like duro, prefixes like áwon, repetition like Ọmọ, gbe, are all techniques used for emphasizing itensity. The study’s findings reveal that Ikare language utilizes tactics such as reduplication, exclamations, and hyperbole to enhance emphasis and intensity.”