Conference Presentations by Chukwunonyelum E . Okoli
Odezuruigbo Journal , 2023
Language is a means through which people express their social groups and culture. Hence, there is... more Language is a means through which people express their social groups and culture. Hence, there is hardly any conceivable human activity or function where language is not required. In other words, the primacy of language cuts across all facets of human life. Ethnography of speaking is the study of the place of language in culture and society. This research examines the ethnography of speaking as it concerns the paying of bride price in Nkporo dialect of the Igbo language, with the sole aim of investigating language use from the angle of paying bride price to ascertain how language is structured or organized, reflecting the culture of Nkporo town and that of the Igbo people in general. The methodology is simply descriptive. The data for the research were collected through audio-recording of event. The researchers adopt Hymes (1962) SPEAKING model in analyzing the data. The study discovers that the language use in paying of dowry in Nkporo dialect is rich in proverbs and figurative expressions like ónwó úkòm ànyí fhù-rù íbe à ànyí chò-rò kà ànyí gbù-rù kà ó yé-é ànyí hòó ànyí This expression means that there is a beautiful girl whose behavior impresses them that they would want her to be part and parcel of the family; while the word úkòm here refers to the beautiful and well behaved girl that is marriageable. Also, another figurative expression observed during the paying of bride price in Nkporo speech community is igbù éwú mmà na nkólo which means to hit the nail at the head. Furthermore, the proverb izù gbáárá ndí mmànwú, à káálá ónyé ágbààrà emphasizes the act of making private discussions or decisions public. Conclusively, these proverbs and idioms beautify and enrich the language use in paying of bride price in Nkporo dialect.
Language is a means through which people express their social groups and culture. Hence, there is... more Language is a means through which people express their social groups and culture. Hence, there is hardly any conceivable human activity or function where language is not required. In other words, the primacy of language cuts across all facets of human life. Ethnography of speaking is the study of the place of language in culture and society. This research examines the ethnography of speaking as it concerns the paying of bride price in Nkporo dialect of the Igbo language, with the sole aim of investigating language use from the angle of paying bride price to ascertain how language is structured or organized, reflecting the culture of Nkporo town and that of the Igbo people in general. The methodology is simply descriptive. The data for the research were collected through audio-recording of event. The researchers adopt Hymes (1962) SPEAKING model in analyzing the data. The study discovers that the language use in paying of dowry in Nkporo dialect is rich in proverbs and figurative expressions like ónwó úkòm ànyí fhù-rù íbe à ànyí chò-rò kà ànyí gbù-rù kà ó yé-é ànyí hòó ànyí This expression means that there is a beautiful girl whose behavior impresses them that they would want her to be part and parcel of the family; while the word úkòm here refers to the beautiful and well behaved girl that is marriageable. Also, another figurative expression observed during the paying of bride price in Nkporo speech community is igbù éwú mmà na nkólo which means to hit the nail at the head. Furthermore, the proverb izù gbáárá ndí mmànwú, à káálá ónyé ágbààrà emphasizes the act of making private discussions or decisions public. Conclusively, these proverbs and idioms beautify and enrich the language use in paying of bride price in Nkporo dialect.
Punctuation errors are mechanical errors which occur in the use of misuse of punctuation marks. T... more Punctuation errors are mechanical errors which occur in the use of misuse of punctuation marks. This research study is concerned with punctuation errors committed by learners of the Igbo language who are native speakers of the language. The study aims at analyzing punctuation errors committed by learners of the Igbo language in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State, determining the causes and effects as well as suggesting remedial measures to overcome the errors. This study adopts the questionnaire technique which was administered to SS 2 students. 120
Punctuation errors are mechanical errors which occur in the use of misuse of punctuation marks. T... more Punctuation errors are mechanical errors which occur in the use of misuse of punctuation marks. This research study is concerned with punctuation errors committed by learners of the Igbo language who are native speakers of the language. The study aims at analyzing punctuation errors committed by learners of the Igbo language in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State, determining the causes and effects as well as suggesting remedial measures to overcome the errors. This study adopts the questionnaire technique which was administered to SS 2 students. 120
International Journal of General Studies (IJGS), Vol. 2, No. 1, 0
Selectional restrictions can be defined as semantic restrictions words impose on the environments... more Selectional restrictions can be defined as semantic restrictions words impose on the environments they occur. This research focuses on Igbo figurative expressions. Specifically, it analyzes the co-occurrence constraint that exists between lexical items in figurative expressions in the Igbo language. Also, it aims at examining the misapplications of some figurative expressions in Igbo. The method of data collection is through the use of Igbo written texts. A total number of twenty (20) figurative expressions were collected. The method of analyzing data is descriptive using the binary feature format of Componential Analysis. This study reveals that idioms, proverbs, simile, metaphor, personification and hyperbole are some of the expressions identified. Some figurative expressions in the Igbo language do not violate the selectional restriction rule while others do. The violation does not result in ungrammaticality of the expressions. Conclusively, verbs in the Igbo figurative expressions do not combine in a haphazard manner with their complements and subjects; there is inherent constraint which determines the appropriate subjects or complements of a verb in a particular construction.
International Journal of General Studies (IJGS), Vol. 2, No. 1, 0
The idiolect has remained the basic yardstick for the measurement of speech variation within a mu... more The idiolect has remained the basic yardstick for the measurement of speech variation within a mutually intelligible speech community. This idiolectlinguistics habit of a speaker, treads the 'La Parole' Path of language proposed by Ferdinand de Saussure which culminates into the present day stylistics. The inaugural speech of Governor Samuel Ortom is the data for this work. This research hinges on descriptive grammar as methodology. This is an approach to the study of grammar which seeks to account for the way the speakers actually use their language without reference to an approved standard or the grammatical structure of another language. Ndimele (2008:48). This work presents the meaning of language, stylistics, style, speech, political discourse and the various styles employed by the speaker to drive his point home. These styles range from the physiological structure of the speech, morphological analysis, syntactic analysis, and semantic analysis to figurative expressions and some unique presentations. The styles are discussed from the perspective of style as a choice and style as a deviation. Through this work, the researchers discovered that the governor's speech is not only a beautiful rhetoric but a stylistically unique speech in terms of language use.
Tone marking system is a system of using pitch levels to indicate semantic differences in lexical... more Tone marking system is a system of using pitch levels to indicate semantic differences in lexical items and pitch patterns of grammatical constructions. This paper examines the efforts made over the years by some scholars to develop the Igbo tone marking system. The method of analysis adopted is purely descriptive. From the study, it is observed that the areas where some endeavours can be confirmed towards developing the Igbo tone marking systems can be divided into two broad groups: the grammar books and the dictionaries of the language. In the grammar books, two tone marking systems could be confirmed: (i) level tones (high tone, low tone and downstep and (ii) level/gliding tones (high tone, low tone, downstepped/mid tone, falling tone, rising tone). The dictionaries, on the other hand, are not so transparent; some are tone-marked, while others are not. The conclusion from the overview is that, in their effort towards tone marking Igbo texts, the present generation needs to retain a 'historical perspective' by not overlooking much of the honesty and faithfulness to the language data as exemplified in the works of the past scholars.
Papers by Chukwunonyelum E . Okoli
Odezuruigbo Journal , 2023
Language is a means through which people express their social groups and culture. Hence, there is... more Language is a means through which people express their social groups and culture. Hence, there is hardly any conceivable human activity or function where language is not required. In other words, the primacy of language cuts across all facets of human life. Ethnography of speaking is the study of the place of language in culture and society. This research examines the ethnography of speaking as it concerns the paying of bride price in Nkporo dialect of the Igbo language, with the sole aim of investigating language use from the angle of paying bride price to ascertain how language is structured or organized, reflecting the culture of Nkporo town and that of the Igbo people in general. The methodology is simply descriptive. The data for the research were collected through audio-recording of event. The researchers adopt Hymes (1962) SPEAKING model in analyzing the data. The study discovers that the language use in paying of dowry in Nkporo dialect is rich in proverbs and figurative expressions like ónwó úkòm ànyí fhù-rù íbe à ànyí chò-rò kà ànyí gbù-rù kà ó yé-é ànyí hòó ànyí This expression means that there is a beautiful girl whose behavior impresses them that they would want her to be part and parcel of the family; while the word úkòm here refers to the beautiful and well behaved girl that is marriageable. Also, another figurative expression observed during the paying of bride price in Nkporo speech community is igbù éwú mmà na nkólo which means to hit the nail at the head. Furthermore, the proverb izù gbáárá ndí mmànwú, à káálá ónyé ágbààrà emphasizes the act of making private discussions or decisions public. Conclusively, these proverbs and idioms beautify and enrich the language use in paying of bride price in Nkporo dialect.
EKWE JOURNAL , 2023
Punctuation errors are mechanical errors which occur in the use of misuse of punctuation marks. T... more Punctuation errors are mechanical errors which occur in the use of misuse of punctuation marks. This research study is concerned with punctuation errors committed by learners of the Igbo language who are native speakers of the language. The study aims at analyzing punctuation errors committed by learners of the Igbo language in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State, determining the causes and effects as well as suggesting remedial measures to overcome the errors. This study adopts the questionnaire technique which was administered to SS 2 students. 120 Based on the findings, the researchers recommend that seminars, workshops, conferences should be organized for students to improve in the use of punctuation marks in the Igbo language. Also, parents and teachers should develop positive attitude towards the study of Igbo language.
Journal of Languages, Linguistics, and Literary Studies , 2018
Euphemism can be defined as the substitution of an inoffensive expression for one that may offend... more Euphemism can be defined as the substitution of an inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant. Euphemism is a cross-linguistically phenomenon which exists mainly on spoken languages than on written languages. This paper is on the morphological analysis of euphemistic expressions in Igbo. It aims at exploring the use of euphemisms in the Igbo language. In this study, euphemism is grouped into three different categories which include: items, humans and expressions. The method of data collection adopted in this research is the observer"s paradox while the method of data analysis is purely descriptive. Fifty euphemistic expressions were collected and analyzed. From the findings, it is observed that the Igbo language has rich euphemistic expressions and they are used to avoid speaking directly about sensitive topics. Among the three categories, the data reveal that expressions or demonstrative euphemisms are mostly used by speakers of the Igbo language in communication. We therefore deduce that euphemisms exist in the Igbo language like in other languages as a means of replacing sensitive topics with inoffensive expressions.
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Conference Presentations by Chukwunonyelum E . Okoli
Papers by Chukwunonyelum E . Okoli