PROVERBS IN SOCIETAL DISCOURSES: A PRAGMATIC STUDY OF CHUKWUEMEKA GODSWILL’S OFO

Abstract

This study examines the pragmatic import of proverbs in socio-cultural discourses in Igbo setting as depicted in Chukwuemeka Godswill’s Ofo. Proverbs are very integral part of social communication and so this study also assesses the relevance of proverbs as advocacy instrument and motive driven language use in societal discourses. It assesses proverbs as part of communicative principle of relevance and other roles of proverbs in various contexts of usage. Thirty-two proverbs extracted through stratified random sampling technique serve as data for examining the variables identified. This study is hinged on the Relevance theory, a framework for understanding the interpretation of utterances, propounded by Sperber and Wilson (1995) which holds that human communication is intention and relevance driven. From the investigation, it is discovered that proverbs hold marked pragmatic imports in societal discourses. The artistic wealth of the Igbo culture situates proverbs as motive or relevance driven in any serious societal discourse as they serve advocacy/caution or restraint and even selfish functions. Since language is a principal element of cultural value, the art of incorporating proverbs in language use should be consciously taught by language teachers since proverbs help in developing human language and fostering children since they are part of every language and culture and signal moral values. It is discovered that an interlocutor attracts greater audience attention and accords relevance to speech when proverbs are used. It sharpens listeners’ intellect as greater attention is needed to get both the semantic and pragmatic imports conveyed by proverbs in discourses. It concludes that proverbs are intention-driven and context dependent as they perform various functions based on the language users’ motives. The language of societal discourse has texture and proverbs help to enrich the value-laden texture of societal discourses as no serous traditional discourse can be conducted without proverbs.