Dr Feyi Ademola Adeoye
Normative Disruptions in the Linguistic Transition of some Nigerian Proverbs
Abstract
This study explores the normative disruption in the linguistic transition of traditional Nigerian proverbs, challenging their assumed fixity and epistemological authority. It examines the rise of contemporary or “new” proverbs that mirror changing socio-cultural values and expressions. The study aims to: (i) identify traditional proverbs with modern equivalents; (ii) compile and categorise contemporary proverbs with new meanings and values; and (iii) investigate the factors behind their emergence and popularity, especially among younger speakers. Using a cultural-linguistic approach, it questions the idea of proverbs as immutable carriers of ancestral wisdom. The research argues that emerging Nigerian proverbs, often humorous or subversive, express alternative worldviews and showcase dynamic linguistic creativity. To the researcher’s knowledge, no previous study in linguistics has critically examined the truth claims of traditional proverbs while giving analytical prominence to contemporary “street” proverbs as evolving sites of cultural and epistemological significance.
Date:Thursday, July 10,2025, 12 to 2 pm, at S145/46 at FZA building.
Zoom Link: https://uni-bayreuth.zoom.us/j/66815848399?pwd=bFAyQ0Uyb1RNOFdvT09oRVc3MXoyUT09, Meeting ID: 668 1584 8399, Identification code: 897688