THE PRAGMATIC STUDY OF TIV PROVERBS

ABSTRACT This project work titled “The Pragmatic Study of Tiv Proverbs” examines proverbs in the Tiv language and how they function in society. The objectives of the study are to identify and discuss Tiv proverbs and their functions, ascertain whether urbanization affects the use of proverbs in Tiv speech community, and determine if one’s level of educational attainment affects one’s use of proverbs. Although proverbs could be studied in literary form, this study restricted itself to investigating proverbs from a sociolinguistic point of view. Relevant concepts, theories, and previous studies were reviewed. The researcher employed the cognitive theory of proverbs by Holyoak and Thagard (1989) for data analysis. Findings revealed that effective use of proverbs reflects one’s linguistic and communicative competence, particularly within a given language. Proverbs are used pragmatically to achieve perlocutionary intent, and their use reflects an individual’s intellectual well-being. Age, educational qualification, gender, and exposure were identified as social factors influencing effective use of proverbs. The study also found that figurative language is not restricted to elders alone; young people are also capable of using proverbs. However, urbanization has negatively influenced their use, especially in Tiv society. One key feature of proverbs is their flexibility—they can serve as advice, instruction, or warning in different contexts. It was recommended that, to preserve the language, proverbs should be continually documented and studied.