Relevance of Bini Greetings to the Development of Edo Language
Chapter One
Preamble of the Study
The reason why a study of the extended family greeting (ukhu egbe) of the Binis is to be carried out are as follows:
- Since greetings (otue) is a part of the culture of the Binis, there is need to know the different types and the origin of Bini greetings (otue Edo).
- To enable the Bini child know and internalize his/her culture property instead of the good morning, good afternoon the western civilization.
- To enable any Bini child know more about his/her own seasons.
- To enable the Bini child us the appropriate form of greeting (otue) at the appropriate time event and season.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Greetings is earlier described is with the umbrella of culture. In the E. D. English Dictionary written by Rebecca H. Agheyisi the defines greetings as an inheritance salutation for the purpose of this study literature related to culture will be looked at before moving onto the main content of this book.
Many scholars view culture from various angles but agree that culture has to do with man and his environment. Culture includes not only form of art, but also all parts of behaviour and social modes that are socially achieved. Transmitted culture has to do with moral ways of life of the people. Babs Fafunwa (1971) in his book history of Nigeria education defined culture as a whole way of life that is created or held common from one generation to another by one particular society. Chief Eduwu Ekhator J. P. in one of his article Benin Culture in brief (1994) has these to say that culture, after all the total way of life of people embracing their materials things their political and social institutions and their ideal.
He also said that the Benin culture is so strong that it is expressed even in the way we do all things. The original values that up Benin culture are fundamentally the sense of communication between the visible and the invisible man, nature and God. According to E. B. Tylor in his book primitive culture (1891) culture is the complex whole of man’s acquisition of knowledge, morals, beliefs, arts, custom, technology which are transmitted from generation to generation.
Tylor stresses here that culture is man made because it is that part of man’s environment created by him and dislikes that is where taboos comes in. culture is not static but dynamic and culture can not be separated from language (both are insuperable), rather it is used with reference to society or a group of societies. He sees culture as something that does not die with the death of an individual. Onigu Otite and Ogwunwo, W. in their book title an introduction to sociological studies (1979) states that “culture embraces both materials and non materials aspect and is acquired by every member of a society materials culture relates to aspect of culture and means the product of industry technology arts etc the non-materials aspect of culture consist of knowledge philosophy values, etc share and transmitted in society”.
This definition of culture is in line with Tylor’s definition because it also take about moral and other things that are shared. The human species is different from animal species to the extent in which individual and population of the same species are capable of learning and exhibiting diverse form of behaviour. This illustrated by the greeting (otue) habits, hospitality and styles of interaction of the Edo’s. Greetings have certain pattern which is universal in the sense that it is recognized in all societies. This was recognized by Erving Golf man, the author of communication in face to face interaction. “a greeting is needed to show that relationship which existed at the end of the last meeting is still unchanged, inspite of the separation and that a fare well is needed in order to sum up the effect of show what the participant may conceive of one another when they meet next”. This pattern is also applicable to the Edo greeting situation. All interaction begins with salutation and end with salutation. In 1955, Groffman in the same text said that the relationship between participants in some piece of interaction of great interest to the participant themselves. The necessity to begin and end all interactions with greetings is well established in Benin. The Edos have various greetings used as the beginning of all interactions at all times days and years for instance, when a Bini fellow makes up in the morning, he/she begins the day with his/her family greeting (Ukhu Egbe) and at the end of the day, when he/she goes to sleep he/she greets okhion owie (good night) it is important that participant establish mutual understanding and cordial relationship between themselves before getting down to the business which might be the purpose of the interaction.
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
The methods used for the collection of these data include oral interview of informants and participants as well as observation as a native speaker, a student of Edo language. Also questionnaires were circulated among students and parents in the following order bearing in mind their age, relationship and differences. The questionnaires contain the following questions for students:
- In your opinion, is it important to teach Edo greeting in school and our home? Yes or No.
- Are there Edo language teachers in your school? Yes or No.
- Does the subject seem difficult to you? Yes or No.
- Do you know how your morning greeting in Edo came about? Yes or No.
- Do you want to know the origin of your traditional or family greeting? Yes or No.
- Do your parents speak their native language with you at home? Yes or No.
- Do they encourage you to speak their language and also greet them with their family morning greeting? Yes or No.
CHAPTER FOUR
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF BENIN GREETINGS
(OMUHEN VBE NE OTUE EDO YA SUEN HE)
The family morning greetings (Ukhu Egbe) in Bini vary from one family to another. It is a symbolic mark that differentiates or identifies the Bini’s in general from one family to another. For the purpose of this study, four different family greetings will be looked into. The origin/historical background would be traced as regards when and how it started in Benin. Some other traditional greetings, family greeting/appellation and the family adopting the peculiar form of greeting will be listed out as well. The ones to be study will be that of the Oba first followed by that of the prominent chiefs.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
SUMMARY
The Edo name her greeting is “Otue” the people of edo strongly believe that when character is lost all is lots character being respect honour and dignity which (all) make up greetings it is the natural greetings, it is the natural law that the younger ones must greet the elders first ion Edo Custom but this is reversed when the former fall sick. The later will then have to greet first.
Greetings are of great important to the Beni’s and greeting to two partners a giver sender and a receiver.
CONCLUSION
Every family in Benin has its own morning identification greeting known as “ukhu-egbe” which is peculiar to the lineage. Every member of the family renders it to his or her elders in the morning. This same links us up with the saying in Edo that egbe ne aya rhino o re owie any time one wake up is morning.
It is the evidence from the information gathered from the field work that the various greetings in Benin have significant origin. Greetings is of great help to the Binis because greetings assist one to quickly identify the family a person belong to, in Benin with that a simple form of greeting for example “laire” greeting by the family of Eholo-niro legbe eholo-nire).
Should be encouraged to probe more into the origin in various forms of greetings amongst Edo people (ivbe edo).
While everything about edo greetings cannot be said to have been exhausted in this work. Researchers should be given necessary incentives to facilitate further studies in the regard.
Finally, the cumulative finings should as a matter of great importance translated into reality.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Aghexisi, H. R. (1986) Edo/English Dictionary
- Baba F. (1978) History of Education in Nigeria
- Edward B. T. (1871) Primitive Culture Research into the Development of Mythology Religion London John Murrey.
- Egharevba J. U. (1968) Benin Laws and Customs Ibadan University Press.
- Egharevba J. U. (1968) Short history of Benin Ibadan University Press.
- Eruing, G. (1955) Communicative in face to face interaction
- Ferguson, C. A. (1979) The Structure and use of Politeness Formula.
- Hons, M. (1937) Concise Dictionary or Benin Languages of Southern Nigeria.
- Hudson, R. A. (1980) Social Linguistic Cambridge University Press
- Imasuen E. O. Edo Course Book I Nora Publishers Ltd Benin City
- Imasuen E. O. Edo course Book II Nora Publishers Ltd Benin City
- New Wester encyclopedia – dictionary of English Languages
- Osemwegie, E. (1972) Cultural Heritage of Benin.
