Sociolinguistic Investigation of Some Hausa Proverbs
Chapter One
AIM AND OBJECTIVES
The aim of the study is to find out what proverbs are, their uses, impact and significance on individual / community and the possible lessons to learn for the future. The objectives include:
Discover the true meaning of proverbs.
Identify the uses of proverbs.
Ascertain the significance and impact of Hausa proverbs on Hausa people.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
PREAMBLE
This chapter focuses on the review of literature related to this work. It stands to describe proverbs and their significant role in a society. It also considers the theoretical frame work of the research, that is, sociolinguistic approach. Many scholars have written articles and books on the subject matter of this study, but from available records, it appears that not much has been done on the sociolinguistic study of proverbs of the particular speech community which this work focuses on. The researcher will therefore use the skeletal literature available to examine the writings of others to substantiate the work.
PROVERBS
The origin of proverbs is something that varies from society to society because of the differences in the cultures of the various ethnic groups that use them. Among the sources that attempted to locate the origin of proverb is the Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs which states that, “Proverbs is centuries old dating back probably from the time when wisdom and percepts were transmitted by story and songs” (9-10). It is pertinent to note that it is difficult to pinpoint how proverbs came about, especially in most African societies. Just in the same manner, the origin of proverbs is not easy to trace, so also the definition. That is to say that, it is very difficult to give an exact definition of proverbs. However, attempts have been made by various scholars to define the concept.
Graham in his book titled Poetry Prose and Hausa Popular Culture is of the view that proverb is a kind of folded/broken speech which refers to one of the characteristics of proverbial utterances to contain hidden meaning and requires of the listeners an interpretative leap. Proverbs carry a lot of meaning more than their literal or surface presentation, at times; it takes a critically minded audience to be able to decode the real meaning of a given proverb.
To understand the hidden meaning of a proverb, one must have the deep insight of the context and the situation in which the proverb is used. The Hausa people greatly depend on context and situation. It is the context and situation that help the proverbs to be meaningful to the listeners. For example one cannot use the proverbs that are meant for advice, to warn, more so, the proverbs that are used for lazy people cannot be used for the strong and hardworking ones.
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
PREAMBLE
This chapter focuses on the methodology used in this study. It consists of the research design, sources of data and data selection, and the procedure for data analysis.
RESEARCH DESIGN
The descriptive research designs are adopted for this study. This approach uses few data for the analysis to be more detailed and rigorous. The descriptive survey gives a picture of a situation. It is a scientific method which involves observing and describing the behavior of a subject without in any way influencing it. This method is used to obtain a general overview of the subject. Of course the consideration of phenomena begins generally with a full understanding of the phenomena. The subject is observed in a completely natural and unchanged environment hence this method befits this work.
SOURCES OF DATA
Data for the study were gathered through the use of libraries, consultation of relevant texts. The study also depended on interviewing people, especially, elders in Hausa society who had deep knowledge of proverbs.
METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION
The method used for data collection from our sources is the participant –observation method. This method places us as members of the society and enables us to obtain complete
information in the appropriate context of use. The data were collected orally from Hausa first language speakers, and translated into English language for analysis.
METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS
The major framework for our data analysis is Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, insights from other sociolinguistics theories would be used where necessary. However, some comments need to be made on certain elements of the framework. We observe that the context of use is important in a bid to deduce the sociolinguistic meaning of proverbs. The context of use also gives an insight into the type of proverbs and its intended meaning. Kramsch rightly notes that “culture meaning is created through the actions and interactions of speakers in social context” (25). This implies that the function and meaning of proverbs will be lost without the context of use. Therefore, in our analysis, context is taken care of under Setting and Scene.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
This chapter shows how the data collected were analyzed and interpreted. This was done in order to achieve the set of goals listed. In addition, some proverbs were studied according to the contexts in Hausa land. This will enable the reader to have the knowledge of proverbs and how they are used in Hausa land.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
SUMMARY
This work has made ample effort in finding out more about the Hausa people. It paved way into knowing the culture, the ways of life of the people, the way they use proverbs and how these proverbs affect their lives. Chapter two revealed much about proverbs and the contexts of usage by looking at related works.In data collection, consultation of textbooks, library materials and the oral interviews using audio recording were in place. This was consequently followed by the analysis of the data collected. This project work therefore has helped to highlight the Hausa way of life especially with regard to the use proverbs.
RECOMMENDATIONS
In this study, we have established that proverbs are legacies left behind by the ancients to enable the youth have a better focus in life. It is therefore very necessary for a change in the present attitude of the people, especially the youths towards the use of proverbs. The youths should be enlightened by the elders on the importance of using proverbs. This will help restore proverbs as a cultural heritage. The educated ones should embrace proverbs by writing books, journals, articles and pamphlets on proverbs. They should also carry out more research into Hausa proverbs. These will be made possible if the wealthy sons of the society render their assistance financially.
Radio and television programs on Hausa proverbs should be introduced and encouraged by giving enough time for proverbs and their meanings. Hausa proverbs should also be introduced into the school curriculum as part of the Hausa language as a subject. On the whole, there is the need to educate the entire Hausa people on the fact that proverbs are very significant and will go a long way to making them know more about each other and their way of life.
CONCLUSION
Based on this work, it is necessary to conclude that the importance of proverbs cannot be over emphasized. They are kola nuts with which words are eaten and proverbs reflect the culture of a people and their general way of life. Therefore, in considering a good Hausa person, he or she must have a good command of proverbs in his daily utterances. Through proverbs, unity, peace, understanding and a deep sense of belonging exist among the Hausa people.
Works cited
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- Appel, Rene and Muysken Pieter. Language Contact and Bilingualism. Great Britain: Athnaeum.1990. print.
- Basil Bernstein. Codes, Modalities and the Process of Cultural Reproduction. London: University of London press. 1981. Web
- Babajide Abidogun. “Language and Culture: A Discussion in Egbe Ifie (ed)” Coping With Culture. Ibadan: Outou, 1999. Web
- Bada, Bello Daudun. A Literary Study of Themes, Functions and Poetic Devices of Hausa Karin Magana. Ph,D Thesis, Sokoto: Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Nigeria. 1995. Print.
