LINGUISTIC ASPECT OF ORAL NARRATIVE FORM IN ORAL LITERATURE

LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF PROVERB, AS A SUB-GENRE OF ORAL NARRATIVE FORM.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. ABSTRACT

2. INTRODUCTION

2.1 What is oral literature?

2.2 Forms of oral literature

2.3 The oral narrative formalism

2.4 What is proverb

2.5 Functions of proverb

2.6 Examples of proverb

2.7 Application of proverb

3. ANALYSES

3.1 Deep/structural analysis

3.2 Direct and indirect speech analysis

3.3 Idiomatic expression analysis

4. FINDINGS

5. CONCLUSION

6. REFERENCES

ABSTRACT

Analyses of oral literature have for long concentrated on function and form, or the literary analyses with little or no attention paid to the aesthetic, structure, linguistic aspects. This work applies linguistic principles to the analysis of oral literature. The purpose is to arrive at an interpretation and analysis of proverbs, based on the deep/ structural analysis, direct and indirect speech analysis, idiomatic expression analysis to enable us study some of the grammatical categories isolated from the proverbs and to attempt constructing a tentative theory of the linguistic properties of PROVERBS in the oral narrative form. After the introduction, the work is divided into two parts. one is an introduction to narrative forms in oral literature, types and the specific type am going to be looking at which is, proverbs. The definition of proverbs and all I know about proverbs, two is on the different forms of linguistic analyses I want to use in analyzing the proverbs. Then after these analysis, I will talk about my findings, then concludes the thesis. While analyzing grammatical categories in the proverbs, this thesis further argues that to understand the meaning of oral literature, one has to understand its distinctive linguistic principles and concludes that narrators use words deliberately to achieve the reaction they desire from the audience.

INTRODUCTION

WHAT IS ORAL LITERATURE?

oral literature is any work of literature i.e poetry, stories, etc… that is not written but rather spoken and passed down from generation to generation without ever writing them down. OR

It refers to the form of verbal art which is transmitted orally or delivered by words of mouth.

According to Jane Namdwa, Oral literature are those utterances, (whether spoken, recited or sung) whose composition and performances exhibits to an appreciable degree, the artistic character of accurate observation, vivid imagination and ingenious expression. Oral literature is not written but realized verbally.

According to J.P Clark, Oral literature uses language in a creative dimension and comes alive through speech and performances.

Oral literature is verbally stored and depends on its imaginative ability for its creation and therefore flexible and filled with improvisation.

This form of literature exists predominantly in Nigeria and africa at large, because of its rich oral tradition or folk culture such as; dance traditions, spectacles, proverbs, riddles, etc.

these oral traditions are a daily part of the life of the nigerians / africans. It therefore means that this form of literature exists and thrive in the life, culture and traditions of the people. In other words, virtually every aspect of the culture of the nigerian people can be explored and interpreted as a form of literature such as poetry, prose and drama.

Oral literature is communally owned and therefore belongs to no one but the community from which it is collected.

In oral literature, there are three forms/ genrees

The major forms of oral literature;

1. the narrative forms

2. the acted forms

3. the sung forms

I will strictly focus on the narrative forms, which will lead me to the two parts I am dividing my work into.

The Oral Narrative form;

this refers to a performance that is executed or told verbally to recount stories or events, in a continuous form of writing with little or no use of rhymes, rhythms or meters.

Although, it ma adopt the use of gestures, facial expressions, songs and gestrical actions. These devices calls naturally to telling of stories. These narrative forms consists of; Myth, Legend, Folktales, Riddles, Proverbs, Sayings, Names, Traditional titles, Nicknames and orations.

Among these sub-genres, I will focus on proverbs.

PART ONE

What is proverbs?

Proverbs are short sentences or sayings to illustrate philosophical ideas or general truth about stories. A proverb simply focuses on traditional sayings that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense/experiences. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic language which gives a deep meaning. Though, some proverbs might be said directly, it might be expressed by using inanimate object to give deep meaning, relating it to beings’ ways of behavioral acts and life itself. A proverb may have an allegorical message behind its odd appearance. A proverb can also be classified under the genre of folklore.

According to Chinua Achebe’s “ Things Fall Apart”, Proverbs are the palm oil with which words are written.

Proverbs are the major communicative devices in the African context. Beyond the African setting, Europeans are thrilled i.e they are moved.

Function of Proverb

Proverbs play very important roles in different types of literary works. The most important function of proverbs is to teach and educate the audience. They often contain expert advice, with a role for educating the readers on what they may face if they do something. Hence, proverbs play a didactic role, as they play a universal role in teaching wisdom and sagacity to the common people. Since proverbs are usually metaphorical and indirect, they allow writers to express their messages in a less harsh way. Lets see the practical examples of proverbs;

Examples of Proverb in Literature

Example 1: Things Fall Apart (By Chinua Achebe)

“If a child washes his hands he could eat with kings.”

Meaning: If you remove the dirt of your ancestors, you can have a better future. Everyone can build his or her own fame.

“A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing.”

Meaning: Everything happens for a reason, and for something, not for nothingness.

“A child’s fingers are not scalded by a piece of hot yam which its mother puts into its palm.”

Meaning: Children who obey their mothers are not punished.

xample 2: Romeo and Juliet (By William Shakespeare)

“The weakest goes to the wall.”

Meaning: Weak people are never favored.

“He that is strucken blind cannot forget
The precious treasure of his eyesight lost.”

Meaning: A man who loses his eyesight can never forget the importance of lost eyesight.

“One fire burns out another’s burning,
One pain is lessen’d by another’s anguish.”

Meaning: You can burn new fire from lighting another fire, similarly a new pain could mitigate your old pain.

Example 3: Book of Proverbs (from The Bible)

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7)

Meaning: Wise men always fear the Lord, while fools do not like wisdom and guidance.

“Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” (Proverbs 30:5)

Meaning: The things God says are never flawed. He protects the people who ask for His help, and who follow His path.

“Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” (Proverbs 16:3)

Meaning: Do whatever you do for the Lord, putting faith in Him, and he will guide your plans and actions.

APPLICATION OF PROVERBS

How, where, and in what way can we apply proverbs in our everyday lives?

There is a growing interest in deliberately using proverbs to achieve goals, usually to support and promote changes in society. Proverbs have also been used for public health promotion, such as promoting breast feeding with a shawl bearing a Swahili proverb “Mother’s milk is sweet”.Proverbs have also been applied for helping people manage diabetes, to combat prostitution, and for community development., to resolve conflicts, and to slow the transmission of HIV. The most active field deliberately using proverbs is Christian ministry, where Joseph G. Healey and others have deliberately worked to catalyze the collection of proverbs from smaller languages and the application of them in a wide variety of church-related ministries, resulting in publications of collections and applications.

Cultural values; There is a longstanding debate among proverb scholars as to whether the cultural values of specific language communities are reflected (to varying degree) in their proverbs. Many claim that the proverbs of a particular culture reflect the values of that specific culture, at least to some degree. Many writers have asserted that the proverbs of their cultures reflect their culture and values; this can be seen in such titles as the following: An introduction to Kasena society and culture through their proverbs, Prejudice, power, and poverty in Haiti: a study of a nation’s culture as seen through its proverbs, Proverbiality and worldview in Maltese and Arabic proverbs, Fatalistic traits in Finnish proverbs, Vietnamese cultural patterns and values as expressed in proverbs, The Wisdom and Philosophy of the Gikuyu proverbs: The Kihooto worldview, Spanish Grammar and Culture through Proverbs, and “How Russian Proverbs Present the Russian National Character”. Kohistani has written a thesis to show how understanding Afghan Dari proverbs will help Europeans understand Afghan culture. Many outsiders have studied proverbs to discern and understand cultural values and world view of cultural communities. These outsider scholars are confident that they have gained insights into the local cultures by studying proverbs, but this is not universally accepted.

Religion; Many proverbs from around the world address matters of ethics and expected of behavior. Therefore, it is not surprising that proverbs are often important texts in religions. The most obvious example is the Book of Proverbs in the Bible. Additional proverbs have also been coined to support religious values, such as the following from Dari of Afghanistan: “In childhood you’re playful, In youth you’re lustful, In old age you’re feeble, So when will you before God be worshipful?” Proverbs are widely associated with large religions that draw from sacred books, but they are also used for religious purposes among groups with their own traditional religions, such as the Guji Oromo. The broadest comparative study of proverbs across religions is The eleven religions and their proverbial lore, a comparative study. A reference book to the eleven surviving major religions of the world by Selwyn Gurney Champion, from 1945. Some sayings from sacred books also become proverbs, even if they were not obviously proverbs in the original passage of the sacred book. For example, many quote “Be sure your sin will find you out” as a proverb from the Bible, but there is no evidence it was proverbial in its original usage (Numbers 32:23).

Psychology; Though much proverb scholarship is done by literary scholars, those studying the human mind have used proverbs in a variety of studies. One of the earliest studies in this field is the Proverbs Test by Gorham, developed in 1956. A similar test is being prepared in German. Proverbs have been used to evaluate dementia, study the cognitive development of children, measure the results of brain injuries, and study how the mind processes figurative language.

ANALYSIS

PART TWO

In this part, I will focus on the different forms of linguistic analyses I want to use in analyzing the proverbs, which are; the deep/ structural analysis, direct and indirect speech analysis, idiomatic expression analysis.

1. Deep/Structural Analysis;

Structural analysis is the process of breaking words down into their basic parts to determine word meaning. Structural analysis is a powerful vocabulary tool since knowledge of a few word parts can give you clues to the meanings of a large number of words. Structural analysis is the syntatic form they take as actual sentences or the final stage of syntatic representation of a sentence which corresponds to the structure of sentence i.e the grammatical arrangement of sentences from one grammatical unit to another. We are going to look at the arrangement of proverbs from one grammatical unit to another. This structural analysis takes the following patterns.

S + V+ O – SUBJECT + VERB + OBJECT

S + P – SUBJECT + PREDICATE

NP + VP + NP – NOUN PHRASE+ VERB PHRASE+NOUN PHRASE( YOU CAN FIND A PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE IN A NOUN PHRASE) A PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE IS DETECTED WHEN THERE IS A PREPOSITION DETECTED.

These three patterns gives detailed structural analysis of a particular sentence or proverb being said. Note, not all languages follow the same structural pattern. For example;

English language will follow these patterns but Yoruba language will definitely follow another pattern which could be, o+v+s or v+o or v+s. For example;

Carry the bag!

Analysis; In this sentence, there is an invisible ‘you’ which stands as the subject. Therefore, it is You, carry the bag

S + V + O

You, (carry the bag)

S + P

You, carry the bag

NP + VP + NP

Proverbial sentence; It is water that spits, the keg has not broken on the floor

Analysis; I will analyze the first sentence,

{It is water that} spits

S + V

S + P

NP + VP

{The keg} {has not broken} {on the floor}

S + V + O

The {keg has not broken on the floor}

S + P

{The keg} {has broken} {on the floor}

NP + VP + NP(PP)

Yoruba Proverbial sentence; Omi lo danu, agbe ko fo

Analysis; I will analyze the first sentence,

omi lo danu

Deep analysis has to do with semantics i.e meaning, deep and actual meaning of a sentence or proverb.For example,

A bad workman always blames his tools.

Meaning; This proverb is used when someone blames the quality of their equipment or other external factors when they perform a task poorly.

illustration X: The turkey isn’t cooked well because the oven is not functioning well.

Y: Well, it’s the case of a bad workman blaming his tools.

A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

Meaning; Things we already have are more valuable than what we hope to get.

illustration X: Why did you turn down that job offer when you don’t have anything concrete in hand at the moment?

Y: Well, I’m confident I’ll land one of the two jobs I interviewed for last week. And they’re better than this one. X: In my opinion, you should’ve taken it. A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Meaning; When people we love are not with us, we love them even more.

Illustration: When I was with her she always fought with me but now she cries for me on phone. I think distance made her heart grow fonder.

Gbogbo alangba lo d’anu dele, ako mo eyi ti inu nro.

Translation; “All lizards lies flat on their stomach and it is difficult to determine which has stomach ache”

Meaning; Everyone looks the same on the outside but everyone has problems that are invisible to outsiders.

Illustration; she has actually been struggling deeply with the trauma she had over the loss of her father to an extent that it affected her GPA, how I wish I knew her struggles earlier, I would have helped.

2. Direct and Indirect Speech Analysis

An Indirect Speech Acts The idea that proverbs represent speech acts has been around for quite some time now. In linguistics it is a commonplace to say that (Huang 2007, 39) “… the uttering of a sentence is, or is part of, an action within the framework of social institutions and conventions. Put in slogan form, saying is (part of) doing, or words are (part of) deeds.” This speech act perspective is applied in Norrick (1985, 26-27), who reasons that “… if utterances of proverbs mean what they say on the literal level but go on to expand this meaning idiomatically in texts, then they classify as indirect speech acts in the sense of Searle (1975). I can say Praise a fair day at night and mean what I say about praise and days, while at the same time conveying to my general hearer a general warning which he derives from my utterance.” He then goes on to point out that the use of an indirect speech act creates what in pragmatics is called a “conversational implicature”, a meaning which the speaker wishes to convey, but does not explicitly express in order “to disguise his true feelings, to leave himself an escape route”, “to avoid personal commitment and refutation”, etc. (ibid.). An indirect speech act is, as Yule (1996) explains, is “[S]peech act where an indirect relationship exists between the structure and communicative function of an utterance”. When talking about indirect speech, we use words that refer to something that has already happened. To do so, we are speaking in the past tense and are summarizing, modifying, or synthesizing what has already been said. Some proverbs could be uttered indirectly based on past experiences for the sake of moral lessons or cautions.

Example of Indirect Speech Proverbs;

2.) A ki binu ori ka fi fila de ibadi.

One does not get angry with one’s head and therefore use one’s cap to cover one’s buttocks.

Do not cut your nose to spite your face.

3.) A ki binu ori ka fi fila de ibadi.

One does not get angry with one’s head and therefore use one’s cap to cover one’s buttocks.

Do not cut your nose to spite your face.

4.) A ki i bo orisa loju ofon-on; bo ba dale a maa tu pepe.

One does not sacrifice to a god in the presence of a house rat; otherwise, when night falls it invades the rafter shelves.

Do not do things that might constitute temptation to others.
7.) A-bi-i-ko; a-ko-i-gba; ode lo ti nkogbon wale.

A-child-that-was-never-taught-how-to-behave; a-child-that-was-taught-but-that-refused-to-heed-instruction; it is from outside the home that he will learn wisdom.

Look well to your child’s upbringing.

8.) Abulera ofon-on; o ni ojo ti ologbo-o ti bi oun o iti-i da a ni barika.

Mouse-that-does-not-know-its-place; it says that since the day the cat delivered (a baby) it has not gone to offer congratulations.

Never forget your vulnerabilities and limitations.

9.) Adigbonrankun nfiku sere.

Death-feigning-beetle flirts with death.

If one persists in flirting with disaster, disaster is liable to befall one.

10.) Afopina to fe pan-a suya: eran po si i.

The moth (that) tries to put out the barbecue fire: the meat becomes more plentiful.

A person who foolishly attempts dangerous tasks courts destruction.

11.) A bimo ko gbon, a ni ko ma saa ku; ki ni npa omo bi aigbon?

A child lacks wisdom, and some say that what is important is that the child does not die; what kills more surely than lack of wisdom?

A foolish child is not much better than a dead child.

12.) A ki i fi ona ikun han ifun.

One does not show the throat the way to the stomach.

Do not presume to know better than the expert.

13.) A ki le lku meji ka ma pofo.

One does not chase two rats and avoid coming up with nothing.

Never try to go in two directions at once.

14.) A nfotun teni, a nfosi tu sokoto, obinrin ni a ko ba oun gbo t-omo.

One spreads a mat with the right hand while removing one’s pants with the left hand; yet the woman complains that one is not helping her quest for a child.

Some people are incapable of recognizing and acknowledging favors.

Direct Speech

Direct speech, also known as quoted speech, consists of words or phrases that are taken directly from the source. These words are quoted or written exactly as the words were originally spoken.

With regards to direct speech, there is no interpretation or annotation; the words are taken directly from one source and repeated to another. In other words, we take the words directly from the speaker and repeat them exactly as they were originally stated. Atime, proverbs told in direct speech could probably pass a direct message to a particular person especially when in a public gathering. Direct speech proverbs can also be used to keep secrets and to cut short lengthy discussions. This is mostly practiced especially among the elders or the traditional people.

Here are some examples of direct speech proverbs;

“Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise”

“All that glitters is not gold”

“And when we love our sin then we are damned indeed.”

Meaning:When we do not repent of our sins, rather loving them, then we are damned.

“We should make sure that our own house is in order before we give advice to others.”

Meaning: We should act upon our own words, before advising others to do the same.

In these examples, the direct speech is shown in quotations, which signifies that the speech is taken directly from the source with no alterations.

3. Idiomatic Expression Analysis

Every language has its own collection of wise sayings. They offer advice about how to live and also transmit some underlying ideas, principles and values of a given culture / society. These sayings are called “idioms” – or proverbs if they are longer. These combinations of words have (rarely complete sentences) a “figurative” meaning – they basically work with “pictures”.

An idiom (also called idiomatic expression) is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning conventionally understood by native speakers. This meaning is different from the literal meaning of the idiom’s individual elements. In other words, idioms don’t mean exactly what the words say. They have, however, hidden meaning.

Examples

“Kick the bucket”
“Spill the beans”

The meaning of these expressions is different from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which they are made. Their meaning are however used figuratively. They mean respectively:

“to die “
“to tell people secret information”

The following are examples of yoruba proverbs with its meaning, which are expressed in form of idiomatic expresions.

1. Fori jale agbon: In trouble
2. Je Ori ahun: Stingy
3. Siso loju eegun: Say the truth
4. Akara tu si epo: The secret has been leaked
5. Tun ifun oro: Make unnecessary enquiry
6. Eja n bakan?: Is it positive or negative
7. Je iyan nisu: Be punished
8. Ejo lowo ninu: Someone is behind it
9. Gbe ounje ale fun ologbo: Give something you will need in future to someone else
10. Fi owo mewa jeun: Spend without saving
11. Je egun moyan: Do something like a taboo

“Strike while the iron’s hot.”

When you do this, you’re taking advantage of a good opportunity. Blacksmiths must shape iron into objects during the brief time it’s red-hot.

“The pot calling the kettle black.”

In the seventeenth century, both pots and kettles turned black because they were used over open fires. Today, this idiom means criticizing someone else for a fault of one’s own.

“Dot the i’s and cross the t’s.”

When only handwritten documents were used, it was very important for the clerk to write everything properly, especially letters like i and t, which could easily be confused. The idiom has since come to mean paying attention to every little detail.

“A close shave.”

In the past, student barbers learned to shave on customers. If they shaved too close, their clients might be cut or even barely escape serious injury. Today, we use this idiom if a person narrowly escapes disaster.

FINDINGS

According to my findings, it shows that there are certain analysis you can make on proverbs and other types of analysis if you want to go further in the linguistic aspect of analysis. But this can be done only in English language and probably some other languages . But you can hardly give a syntactic analysis I.e. rules that govern grammar, which determines whether a sentence is correct or incorrect, in Yoruba language. If you notice, you can hardly find syntactical errors made in Yoruba language. Why? Because there is no rule governing it for it to be correct or acceptable. But in English language, we have certain rules governing it for it to be correct and acceptable. The only way one could speak a correct English is by following rules, which have to do with the structure of English language. The only rule for Yoruba is the pronunciations. How you pronounce a word correctly. Therefore, I used the following findings to find solution to the following analysis which I made above.

CONCLUSION

I hereby conclude my essay with the following analysis I made above.

REFERENCES

structural analysis, Wiley online library.

Www.researchgat.net/publications

study.com/academic

www.ucl.ac.uk>atlas>yoruba

steemit.com;yoruba.unl.edu.

Wikiedia

literaryarchive.home.blog