ABSTRACT
This project examines Yoruba traditional marriage songs from a pragmatic perspective by examining their linguistic features, context of use, and social functions. Our focus was on how these songs are used in different stages of Yoruba wedding ceremonies such as engagement, courtship, marriage proposal, and the wedding ceremony itself. The Yoruba Language which belongs to the Volta-Niger branch of the Niger-Congo family of languages has over 20 million speakers worldwide with distinct dialects like Oyo, Ibadan, Egba, Ekiti, and Osun among others. These dialects have variations in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar that influence the lyrics of traditional marriage songs. Our analysis covered various aspects including the language used, the speech act performed, the addressee, the speech situation, and the speech function of the song within the particular stage of the ceremony. The Method of data collection used in this research is an interview conducted on specific individuals (elders) in the Yoruba society and participants who have sound knowledge in marriage songs. The study also explored the cultural values and beliefs that underlie these songs and how they reflect society's views on marriage. Through this analysis, we gained insights into the pragmatic use of traditional Yoruba marriage songs in communication and their role in maintaining social cohesion. Understanding the pragmatics of these songs can provide valuable information about the culture and help in preserving them for future generations. The Theoretical framework employed is the Narrative Analysis Theory. It is a type of discourse analysis that looks at the way language is used to tell stories. It looks at how language is used to construct and convey meaning, to establish relationships, and to make sense of the world. Narrative Analysis is often used to study how language is used in literary texts, such as novels, poems, songs and plays. In this study, it was found that the Yoruba people regard their songs as a form of communication, entertainment and rituals which follows specific structures and patterns which include repetition, parallelism and metaphors.
