A TYPOLOGY OF IGBO NAMES

ABSTRACT

This study discussed the typology of Igbo names. The study was motivated to account for the linguistics structure focusing majorly on the morphological analysis of Igbo names. The objectives of this study is to investigate the cultural significance of Igbo names and naming system in the Igbo society, to understand the meanings and connotations associated with specific Igbo names and to identify the morphological components within Igbo names. The study employed a descriptive research design. The data were collected from library and field work. In the library work, journals and articles were consulted while on the field work, data were collected through interviews of two groups of people in the Igbo speech community; elders above 70 years, who are the actual custodian of the Igbo tradition and culture; those between the ages of 40 and 60 years, who have imbibed mixed culture owing to language contact and western education and Christianity. The data collected were analyzed to ascertain the morphological structures of these names. The findings of the study reveals that naming is a cultural practice in Igbo land and that names are more than just an identity tag which is why the study introduces different typologies of Igbo names.