ONOMASTIC ANALYSIS OF EDO MARKET NAMES

ABSTRACT

This project carried out on onomastic Analysis of Edo market names. The study was motivated by the need to document and investigate the factors that motivate market Naming in Edo and the morphological processes involved in the market Naming .The project however focused on the primary objective of this study is to perform a comprehensive onomastic analysis of Edo market names. It aims to investigate the linguistic and cultural implications of these names. Three main goals guide the study To explore the reasons the market names are often misinterpreted, To examine the factors that motivate market naming in Edo, To analyse the possible morphological processes involved in the naming. The primary data for the project was collected through interviews by the researcher From, qualitative, method combining work analysis interviews, and observations data. By delving into historical records conducting interviews with market stakeholders and observing market practices. The theoretical framework, adopted is Semantic Theory, also known as Semantics, is a branch of linguistics that focuses on the study of meaning in language. It explores how words, phrases, and sentences convey meaning and how these meanings are interpreted by speakers utilizing semantics theory as the framework researchers can apply formal logical methods to break down the market names into their constituent parts and analyze the meaning of each part. The study finds out that naming of Edo markets is predicated on four factors firstly based on the location most markets in Edo is name based on the location it is situated at like Oluku market it’s named based on the location at Oluku. Secondly based on the Items sold like vegetable market it is called vegetable market because they basically deal on fruits and vegetables. Thirdly based on the days. Fourthly, based on the culture of the market like Ekioba market is named based on the cultural and religious significance. The study also finds out the only morphological process observed in the naming of Edo market is only compounding is productive while others are derived from existing proper nouns. The researchers recommend that subsequent researcher who might want to look at this aspect of Edo market names for further exploration and understanding of the interplay between language, culture, and market naming in the Edo community.