The Pragmatic Use of Doings among Nigerian Youths

Abstract

This study focuses on the slang ‘doings’ as used by Nigerian youths in order to ascertain the different morphological realizations and nuances. The data for the study were collected through everyday conversations and interactions on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, and Twitter of Nigerian youths who are between the age group interval of 16 – 45 years. This age range covers young adults, and middle-aged adults who also use the slang. Adopting the descriptive approach for the data analysis, the findings of the study show that the word ‘doings’, which is the plural form of doing, denotes an action as well as social activities. However, when it is used as a slang in different social contexts by Nigerians, it refers to money, wealth, riches, blessings, generosity, extravagance, fame and partying, thereby taking on a new social and cultural reference of the lexical meaning of the word. The study concludes that the word ‘doings’ functions as a noun in all contexts of use, irrespective of its place of occurrence in the sentence, and the slangy use of ‘doings’ is facilitated by social media influencers and celebrities.