Language and Gender Interaction in Yoruba: Proverbial Discourse

Abstract

Language can be seen as a systematic means which human beings use in the communication of thoughts, ideas, values, norms and feelings. As a pervasive aspect of our lives, it is a verbal means with which we communicate and conduct social interaction. This paper examines specific aspects of proverbial language of the Yoruba of the South West region of Nigeria and determines through a feminist analysis how this language use illustrates in-built sexist connotation in the sense that it generally indicates positive things for males while negative connotations are assumed for women. Proverbs, pronominal forms and idiomatic expressions are collected and analyzed to ascertain the above argument. The evidence in this paper serves as a reference point for women of sexism that is built into language use in these old pithy sayings which are meant to encapsulate pearls of wisdom.