Aspects of traditional Tiv naming practices

A sociocultural account

Authors

  • Eyo Mensah University of Calabar Author
  • Kirsty Rowan SOAS, University of London Author
  • Akase Tiav Nasarawa State University Author
  • Jighjigh Ishima Benue State University Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/sols.37820

Keywords:

IDENTITY, PERSONAL NAMES, ETHNOPRAGMATICS, SOCIAL STRUCTURE, TRADITION, ENVIRONMENT, TIV, NIGERIA

Abstract

Naming in the African cultural context serves both referential and connotative functions as a unique means of identity construction which contains important cultural meaning and metaphysical presuppositions. Among the Tiv people of Benue State, North-central Nigeria, personal names reflect social relations and reveal major insights into their history, philosophy, language, spirituality and worldview. Naming practices in Tiv are indicative of the community’s social existence and redefine the essence of its being. This article explores the interaction of the Tiv people naming system with their sociocultural experience and physical environment. We investigate how naming intersects with social class distinction (wealth vs. poverty), emotions, occupations and topography, and examine their sources, social categorization and socio-onomastic significance. This study is theoretically rooted in Goddard’s (2006) ethnopragmatic paradigm which examines the locally relevant construction of cultural and contextual meanings in the interpretation of language. Data for the study were sourced from two Tiv communities of Gboko and Makurdi in Benue State, Nigeria through participant observations, personal interviews and conversations with name-bearers, -givers and -users. We conclude that Tiv personal names reflect the sociocultural environment and provide prominent sites for the creative expression of the Tiv social universe and lived cultural experiences.

Author Biographies

  • Eyo Mensah, University of Calabar

    Dr. Eyo Mensah is an Associate Professor of Structural and Anthropological Linguistics at the University of Calabar, Nigeria. He is a CAS Leventis Postdoctoral Research Associate (SOAS, University of London, United Kingdom), AHP/ACLS Postdoctoral Fellow and Firebird Anthropological Research Fellow. He is the pioneer President of the Nigerian Name Society (NNS). Some of his latest publications have appeared in Sexuality and Culture (2019), Linguistics Vanguard (2019), Journal of Cognitive Science (2019), Journal of Asian and African Studies (2019), Journal of Black Studies (2019), and Names (2020). He is a member of the Linguistic Association of Nigeria (LAN), and West African Linguistic Society (WALS). He sits on the Editorial Boards of Sociolinguistic Studies and English Language Teaching. He is also a member of the Governing Council of the University of Calabar, Nigeria.

  • Kirsty Rowan, SOAS, University of London

    Kirsty Rowan, PhD is a Senior Teaching Fellow in the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, United Kingdom. She is a member of the Anthropology and Language Committee of the Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI) and a Fellow of the RAI and the Royal Geographical Society. She conducts endangered language documentation on Nile Nubian languages, toponymy and culture and works with African heritage and diaspora communities towards the maintenance of indigenous languages.

  • Akase Tiav, Nasarawa State University

    Akase Tiav, PhD is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Languages and Linguistics, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria. His areas of research interest include semantics, discourse analysis and onomastics. He is a member of the Linguistic Association of Nigeria (LAN).

  • Jighjigh Ishima, Benue State University

    Justus Ishima, PhD is a Lecturer in the Department of Languages and Linguistics, Benue State University, Makurdi, Nigeria. He specializes in Syntax, African Linguistics and sociolinguistics. His latest publication has appeared in the International Journal of Linguistic and Communication. He is a member of the Linguistic Association of Nigeria (LAN).

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Published

2020-02-20

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 2-4 (2019): Special Issue: African anthroponyms: Sociolinguistic currents and anthropological reflections

Section

Articles

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How to Cite

Mensah, E., Rowan, K., Tiav, A., & Ishima, J. (2020). Aspects of traditional Tiv naming practices: A sociocultural account. Sociolinguistic Studies, 13(2-4), 209–230. https://doi.org/10.1558/sols.37820