Author:Olufunmilola Mary Afolayan
Date: 20/02/2026
This study examines proverbs that relate to body parts in socio-cultural context in Yoruba day to day conversation. The connotations and denotations of the proverbs are analysed to show the philosophical, pragmatic and social world views of Yoruba people in their utterances. Twenty-five (25) proverbs are selected and analysed. The study adopts Dell Hymes (1962) Ethnography of Communication for its analysis. The study shows that part of the body-related proverbs has connotative and denotative meaning beyond literal meaning. Yoruba proverbs have philosophical undertone. This paper also reveals that, beyond the transference of cultural meanings, proverbs connect individuals to the meaning given by society in communication.
Keywords: proverb, Yoruba, part of the body, culture, language, connotative, denotative
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