DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF DEROGATORY LANGUAGE USE BETWEEN GENDERS IN IGBO SOCIETY

Abstract

This study interrogated the use of derogatory language in Igbo as a mechanism for constructing and perpetuating gender inequality within Igbo society. The study’s objectives are to expose the ideological underpinnings of gendered discourse, illustrate how language serves as a tool of social control, and ultimately propose avenues for challenging entrenched gender hierarchies. The qualitative research approach was employed for gathering of data for this study. The primary data were gathered through structured interviews with Igbo native speakers while the secondary data gathered from existing Igbo literature, online sources, journals, seminars and dissertations. The research subject ten (10) Igbo proverbs to analysis drawing on Lazar’s (2005) Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis (FCDA) to examine how lexical choices, syntactic structures, and pragmatic functions in these proverbs serve to naturalise patriarchal norms.The findings of the study underscore the role of language not merely as a reflection of social reality but as an active, constitutive force in the reproduction of gendered power relation. The study recommends that scholars should carry out further studies to deconstruct the linguistic forms of oppression, challenge normalized misogyny, and contribute to the reimagining of cultural narratives that empower rather than marginalize women. This study will also serve as a basis for gender-sensitive education, cultural reform, and advocacy aimed at achieving more equitable social discourse.