PRAGMATICS AND THERAPEUTIC INFLUENCE OF SELECTED YORUBA MUSIC IN ENHANCING SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING OF INDIVIDUALS IN SOUTHWEST NIGERIA

Abstract

This study explores the pragmatic and therapeutic dimensions of selected Yoruba songs by Saheed Osupa and Yinka Ayefele, focusing on their role in enhancing the social and psychological wellbeing of individuals in Southwest Nigeria; because existing linguistic studies on music have not sufficiently examined the psychological relevance of Yoruba songs within the Nigerian social context. Anchored in Jacob Mey’s Pragmatic Acts theory, the research investigates how five dominant pragmatic acts – acknowledging, informing, assuring, cautioning, and questioning, are embedded in the lyrics and function as therapeutic tools. Drawing data from four albums (two from each artist), the study adopts a descriptive design and pragma-linguistic analysis to examine how these artists use music to address emotional, psychological, and social issues affecting their listeners. Findings reveal that the identified pragmatic acts serve to soothe psychological trauma, foster hope, encourage introspection, and resist social intimidation, particularly in a context where economic hardship and social instability prevail. Through contextually rich linguistic strategies such as metaphor, inference, and shared situational knowledge, the songs provide moral guidance and emotional reassurance. The study affirms that Yoruba music transcends entertainment, functioning as a sociolinguistic intervention capable of psychological healing. It contributes to the discourse on indigenous music and mental health by underscoring the value of culturally grounded therapeutic modalities. The research recommends further interdisciplinary engagement between language, music, and psychology to leverage indigenous musical forms for public mental health education and emotional resilience, especially in non-clinical settings.