ETHNO-PRAGMATIC ANALYSIS OF CONTEXTUAL SIGNIFICATION IN TIV COMMUNICATIVE SYMBOLS

Abstract

Interpretation of communicative symbols is largely influenced by the context in which a particular communicative symbol is employed to convey a message. In view of this link between communicative symbols and interpretation of their meanings, this suggests that the symbolic language has a link with the context in which it is used. The objectives of the study are to describe communicative symbols in Tiv and demonstrate how context influences the interpretation of communicative symbols in Tiv. Data for the study were collected through the consultation of thirty (30) native speakers of Tiv covering men and women who are considered to be mature enough to have a good knowledge of the workings of the communicative symbols in Tiv. The researcher used her intuitive knowledge of Tiv to validate the data of the study. The study concludes that there are communicative symbols in Tiv which include: íkyá-í-wúrē, swèm, gbēgbẚ-íwyá, Ígbè,,átè -ìwyá,  ípyévéníkyōndō, ndẚrēgh-kù-wúrē,  ángèr, íshẚ í tōrand ívō í ákôô. The study also discovered that each of the symbols plays a crucial role in communication among the Tiv people. In addition, the study found out that the interpretation of the communicative symbols in Tiv is contextually based because the symbols are assigned various communicative roles based on different contexts in which they are used. It was also discovered that the relationship between communicative symbols and their meanings in Tiv is conventional, so the meaning of a communicative symbol in Tiv cannot be universal. The study adds the contextual interpretation of communicative symbols in Tiv to the body of formal linguistic analysis on ethno-pragmatics of communicative symbols.