Abstract
Name and Naming is undeniably an integral aspect of every human language society, and this study, ‘Socio-Pragmatic Study of Names in Gyong’, examined names and naming system of the Gyong speaking language group from a pragmatic and sociolinguistic lenses. The study employed the use of descriptive research design and collected its data using unstructured interview and observation. In order to elicit substantive data, the study sourced its data from five (5) informants (2 males and 3 females) between the ages of 50-78. Lawal’s (1992) Pragmatic Act Model was adopted as the model. The study presented the data in different categories and socio-Pragmatically explicated explanatory information ranging the context, competence, background information and the speech acts behind the names and the naming process. The study found that the Gyong people give names in relation to either the reality surrounding the birth of a child, the reality of the parents or their community. This sufficed the fact that meanings embodied in Gyong names convey the cultural values and traditions of the people. The study concluded by stating that the Gyong language group considered names and naming an important fabric of their existence that enable them to contextually communicate their social existence as a people.
Keywords: Gyong
language, names and naming, socio-pragmatics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics,
cultural values, naming system, speech acts.
DOI: 10.36349/sojolics.2026.v02i02.017
author/Kwasau, H., & Abbas, S. J.
journal/Sokoto JOLICS 2(2) | August 2026 |
