A Pragma Sociolinguistic Study of Selected Songs rendered at immunisation centres in Ilorin
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Date
2020
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Faculty of Humanities, Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo
Abstract
The symbiotic relationship between music and culture creates an avenue for the enactment and re-enactment of the attitudes and ideologies of people, as well as the structures in societies. The role of music as an educative tool may be traced in part, to the Traditional Grammar Translation and recital methods of teaching language. It was recorded that via these methods, students (through rhymes and sounds) were able to retain lessons taught in the classroom.Similarly, songs are utilised in health centres, particularly immunisation clinics in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria to sensitise nursing mothers on the roles they are meant as being the primary custodian of their children. The peculiarity of the importance of the songs which is influenced by the immediate physical context has motivated this reaearch. Thus, this study sought to carry out a systematic analysis of the effect of regional and social factors on the language (and by extension, the contents) of the songs. Twelve randomly selected songs were observed, recorded and translated following insights from literal translation with the aim of deploying socio-pragmatic features to their analysis. Also, the researchers interviewed some mothers at the clinic in order to validate the content analysis of the selected song. The findings reveal that the ages and ethnicity of the mothers present at the immunisation centre vary but despite these discrepancies, the songs are well-received and appreciated by the mothers in spite of age and ethnic barriers. The oral communicative features in the songs reveal implied messages or indirect acts. The nonverbal behaviours include physical and psychological acts. The potpourri of these language features reveals the practs and allopracts of: sensitising, informing, educating among others. Thus, it is needless to say that the goal for singing the songs is both for educative and entertainment functions or simply put, ‘edutainment’ purpose.
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Keywords
songs, immunisation, practs, allopracts, social variables