AN ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF SHAYKH ADAM'S 'ATTRIBUTIVE NAME ON LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT AMONG YORÙBÁ-MUSLIM SCHOLARS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to assess the creative effect of the attributive name ‘al-Ilori’ in Shaykh Adam’s personal name on the evolution of naming style among Yorùbá-Muslim Scholars in Nigeria with focus on Kwara State. The study further investigates the impact of the naming style on the lexicon of Yorùbá language. Most of Shaykh Adam's works and research studies on him were in Arabic language and as a result, translations by scholars of Arabic language and oral interview with some lecturers in the Arabic Department of the University of Ilorin were used. Surveys and analysis of Yorùbá Muslim names in Nigeria were employed with a view to pointing out that Shaykh Adam s naming style is becoming a trend among Yorùbá-Muslim Scholars in Nigeria. The paper compares the meaning of nisbah as attributive name, in Arabic language with the definitions of the existing types of personal names. The paper concludes that personal name is a unique identity that everybody must guide in order to become a point of good reference like Shaykh Adam Abdullahi Al-llori. There is the need to extend the existing list of the types of personal names to include the personal name that this paper examined.