Peculiarities in Marriage Celebration Cultures among the Igbos and the Yorubas in Nigeria

Abstract

This study examines cultural linguistics in two traditional marriages (Igbo and Yoruba). It explores how language relates with culture in the two traditional marriages and how language is shaped by the culture in which it is used and vice versa. The theory used for the study is Language Ideology Theory. This theory was propounded by Michael Silverstein in 1980. Descriptive method of analysis was used. The data for the study were downloaded celebrations of traditional marriages from the Youtube. Two (2) celebrations from each of the tribes were selected to make four (4). It reveals how language is used to express cultural values, beliefs and social identities. It also revealed how language is used to maintain and change cultural norms and practices. Different links between language and culture at various level were also revealed. Finally, the study revealed how language reflects broader social and cultural structures, such as power relations, gender roles and religious beliefs in Igbo and Yoruba cultures. It concludes that traditional marriage is one of the social structures in the traditional lives of the Igbos and the Yorubas and that language is used to shape the social structures and cultural norms in the two ethnic groups‘ marriages as it is revealed in the data.