Citation: Elekwa, S.O., Dangana, D. & Joy, I. (2025). Analysis of Emowha Proverbs: An Ecolinguistics Perspective. Tasambo Journal of Language, Literature, and Culture, 4(2), 187-194. www.doi.org/10.36349/tjllc.2025.v04i02.020.
ANALYSIS
OF EMOWHA PROVERBS: AN ECOLINGUISTICS PERSPECTIVE
By
Elekwa,
Samuel Ogechi1, Daniel Dangana2 & Isa Joy3
Department of English and Literary Studies,
Federal University Wukari, Taraba State.
Correspondence: ogechielekwa@gmail.com
elekwa@fuwukari.edu.ng
Abstract
Emowha is a dialect of Igbo. The speakers of Emowha dialect
reside in the eight villages that make up Emohua clan. The villages are:
Rumuche, Rumuohia, Rumuaknunde, Mgbueto, Oduoha, Elibrada, Isiodu, and Mgbuitanwo
with its administrative/traditional headquarters in Rumuche. Emohua is situated
in Emohua Local Government Area of the present-day Rivers State of Nigeria.
Emohua is bounded by Kalabari (Ijaw), Odognu, Ibaa, Aluu, Ogbakiri, Choba,
Isiokpo and Rumuokparali. The subject of proverbs has elicited interest from
different disciplines including Philosophy, Sociology, Anthropology,
Linguistics, folklore, and communication with each defining it according to
their orientation. However, they all agree that proverb is a timeless culture.
This paper ‘Analysis of Emowha Proverbs: An Ecolinguistics Perspective’
explores focus group and unstructured interview methods as sources of data, and
uses descriptive and discursive methods for data analysis. This work further
used conceptual metaphor theory as proposed by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson
as a theoretical framework. After meticulous data analysis, it was found that
proverbs do not make for smooth communication encounters, most of the proverbs
that use plants and animals are eco-destructive in their ecological orientation
and the literary devices metaphor and synecdoche are elaborately used. Also,
this work concluded that though proverbs are not appreciated by the young folk,
they have served as the storage of culture and should be encouraged in our
day-to-day communication as they enhance our socio-cultural ties. The objective
of this work, therefore, is to determine the extent and environmental elements
that feature prominently in Emowha proverbs.
Keywords: Proverbs, Emowha, Metaphor, Ecolinguistics, Denotation, Connotation
Introduction
The
major economic activities of Emohua people are fishing and farming as the
community is surrounded by aquatic body which includes salt water and fresh
water and a large expanse of arable land. This makes possible large-scale
fishing, cassava and yam farming. Though some take to civil service jobs and
petty trading.
Proverbs
are part of formulaic expressions that have remained a rich and timeless
instrument of culture in the history of the world and in particular Africa.
Proverbs are constructions whose meanings go beyond the words that make up the
constructions and this level of usage corresponds with the connotative or
figurative level. Similarly, they feed on natural and social elements within
the environment/ecosystem such as rivers, trees, animals, culture, human
relationships, etc. On the strength of this, Nwadike (2009) cites Finnegan and
Obiefuna studies as saying ‘Igbo proverbs are drawn from the wide gamut of Igbo
cultural experiences which include folklore, beliefs, values, attitudes,
perceptions, emotions and the entire system of thought and feelings, Igbo flora
and fauna, and natural elements’ (p. 7).
On the
other hand, ecolinguistics is a fusion of the study of language and the study
of the ecology/environment. It is the study of the language features of the
elements of the ecosystem. Similarly, Abdullah, Younis and Fouad (2022) opine
that ‘Ecolinguistics as an emerging field aims to link language and the
environment through employing linguistic tools to investigate the linguistic
feature on the environment-related text to promote the life-sustaining
principles of ecolinguistics’). It is a given that humans use ecological
elements such as the biotic and abiotic components of the environment to tell
their stories, for instance in citing examples humans are compared to lions and
the man is happy as he is portrayed as a strong man. Similarly, the words that
are used to describe and discuss this relationship are referred to as Eco
lexicon (Mbete 2009).
Of
course, language is central in discussing these relationships as it is the
carrier of culture, beliefs, worldviews and superstitions. Emowha culture makes
exhaustive use of proverbs in one-on-one and group discussions, hence the
objective of this work, therefore, is to determine the extent and environmental
elements that feature prominently in Emowha proverbs.
Methodology
This
research work adopts a focus group approach and unstructured interview pattern
to get data. Eight male citizens of Emowha: five of which are adults above
sixty years and the other three are below sixty years are consulted. The choice
of male adults above sixty years is in line with the Igbo belief system that
proverbs are mostly used by the aged and that it is also a mark of wisdom. Also,
the other three natives that are below sixty years old were competent users of
the dialect and proved to me that there are also non-aged that are competent.
The proverbs were recorded as the sources were recounting them and my knowledge
of the language, as a native speaker enabled me to transcribe, translate, and
analyse the data using descriptive and discursive methods.
Theoretical Framework
This
paper adopts conceptual metaphor as a theoretical framework. The concept of
metaphor implies using one thing to describe another concept, it could be
partial or direct, ‘conceptual metaphors are employed to understand one
abstract concept in terms of another. They are part of people’s cognition.
People live by metaphors; they use metaphors in their everyday life unconsciously’
(Abdullah, Younis & Fouad 2022, p 10). The justification for the deployment
of CM theory is that tangible objects, especially Eco elements are used to replace
or discuss abstract ideas. So proverbs use words to substitute actions or
concepts or to describe a situation. For instance, in this work bitter leaf
(ulugbo and otanji), grave (ulili), python (eke), etc., are used to describe
bitter experiences, fatal mistakes and over-exaggeration respectively. Zhang
(2021) contends that ‘conceptual metaphor was first proposed by George Lakoff
and Mark Johnson in the renowned book Metaphors We Live By in 1980’ (p.
148). Zhang also claims that before their innovation, metaphor was generally
seen as a word game embodied in figurative language instead of a way of
thinking. Zhang cited Deignan (2005) as saying that ‘the MT theory claims that
“metaphor is central to thought; and therefore to language’ (p. 13).
Proverbs
Proverbs
as an aspect of formulaic language are multidisciplinary as they are of concern
to philosophers, folklorists, anthropologists, linguists and communication
practitioners because of their role and importance in society. Different
scholars have defined proverbs in different ways. One feature of proverbs is
that they entail semantic derivation that defamiliarises meaning. Sharndama
(2022) opines that ‘semantic derivation entails that a word or a phrase can
have underlying meanings; a real or different meaning from the linguistic
meaning packaged’ (p.37). Proverbs have associative meaning as they go beyond
the ordinary/literal meaning of a construction. They refer to the background
and context of the interlocutors. Similarly, Ogbulogo (2005) claims that
associative meaning can be influenced by the context, the time, the background
of the speakers or hearers and the general cultural realities of the
communication milieu’ (p, 19).
Oxford
Dictionary of Proverbs (2008) claims ‘a proverb is a traditional saying which
offers advice or presents a moral in a short and pithy manner’ (p. 13).
Dabaghi, Pishbin and Niknasab (2010) citing Mieder (1985) observe that proverbs
are memorisable and contain traditional views, wisdom, truth and morals. Further,
Finnegan (2012) conceives proverbs as sayings that are short, fixed, and
express truth. Proverbs have remained an enduring tradition as they are handed
down from generation to generation, to the extent that some consider them as
cliché, trite and lacking intellectual impetus. Contrary to this Oxford
Dictionary of Proverbs (2008) observes that ‘the proverb has nonetheless
retained its popularity as a homely commentary on life and as a reminder that
the wisdom of our ancestors may still be useful to us today’ (p. 14). Also,
Mieder (2004) argues that ‘there are no signs that proverbs have outlived their
usefulness in modern technological societies either… proverbs are indeed alive
and well, and as sapient nuggets they continue to play a significant role in
the modern ages’ (p. xi).
The history of proverbs spans ages past, even
from the preliterate period. Proverbs have long existed in oral tradition
before they were committed to written form. Ehondor (2017) is of the view that
the tradition of writing proverbs started in the 16th century with
Erasmus of Rotterdam. Similarly, the early compilers of the English dictionary
made use of alphabetical and thematic order strategies. Oxford Dictionary of
Proverbs (2008) records that while the alphabetical order has the disadvantage
of grouping unrelated proverbs the thematic ordering results in confusion as
two or more headings are merged. The introduction of different professions such
as computers and economics has brought proverbs. Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs
(2008) gave ‘Garbage in garbage out’, and ‘There is no free lunch’ (p. 14) for
computer and economics perspectives respectively.
Also,
proverbs are not confined to only the country of their origin as they are
borrowed/loaned and used by other countries. Similarly, the Oxford
Dictionary of Proverbs (2008) argues that many proverbs in English are
borrowed from Latin, Greek and French during the Norman Conquest. Further, the Oxford
Dictionary of Proverbs (2008) groups proverbs into three classes: the ones that
express general truth, the ones that point to everyday experience and those
that speak to traditional wisdom and folklore with the example ‘Absence makes
the heart grow fonder, Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, and After dinner
rest a while, after supper walk a mile and feed a cold and starve a fever’ (p.
13) respectively. Consequently, the proverbs discussed in this work cover the
three classes of proverbs established above. However, we situate the present
work in the third class of proverbs which talks about traditional wisdom and
folklore, as most of the proverbs arranged in the tables require that one is
attuned to Emowha culture for one to understand them.
Proverbs in Emowha
Proverbs
in Emowha culture are crafted to cater to varying degrees of purpose, such as
to rally support (build solidarity), preach restraint, encourage peace, and
express reality. Also, one important characteristic of proverbs is that most
times their interpretation relies on idealization as some proverbs could convey
more than one meaning depending on the orientation of discourse and context.
Idealization according to Smith (1999) reveals what is real but is hidden from
sight by a mass of details.
Table 1: Reservation, Frustration, and Conservation
|
S/N |
Proverbs |
Literal meaning |
Figurative meaning |
|
1 |
agwọ otu ayna hụrụ ghala
ọghọ eke
|
A snake seen by one eye is always a python. |
A knowledge possessed by one man is exaggerated. |
|
2 |
ma gba ọshị nụ ulugbọ ma gba
ọshị nụ ọtanjị wọ kworu nhe nnoluilu
fio owa
|
If I shoot it touches a bitter leaf, if I shoot again it
touches a bitter leaf, is the arrow made for bitter things? |
All my efforts have proved abortive/failure, am I doomed
to fail? |
|
3 |
Nnezi bu nkpomkpo |
An aged man is a dustbin. |
An aged man has reservations and does not talk about everything
he sees. |
In
Emowha culture proverb 1 is used to express reservation as it engenders the
thinking of checks and verification of opinions before acceptance, especially
an opinion propagated by one person. It supposes that any knowledge possessed
by one person/man is always exaggerated or overrated. You can see how elegantly
the tangible objects of anya (eye) representing human (synecdoche) and eke
(python) a fauna element of the ecosystem are used metaphorically to symbolize
possession of knowledge and exaggeration respectively. Further, the two
physical objects of ayna (eye) and agwọ (python) are used to represent the two abstract concepts of
knowledge and exaggeration respectively. In Emowha culture objects within the
environment/ecosystem such as animals, plants, waters, rocks, etc., are made
characters in telling human stories.
Further,
example (2) Ulugbọ and ọtanjị (bitter leaves) are used to beautify the environment, as
medicinal, and as delicacy in Emowha culture. Nonetheless they are used in the
above proverb to show or refer to one who is not successful in life. The
proverb connote that all efforts that one puts in an adventure result in
failure. Hence, one begins to think that he or she is doomed or cursed.
Consequently the result of this failure is that the person cannot contribute to
the growth of the community in terms of monetary contribution. Again, the
portrayal of ulugbọ and ọtanjị vegetables (eco elements) is not the best/balanced
representation of eco-elements as ulugbọ and ọtanjị are used for other good intentions in the culture of
Emowha. In agreement with this, Ma and Stibble (2022) claim that ‘importantly,
the fundamental task of ecolinguistics is not only to critique but to provide
new stories to engage people to cherish the intrinsic values to nature and
life’ (p.166).
Judging
from the ecosophy proposed by He et al (2021) as cited in Cheng (2022) the
deployment of ulugbọ and ọtanjị flora elements is eco-destructive as the culture does not
follow ecosophy. Cheng (p.190) observes that ‘when the ecological property in
discourse follows the ecosophy, it is eco-beneficial: otherwise, it is
eco-destructive; when the ecological property does not follow or violate the
ecosophy, it is eco-ambivalent or neutral’. In this wise Roe, Zhu, Chau, Guo
and Jacobs (2023) PETA’s study to show English proverb’s negative attitudes
towards the animals, thus, ‘more than one way to skin a cat’ and ‘kill two
birds with one stone’.
Lastly,
proverb 3 presupposes that the aged are very reserved, and patient as they do
not say everything they hear and see. This proverb is mostly used when the aged
ones gather to settle disputes in the community. When the younger ones are
shouting and disturbing, the aged are calm and in control of the situation.
This underlies the wisdom Africans, especially Emowha culture associates with
age.
Table 2: Greed and Restraint
|
S/N |
Proverbs |
Literal meaning |
Figurative meaning |
|
1 |
Agwọ nrege ifne a so ovu ivu
|
A snake that does not swallow another snake does not get
fat. |
A man who does not subdue others cannot be successful. |
|
2 |
Ochucho chokweshie, oriri rikwesie |
A man does not possess all, and does not consume all. |
Human needs are insatiable. |
|
3 |
Nhe nhiri akwa ite sala akwa onu |
What is got from the corner of a pot ends in the corner of
the mouth. |
Ill-gotten wealth goes into frivolous spending. |
Proverb
1 above implies that one needs to cheat or short-change people that are
involved in business with them to be successful. The persons in Emowha
community who believe in this proverb always encroach into people’s land who
share boundaries with them as their plots of land can never be enough for them.
It also finds expression in those natives who engage in petty trading by making
so much profit on items. This proverb uses agwọ
(snake) a biotic component of the ecosystem to metaphorically depict a social
environment where humans come in contact or relate with each other with evil
motives of cheating, and covetous to make quick wealth. This is one bad
story/proverb that we must preach against as it encourages greed, envy and
covetousness. This narrative should be corrected as the goal of the proponents
of this proverb is to satisfy and achieve their desire. Consequently, this proverb
is completely eco-destructive, even as Ma and Stibbe (2022) contend that ‘for
ecolinguistics, its task is to analyse the uses of language that shape our
cultures . . . to reveal the underlying stories that are ecologically
destructive and to search for more ecologically beneficial stories to live by’
(p. 165 – 166). Of course, Emowha culture believes that one works hard and
diligently to create wealth.
Moving
forward proverbs 2 and 3 above are crafted to correct the intent of proverb 1
as they encourage moderation and hard work to be successful. They implore that
no one gets everything in this world and any wealth obtained through ill means
may finally not give optimum satisfaction to the owner. They encourage
moderation and contentment. Proverb 3 believes that the amount of satisfaction
one gets from his wealth is a function of the means through which the wealth
was got.
Table
3: Caution
|
S/N |
Proverbs |
Literal meaning |
Figurative meaning |
|
1 |
Wọtugbu diknè nụ ọwhọ wovuhe
a ama ndá
|
When the law of nature is against someone, his kindred
can’t rescue him. |
A man who is warned severally and refuses to heed advice
when the repercussion comes even his relatives will not show him solidarity. |
|
2 |
Ruzo nzinonu nhe soto usnu fna ulili. |
A fly that refuses to hear follows the corpse into the
grave. |
A man who does not heed to advice always makes fatal
mistakes. |
|
3 |
Nhe wagba n’ nshi wagbashila n’ anya |
What is used to treat the ear is not used for the eyes. |
This is a call for carefulness/meticulousness in carrying
out responsibility |
|
4 |
Nshi nzinonu nhe wo gbu whome rishi ya nu nshi yiri
|
The ear that refuses to hear when the head is cut off,
goes with the head. |
A man who refuses advice faces repercussions alone when
they come. |
Proverbs
1-4 above encourage healthy living amongst members of the same family. They are
used in Emowha to warn members of a family not to take side against their
people in dispute within the larger family. They are pieces of advice, and it
is believed in Emowha that the enemies you took side with may have finished
dealing with your people, you will be vulnerable to them as you are part of the
family marked for punishment. The aged in the family use the above proverbs to
call them to order and remind them not to betray their people. When they are
warned severally about this particular deed and they continue to indulge, their
kinsmen will not show them solidarity/concern when the repercussion will come
because they were warned. These sayings encourage and highlight the importance
of communal living and can only be constructed by the aged, experienced, and
initiated persons who are the custodians of the cultural heritage. Initiated,
as used in this context means a man who is culturally considered old enough to
undertake responsibilities for the community. Similarly, Nwadike (2009)
observes that ‘it is unacceptable in Igbo culture for a child or non-initiate
to address an aged man in proverbs. The use of proverbs therefore is the
exclusive right of men-elders, traditional leaders, titled people, the
initiated, and in some places, elderly women’ (p. 27). What is clear in the
quote above is that the Igbos conceive proverbs as sayings that are wrapped in
wisdom and wisdom is greatly associated with age: the more you live, the more
wisdom and experience you acquire.
Table 4: Resoluteness
|
S/N |
Proverbs |
Literal meaning |
Figurative meaning |
|
1 |
kama alịrị atna
gba
|
Instead of challenge let grasses grow. |
This is a call for resoluteness and determination. |
|
2 |
ize gwa otu ǹ ọnụ o se
ri ọkpa
|
Even when there is one tooth in the mouth, it will still
eat meat. |
Even when the situation is not favourable, one has to be
determined to achieve a goal. |
Proverbs
1 and 2 in the table above are a call for resoluteness. However, proverb 1 has
a stronger desire to confront problems squarely. ‘atnà’ is a type of grass in
Emowha culture that typifies desolation. It mostly grows on a piece of land or
family that has been desolate. So Emowha culture conceives that the best form
of resoluteness is to confront and conquer challenges irrespective of the
situation. When a native of Emowha recites the no 1 proverb above, it shows the
length he is willing to go to get a problem solved. The proverb, sometimes, is
used by minority families to give their people the impression that population
and money are not important, but whatever big families can achieve, they can
also achieve it. Of course, it is a saying crafted by the aged, initiated ones
to cause the younger ones to respond in a certain way, most times when the
community is in dire need of real men in times of war. Irrespective of the
beautiful nature of the green environment, ‘atna’ (grass) is used to depict
desolation, which is eco-destructive in the culture
Table 5: instability in character
|
S/N |
Proverbs |
Literal meaning |
Figurative meaning |
|
1 |
Ọ nahịa minibẹknu nụ mimiuyi
|
He bathes in warm water and cold water. |
One who is not reliable, he changes according to situation |
|
2 |
Ruchna hụya ọ chna
ruji hụyạ o
ji
|
He is both fair and dark in complexion |
He changes according to situations/ he is unpredictable. |
|
3 |
Agbara wovu n’ akalaburu |
Oracle that is worshipped with two hands. |
A man that is not predictable, who changes like a
chameleon. |
|
4 |
Agbara nnogbu nne kwa |
An oracle that kills its priest. |
A man/situation that does not respect anyone. |
Proverbs
1-4 are used in Emowha to show that the person or group of persons being
addressed are bereft in character. These are people in the community that
cannot be entrusted with any responsibility as they are not dependable. They
can resort to taking small amount of money to betray their relatives or
friends. In times of crisis in the community they go about giving all sorts of
false information. They are hypocritical as they say one thing and do the
other. They are not reliable. Notice the eco elements ‘minibeknu’ (warm water),
‘miniuyi’ (cold water) elements of the natural environment and ‘ruchna’ (fair),
‘ruji’ (dark) used to represent the unreliable and ever-changing nature of
someone/people.
Findings/Discussion
A
thorough analysis of Emowha proverbs as shown here reveals the following:
i.
Proverbs do not make for smooth communication encounters.
ii.
Most of the proverbs that use biotic elements are eco-destructive in their
ecological orientation.
iii.
The literary devices of metaphor and synecdoche are elaborately used.
Communication
through proverbs shuts out some groups of persons in a discourse since they do
not subscribe to day-to-day literal meaning. It is required that the persons in
the communication encounter must share the same cultural background, context
and inferential strategy for the message to be perceived as intended.
Shockingly, even if animals and plants are mostly participants in telling human
stories, the culture of Emowha does not place a premium on the flora and fauna
element as their proverbs show their negative attitude, eco-destructive (an attitude
that does not show harmony amongst eco-elements). Further, there was elaborate
use of metaphor and synecdoche where a part of the body (ayna – eye) or whole
was used to represent the whole.
Conclusion
This
work considered semantic concepts as denotation and connotative types of
meaning. In communications, meanings are not always made bare: sometimes we go
beyond the surface to extract meaning. Proverbs fall within the
connotative/figurative type of meaning. A type of meaning that lends itself to
ambiguous interpretation. However, the use of proverbs in our day-to-day
communication should be encouraged as they enhance our socio-cultural ties.
Though not appreciated by the young folk, proverbs have served as the storage
of culture, and advice in fact proverbs are the soul of society.
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