Proverbial Perspectives on Greeting in the Yoruba Culture: The Realities of Globalisation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70091/Atras/vol07no02.05Keywords:
Greeting, Globalization, Nigerian culture proverbial sayings, respect, Yoruba cultureAbstract
The art of greeting, a symbol of socialization, is an important aspect of Yoruba culture. This practice varies across gender, social class, and age groups. The Yoruba people attach great importance to the art of greeting, to the point that there are cultural principles that support it. This paper examines the impact of globalization on the use of proverbs in Yoruba culture, establishes the significance of greetings in Yoruba culture, and underscores the importance of cultural preservation in the global age. Through the lens of Critical Cultural Theory and the notions of Georgeiva (2014), fourteen (14) purposively selected Yoruba proverbs were analyzed to verify the contributions of the culture of greeting among the Yoruba people towards ensuring peaceful co-existence, national cooperation, and unity. Essential deductions from the study were that, although Yoruba proverbs represent the traditional constitution of Yoruba speech communities, the trend of globalization has led to the emergence of post-proverbial sayings. The teachings of post-proverbial sayings have eroded the moral values that proverbs advocate. In conclusion, even though globalization has adverse implications for cultural ethics and practices, promoting cultural and linguistic heritages, such as proverbs, among the emerging generation through classroom instruction and entertainment will help maintain Nigerian cultural heritages and values.
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