Indexicality of wọ́n: Yoruba language and culture

The Yoruba pronoun wọ́n is equivalent to the English pronoun they, and can occur in various syntactical constructions including passives. Indefinite pronouns of passive constructions by definition are silent about the identity of their subject. However, Yoruba peoples' cultural interpretation a...

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Vydáno v:Journal of African cultural studies Ročník 24; číslo 2; s. 195 - 207
Hlavní autor: Agwuele, Augustine
Médium: Journal Article
Jazyk:angličtina
Vydáno: Routledge 01.12.2012
Taylor & Francis
Témata:
African culture
Children
Cultural studies
Cultural values
Destiny
Existence
Medical practice
modernity
Pronouns
Proverbs
Spirituals
Yoruba culture
Yoruba language
Yoruba pronoun - wọ́n
Yoruba worldview
ISSN:1369-6815, 1469-9346
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Shrnutí:The Yoruba pronoun wọ́n is equivalent to the English pronoun they, and can occur in various syntactical constructions including passives. Indefinite pronouns of passive constructions by definition are silent about the identity of their subject. However, Yoruba peoples' cultural interpretation attributes definiteness, concreteness, and agency to the indefinite pronoun wọ́n in specific usages. Based on the study of utterances obtained from popular, contemporary usages, and individual narratives all featuring the passivized pronoun wọ́n, this article examines Yoruba habitual practices. It argues that understanding the cultural meaning of wọ́n is invaluable for understanding the Yoruba peoples' habitual view of causality in addition to the way it guides their interpersonal interactions. Further, wọ́n is shown to index a certain Yoruba worldview and to guide their efforts to achieve their presumed goals of earthly existence. The article does four things: (1) it explicates the content of the pronoun wọ́n, exemplifying its various manifestations in contemporary popular Yoruba usages; (2) it shows the spiritual foundation of wọ́n; (3) it provides evidence to argue for its cultural continuity in spite of modernity and western/eastern religious traditions; and (4) it discusses its place in the socio-political continuity and identity formation of Yoruba peoples.
ISSN:1369-6815
1469-9346
DOI:10.1080/13696815.2012.697310