The aesthetic analysis of idiomatic expressions in Amaụzari Igbo: A socio-cultural approach

Abstract

Idiomatic expressions are useful tools for communicating a great deal of meaning in different languages. The purpose and the objective of this study are to examine the aesthetic nature of idiomatic expressions and to illustrate how Igbo people use idiomatic expressions in discourses. This study takes a socio-cultural approach to how words in the language are used in oral expressions for entertainment and peaceful discussions that bind the Amaụzari people together. Amauzari is a town in Isiala Mbano local government area of Imo State, Nigeria. The study used a sample population of over hundred men and women for her data collection. The aesthetic characteristics of idiomatic expressions are exhibited and appreciated especially during cultural ceremonies that attract a lot of people to the villages in Amaụzari. Data for this study were collected from the primary source. We collected data through participant observations of discourse contexts. The study used over hundred men and women as the sample population for data collection. The Theoretical framework we adopted in the study is Linguistic relativity which is known as the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis shows that the meaning of utterances is from cultural conventions for how the words are used and interpreted. The study discovered that the appropriate use of idiomatic expression is a mark of pragmatic competence. In conclusion, the study shows that the characteristics of idiomatic expressions contribute to the peaceful existence of people according to their cultural backgrounds.