A PRAGMATIC ANALYSIS OF ENDURANCE AND GENDERED EXPECTATIONS IN YORUBA MARITAL DISCOURSE

Abstract

Certain social functions are accomplished with language and that is why it serves as a means of transferring people’s culture from one generation to the another. The Yoruba people are well renowned for having a robust oral tradition and cultural inheritance, particularly with regard to the use of proverbs. This paper therefore explores how Yoruba proverbs are used to buttress gendered expectations of female endurance and perseverance in marriage. The study analyzes ten proverbs as key discursive tools in marital socialization. Through the lens of pragmatics, particularly Speech Act Theory, the study reveals how these proverbs prescribe silence, suffering, and submission as normative behaviors for women. The analysis highlights how these linguistic constructions naturalize patriarchy, marginalize female agency, and perpetuate emotional and physical vulnerability in the guise of cultural wisdom. The paper calls for critical engagement with such linguistic practices to promote gender justice and challenge cultural norms that sustain gender inequality.