The morphological processes of Anglicising Yoruba Anthroponyms on Facebook
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48075/odal.v7i1.35693Keywords:
Anglicisation, morphology, Yoruba people, Onomastics, FacebookAbstract
The increasing global influence of English and the pervasive use of social media have prompted Yoruba speakers to modify their traditional names. This adaptation, known as anglicisation, often involves adjusting names to better fit English pronunciation and spelling conventions. It is done to facilitate greater digital integration and social acceptance on platforms like Facebook. Despite existing research on anglicisation, there is a notable gap concerning the specific word formation processes employed when Yoruba names are anglicised on Facebook. Hence, this study examines the word formation processes employed in the anglicisation of Yoruba names on Facebook. The analysis is based on a random sample of seventy-five names sourced directly from the platform, comprising twenty-five original Yoruba names and two anglicised variants for each. We investigated the morphological processes involved in the anglicisation of Yoruba anthroponyms on Facebook, utilising Yule’s (2010) morphological taxonomy and Adeniyi’s (2017) classification of Yoruba names. Our findings indicated that derivation is the most dominant morphological process (64%), followed by multiple processes (16%), clipping (14%), and acronymy (6%). Furthermore, based on Adeniyi’s classification, given or birth names are the most frequently anglicised (36%), followed by destiny/situational names (20%), royalty names (16%), names associated with deities (16%) and praise names (12%). The study concluded that the anglicisation of Yoruba names on Facebook is not random; it is a clear indicator of global linguistic convergence, cultural modernity, and identity negotiation. Thus, digital spaces foster linguistic innovation and cultural adaptation among Yoruba speakers as they connect with a wider audience.
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