A COMPARATIVE SOCIOLINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF PROVERBIAL DISCOURSE ON UNITY, COOPERATION, AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN THREE MAJOR NIGERIAN LANGUAGES

In African communities, proverbs are among the most persistent kinds of oral expression. They serve as both active tools for social management and archives of collective wisdom. The sociolinguistic roles of proverbs in Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba cultures are investigated in this study, with a particular emphasis on how proverbial discourse fosters harmony, collaboration, and dispute resolution. The study examines eighteen proverbs by native speakers of the three language traditions, using an integrated theoretical framework that combines Interactional Sociolinguistics and Cultural Linguistics. These books include: A. Kamal's Hausaland and HausaBoy, Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, Zulu Sofola's Wedlock of the Gods, Wole Soyinka's The Lion and the Jewel, and Ola Rotimi's The Gods Are Not to Blame. The study shows how proverbs serve as context-dependent social acts that mediate interpersonal relationships, strengthen communal identity, and direct dispute-resolution procedures, using qualitative thematic and comparative analyses. The proverbs exhibit convergent philosophical views , despite disparities in cultural imagery and rhetorical techniques. By emphasizing the function of indigenous linguistic resources in maintaining social cohesiveness in multilingual cultures, the findings advance sociolinguistic research. According to the study, proverbs are still useful in modern Nigeria as culturally grounded instruments for civic education, peacebuilding, and mediation.

Keywords: Proverbial discourse; African oral traditions; Nigerian-languages; Unity, cooperation and conflict-resolution