A Linguistic Documentation and Description of a Yàgbà Folktale

This study documents and analyses a folktale in the Yàgbà dialect of Yoruba, a less-described variety spoken in Kogi State, Nigeria. Drawing on performance-based oral data, the research employs documentary methods, including audio recording, transcription, interlinear glossing, and digital annotation using ELAN and FLEx. The analysis focuses on the syntactic and discourse structures that characterize Yàgbà folktales, with particular attention to clause chaining, serial verb constructions, ideophones, and evaluative markers. Findings reveal that Yàgbà folktales exhibit patterned narrative syntax that parallels broader Yoruba oral traditions while retaining unique dialectal features, such as distinct lexical choices, tonal patterns, and localized cultural references. The study highlights the urgency of documenting minority Yoruba dialects in the face of language shift and cultural erosion, demonstrating the value of integrating documentary linguistics with syntactic description.