A Morpho-Semantic Study of Okun Names: Implications for Okun Linguistic Identity

Abstract

The commonest names among the Okun people are those typically borne by all Yoruba
groups (e.g. Olusọla, Ọlọrunfẹmi, Awoniyi, Ogungbemi, Faniyi, Adebayọ, Kayọde, etc.).
However, names (such as Ayinmiro, Alemika, Berida, Iyekolo, Melaye, Makele, etc.) which
are peculiar to the Okun groups and exclusively based on the linguistic structure of their
dialects are not as common as the general Yoruba names either as first names or as
surnames. Interestingly, many speakers of other Yoruba dialects in South West Nigeria are
hardly aware of the Yorubaness of such names as they often erroneously associate them
with other tribes in Nigeria. Furthermore, the use of Okun indigenous names is in recession
as many people, natives inclusive, no longer use them nor know what they mean. This
paper investigates the linguistic structures of Okun exclusive names with a view to
descriptively analyse how they are morpho-syntactically and semantically constructed,
and how these constructions demonstrate clear ancient affinity with other Yoruba groups.
Findings show that Okun indigenous names have well-known Yoruba culture and language
structures which range from frozen/lexicalized clauses (both simple and complex), noun
phrases, and nominalised VPs involving morphosyntactic and morphophonemic processes
such as prefixation, desententialisation, clipping, contraction, assimilation, and deletion.
All these combined tend to make the names culturally unique and interesting. Given the
overwhelming evidence from the morpho-syntax and semantics of the Okun indigenous
names investigated, which evidently align well with what obtains in Standard Yoruba and
other well studied dialects of the language, the study concludes that Okun lects are
linguistically integral to the Yoruba dialect continuum.