Synonymy in the Songs of Ummaru Bagobiri: A Contextual Linguistics Analysis

Abstract

This paper explains how Ummaru Bagobiri uses words with differing meanings as synonyms in composing his song verses. Such words often differ in meaning, but Ummaru Bagobiri skillfully employs them within sentences as synonymous words. The methods used to gather data for this study included listening to Ummaru Bagobiri’s songs, interviewing experts in linguistics, and reviewing scholarly works on linguistic studies particularly semantics. Interviews were also conducted with fans of Ummaru Bagobiri to understand how they interpret certain words in his songs. To ensure a theoretical foundation, the research is based on Sperber and Wilson’s (1995) Relevance Theory, which emphasizes the role of context in communication. The study found that the speech context plays a major role in determining the meanings of such expressions. It also found that Ummaru Bagobiri uses his linguistic wisdom to employ words of different meanings as synonyms in building his poetic lines.