Date of Award

2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MS in Inernational Communication

Department

Division of Mass Communication

First Advisor

Mark D Juszczak

Abstract

A distinctive element of any culture is its language and one of the fundamental components of that language that contains the customs of that culture is proverbs. Proverbs are short sayings that are packed with wisdom that conveys the beliefs of a people. If any culture is to survive, its language invariably linked with its proverbs will have to endure eternally, it has to be transmitted from one generation to the next. This work studies the intergenerational transmission of proverbs in Nigeria asking if digital technology matters in that transmission line taking into cognizance its advancement. The research question, how are proverbs transmitted intergenerationally in Nigeria, is aimed at testing the hypothesis that among the older generation (50 years and above) the transmission is more of an oral, in-person contact tradition while in the younger generation (15-30 years) the transmission is more with digital technology. The study is conducted through semi-structured interviews comprising of 38 participants randomly selected. Using thematic analysis, the data was analyzed bringing out significant themes that could be used for further research. The data interpretation affirmed the hypothesis that proverb transmission (learning and teaching) among the older generations was more of an oral tradition while among the younger generation, it affirmed the hypothesis that they transmitted more using digital technology but nullified the hypothesis that they learnt more from digital technology since the study showed that the younger generation learnt from the combination of the oral tradition and digital technology.

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