Tongue twisters, like riddles, proverbs and wise sayings, fall under the category of short forms of oral literature. According to The Oxford Advanced Learners dictionary, a tongue twister is a word or phrase that is difficult to say quickly and correctly. It hinges mainly on both alliteration and assonance. Nandwa and Bukenya […]
FUNCTIONS OF RIDDLES. N/B: Riddling accords one a chance to abuse and be abused without taking offence. Thus, we can get egocentric riddles such as:- Challenge: nikanini lakini mwenyu ndakasinda kiwi. (Kamba) A small married woman who cooks better than your mother. Response: Nzuki. Honeybee
STAGES INVOLVED IN PERFORMANCE OF RIDDLES. There are three stages involved in the performance of riddles:- Stage one It is basically the opening formula whereby;- Stage two. This stage is the main body of the riddle whereby:- Stage three N/B: This stage only occurs if the answer given in stage two is wrong.
PERFORMANCE OF RIDDLES. Riddles have no specific performer and audience but they were and are normally performed by children during the evening or daytime whilst daytime chores. The performance of riddles requires at least two people. One to offer the challenge (challenger/proposer) and the one who responds (the respondent) FUNCTIONS OF OPENING FORMULAR
CLASSIFICATION OF RIDDLES. Riddles are classified according to:- Form classification deals with the question “how”. They are transmitted by word of mouth and therefore have an oral form. Content classification deals with the question “what”. It refers to the subjects, ideas, people, objects and situations i.e.:- Under length, we have two
CHARACTERISTICS OF RIDDLES. Mwarabu kava kilobit (Swahili) An Arab wearing a turban. Answer: kigunzi A maize cob Here, the maize cob is presented as if it were an Arab. It also ascribes the cob to the aspect of being dressed hence making the reference a personification. Another image in
RENDITION OF PROVERBS AND WISE SAYINGS. Rendition is a term used for the delivery or performance. It refers to the use of proverbs and sayings specifically the setting, participants and procedure. Proverbs and wise sayings have no specific formula for their delivery as they are incorporated into normal speech. As such they are
FUNCTIONS OF PROVERBS AND WISE SAYINGS. Basically there are four main functions of proverbs and wise sayings as elaborated below:- Proverbs and wise sayings are used to embellish verbal communication. This is supported by Achebe’s constant use of the saying “proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten. In this context,
