POSTPROVERBIAL CONSTRUCTIONS AND SELECTED SEX-RELATED YORUBA PROVERBS AND PROVERBIAL EXPRESSIONS

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1 UDK 398.2(669) Adeyemi Johnson Ademowo, Ph.D Department of General Studies Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti-State Noah Opeyemi Balogun Department of General Studies Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti-State POSTPROVERBIAL CONSTRUCTIONS AND SELECTED SEX-RELATED YORUBA PROVERBS AND PROVERBIAL EXPRESSIONS Abstract: This paper examines postproverbial constructions involving sex-related Yoruba proverbs and proverbial expressions, and their effects on the original meaning of these proverbs. Fifteen randomly selected sex-related proverbs and proverbial expressions as well as their postproverbial constructions were subjected to critical analysis. The study revealed that while sex-related Yoruba proverbs are essentially meant for communicating frank, stark and direct situations, postproverbial constructions of the proverbs have distorted the use of sex-related proverbs, and especially proverbial expression in communication, because of the sexual images that were made more visible in the sex-related postproverbials. The study observes that, other than for visual symbolism, the mentioning of sex organs in sex-related proverbs has no implications on original meaning of proverbs but this is not the case with postproverbials as the sex image and sexual performance becomes the main focus. The paper, therefore, urges Yoruba language speakers to be conscious of the influence of these postproverbials on the use of the sex-related Yoruba proverbs and their distorted meanings which are quite different from the original, intended philosophical, meanings. Key words: Sex-related, Proverbs, Sexuality, Postproverbial, Yoruba 9

2 Adeyemi Johnson Ademowo, Noah Opeyemi Balogun Proverbs and the African/Yoruba Societies The common language, any fool can go about it; but the use of proverbs displays your intelligence and maturity. If you don t use proverbs, people will think you are not mature; you are just a child. Penfield 1983:43 Proverbs are social modes of communication which have a dominant role in most African societies (Finnegan 1970). They are cultural tools for transferring the traditions of a speech community in terms of their values, beliefs and collective knowledge from one generation to another (Idowu 2010). They are folkloric metaphors but unlike other oral folklore they are not set apart or restricted to certain domains of usage. They are highly integrated into daily conversation and speech making and can be found in every interactional setting in African society. Indeed, proverbs are sacred and they carry tremendous power and authority for anyone who is able to use them skillfully (Penfield and Duru 1988). Each deft deployment of proverbs in African societies is regarded as an index of one s intelligence, the philosophical turn of one s mind (Nwachukwu- Agbada, 1994). Makamani (2012:124) also described proverbs as vital component of the indigenous knowledge systems among Africans, particularly among the Yorubas, who considered proverbs as the prismatic verbal expression of the essence of folk culture (Oladeji 1988). Meider (1989) in his own contribution defines proverbs as short, traditional statements used to further some social end. The social end, as Meider (1989) opines, is what makes the use of proverbs inviting and meaningful. Reference to proverb as contextualized metaphor is however more literary and contextual than linguistic. Thus, the import of the interactional nature of proverbs, their universal and experiential relevance is notable. Indeed, Yoruba proverbs are essentially seen as: [P]roducts of people s socio-cultural, historical, philosophical and geographical experience; owe l esin oro, oro l esin owe, bi oro ba nu, owe ni a fi wa, meaning the proverb is the horse which can carry you swiftly to the discovery of ideas sought: this horse is being constantly pressed into the service of elders during deliberations in council and at home settling disputes as a relevant proverbs throws light on the subject and drives points home; the vehicle of the expression of truth, religion, morality, but also dominant occupation, and other practices which reflect their day-to-day living (Delano 1976: ix). The foregoing analysis/exposition shows that proverbs remain a very powerful and effective instrument for the transmission of culture, philosophy, values, etc. In essence, proverbs are models of compressed or forceful language 10

3 Postproverbial Constructions and Selected Sex-Related Yoruba Proverbs... that make people behave according to norms and mores of the land (Adeyemi 2005: 60). Other than their powerful verbal expression, proverbs have proved to be of great relevance/benefit to traditional and modern societies (Ademowo & Balogun 2014). This is due to the fact that users with gifts of creativity who are familiar with its techniques may use it in settling conflicts (Ademowo & Balogun 2014), in pedagogy (Bascon 1965), in promotion of values (Penfield and Duru 1988), among others. Indeed, proverbs are as described, red oil, with which yams are eaten. Proverbs and its use are so enticing to the extent that users with gifts of creativity who are familiar with their techniques may attempt to create new ones. This point of view explains, perhaps, Chomskyan view that all normal native speakers are capable of generating novel sentences that they have never generated before. The fact that users can generate novel sentences is however not the case with supposedly new proverbs which often communicate crooked image antithetical to the values in the society; most of the new proverbs created to mock or make fun of the existing proverbs are known as postproverbials (Raji- Oyelade 1999). What then are postproverbials and what are their implications for understanding proverbs in their contextual and philosophical forms? Postproverbials Constructions as Playful Blasphemes Postproverbials are radical speech acts; they are alternate creations derived from and which stand against traditional proverbs which are produced either in jest or ignorance of conventional and generally accepted and anonymous proverbs in a given culture (Raji-Oyelade 2013: 15). Postproverbials are found in numerous formations in contemporary poetry, novels, drama, film, music and other ancillary genres like talk shows, sermons and speeches. Postproverbials are translatable in Yoruba as asakasa, which is the dynamic act of the cultural deviant, the prodigal text which always attempts to overwrite its own source, perhaps the traditional wisdom (Raji-Oyelade 2012; Raji-Oyelade 2013: 15). Asakasa in this context is different from isokuso. Isokuso is the generic description ascribed to expressions that are considered nonsensical, out of context and mockery of the original. While all asakasa are considered as isokuso, not all isokuso are asakasa. Hence, a popular Yoruba Fuji artiste, Alhaji Abass Obesere, can openly pride itself as the King of Asakasa, not King of Isokuso. On what constitutes postproverbials and its relevance to living, postproverbials are considered to be playful blasphemies inherently supplementary or subversive, a discursive strategy of mimicry, in which received wisdoms are queried, tested and subjected to textual rupture. (Raji-Oyelade 2013:8). The general belief is 11

4 Adeyemi Johnson Ademowo, Noah Opeyemi Balogun that postproverbials thrive in the capacity of the speaker s exuberant disdain for the traditional proverbs or well rehearsed practice intended to make mockery of traditional proverbs for fun s sake. On the question of how postproverbials have encroached into daily vocabularies of the Yoruba, Raji-Oyelade (2013) opines that, postproverbials are migrant texts in the traditional performance, moving from people to people and getting transformed in the moment of travel; migrant in both senses of space and time: moving freely and bifocally between the rural and the urban space, fluid and doubly transitory (Raji-Oyelade 2013: 16). In both invention and reception, as much as the site of creation may seem to be frequently urban, postproverbial also finds convenience and favorable condition for its exercise in the open space of the cultural sphere, be it urban, peri-urban or rural. Thus, postproverbials are the recent posterity of traditional sayings, the posterior reaction or response to conventional wisdom and native intelligence: they are futuristic rump of verbal art form prone to every kind of transfigurations associated with cultural dynamism (Raji-Oyelade 2013) Examples and implications of postproverbials to conventional wisdom communicated by proverbs are: Original Proverb: Aye l oja, orun nile (the world is a market place; heaven is home). Postproverbial: Aye l oja, amo, e fimii le s oja (the world is a market place; so, leave me in the market). (Raji-Oyelade 2013: 18) Original Proverb:Bi okete ba dagba tan, omu omo re nii mu (once a rodent gets old, it sucks its child s breast). Postproverbial: Bi okete ba dagba tan, o ti to yi lata (once a rodent gets old, it s good enough to roast as food). (Raji-Oyelade 2013: 18) Original Proverb: Maalu ti ko ni ru, Oluwa nii ba l esin (as for the cow that has no tail, God is its repellant against flies). Postproverbial: Maalu ti ko ni ru, o wa ni sabo (the cow that has no tail is available in Kraal). (Raji-Oyelade 2013: 17) As it were, there are three levels of meaning with which proverbs operate: (1) the text (literal meaning); (2) the generalized moral and cultural principles (philosophical meaning); and (3) the meaning defined by the specific interactional context (contextual meaning) (Nwoga 1979). The literal meaning explains or 12

5 Postproverbial Constructions and Selected Sex-Related Yoruba Proverbs... depicts concrete imagery using the symbols of traditional, ancestral or modern life; the philosophical meaning emphasizes the moral truth associated with the proverbs; and the contextual meaning uses the proverb either to reinforce ideas and support a given statement or to evaluate the behavior of others who are upholding or violating this moral principle by directing the moral truth toward one or more individuals (Penfield and Duru 1983:121). If we can subject the postproverbials above to further analysis, the revelation will further confirm the precarious effects of the postproverbial construction on the philosophical and contextual meaning of the proverbs. Original Proverb: Aye l oja, orun nile (the world is a market place; heaven is home). Philosophical Meaning: It is better to do good always because we shall all die someday. Postproverbial: Aye l oja, amo, e fimii le s oja (the world is a market place; so, leave me in the market). Meaning: Who cares if existence is temporal! Just let me have fun and do as I like! Essentially, the selected postproverbials meanings and interpretations show lack of wisdom which proverbs intend to promote. It designates the lack of guiding value embedded in postproverbial. It is in this light that Raji-Oyelade (2013: 21) is of the opinion that postproverbials are, [C]onsequence[s] of new consciousness of African modernities resulting from the vanishing of the real village or community square tradition, decline in the deployment of the standard resources of Yoruba language, and the indifferent or triumphalist sense of overcoming Yoruba with the use of the English language. In the next section, we shall discuss the nature of sex-related proverbs. The nature of sex-related proverbs... tighter controls were placed on discourse about sex, and on discourse about sexuality discourse. There was an effort to control sex at the level of speech. On the other hand, though, this effort to control sex also intensified the discourse on sex (Foucault 1998:1). Expressions of sexuality and/or mentioning of sex organs are considered lewd among the Yorubas; and rarely would anybody engage in such discourse 13

6 Adeyemi Johnson Ademowo, Noah Opeyemi Balogun that freely uses sex and sexual organs as its object. With the attendant popularity of sex-related proverbs, particularly their postproverbial versions, one would be surprised at people s reception of them. It is a dramatic irony to see people reject them in the open, but realising how it is being used even in proverbs as reinforcement of Foucault position on sexuality discourse quoted earlier. Sex and related topics are tabooed in public discourse in both Western and African cultures. Britain, for example, has been very severe in its censorship of obscenity, legally coded as obscene libel or matter tending to deprave or corrupt (McArthur 1996: 187). The free expression of sexual matters exercised postproverbial in reference to sex-related proverbs as spiced up by modernity and popular culture has quite expectedly elicited disapproval and disdain from a large section of the public. The public s taste has been fostered as much by religious experience as by the traditional culture. The groups of youths who violate the propriety placed on the subject are castigated not just for being coarse or uncouth but also for lacking originality (Samson 2005: 89). Although this disdain applies to all violators in all sections of the society, it would seem that the youth takes liberties with obscenity in their construction and reconstruction of sex-related postproverbials. This deviance is typical of the uncertain morality with which their space is identified (it is interesting though that in the public or outside their groups, they conform to the social expectation). Noteworthy is that Freud noted that sex occupies a core area of the human psychology, which was controversial then, and now in Nigeria as in many other places, may be difficult to ignore (Kaplan, 1990: 61; Forte, 1996: 20 21). Not only is sex a subject severely restricted in public discourse, lexical choices in direct reference to sex and sexual organs are allowed to feature only in periphrastic and euphemistic terms. In Yoruba language, for example, the penis is referred to as nkan omokunrin (the thing of a man or the thing of manhood). It is also humorously referred to as eketa itan (the third thigh). To children just learning languages, it is called kokoro (the insect). The vagina, on the other hand, is described as oju ara (the body s opening/the point of entry into the body); or kinni (that thing). Similarly, sexual intercourse is presented in euphemistic descriptions: o ba sun (he slept/lay with her), o ba lo po (he interacted with her/he related with her), and won ni ajosepo (they had carnal knowledge on one another). Proverb is part of our everyday language that mirrors the worldview of a people. More aptly, it is the embodiment of a certain group s values and worldviews; a watchdog of a public morality. The Yoruba speaking people of southwest are no exception to this, for their proverbs communicate their mores, norms and values. Proverbs, particularly the sex-related ones, are used to drive home starkness and frankness in communication. With the coming of 14

7 Postproverbial Constructions and Selected Sex-Related Yoruba Proverbs... postproverbials in the early late 1990 s and early 2000s, sex-related proverbs gained unusual turns and became an open discourse against the tradition that propelled the genre of the proverbs; an open and bold mockery of sex images that proverbs wanted to use in communicating frankness. The reasons for this phenomenon can be unraveled when we take a deeper look at the nature of postproverbial as earlier explicated. In discussing the nature of sex-related proverbs, noteworthy is that erotica is considered to be part and parcel of every society, and sex related folklore can be far more interesting than the balladry of murder, cruelty, torture, babykilling and so forth. We therefore agree with certain authors (Owomoyela 1972: 573, Tylor 1931: 171) that we cannot honestly ignore obscene folklore/sexuality proverbs since they would be of great importance not only for scholarship, but also for interpreting people s worldviews. Sex related proverbs are, therefore, as earlier noted, used to communicate frankness and starkness but with little or no implication for sexuality and gender. Research Method Fifteen (15) popular sex-related Yoruba proverbs were randomly selected from the day to day used/anonymous proverbs and proverbial expressions among the Yorubas, as well as from the written collections of proverbs from Ojoade s African Sexual Proverbs: Some Yoruba Example (1983); Owomoyela s The Sociology of Sex and Crudity in Yoruba Proverbs (1972), Yisa s Yoruba Proverbial Insight into Female Sexuality and Genital Mutilation and a few anonymous sayings were also used. The selected proverbs were subjected to critical analysis with a view to see whether or not the meanings of the sex-related proverbs are distorted with the mocked version (the postproverbials). Implications of Sex-related Postproverbial Constructions on Sexrelated Proverbs Having established that postproverbials are playful blasphemies capable of giving distorted values and orientations to the native wisdom, and relating such postproverbial construction to sex-related proverbs, this study revealed how it has distorted the use of sex-related proverbs. Below are some of the sex-related proverbs, their philosophical meanings and their postproverbial constructions. 15

8 Adeyemi Johnson Ademowo, Noah Opeyemi Balogun Original Proverb: Meta ni t obinrin: gba fi bo enu, gba fibo ara, gba fi bo abe (there are three takes for women; take for the mouth, take for the body, take for the under) (Ojoade 1976: 3) Philosophical Meaning: One must be ready to take care of women in all ramifications and meet their demands. Postproverbial: Meta ni t obinrin, gba fib o enu gba fi bo idi, gba fibo obo (there are three takes for women; take for the mouth, take for the body, take for the vagina). Postproverbial Meaning: You must give women all the three takes, most especially, you must fuck her very well. Original Proverb: Ope l obinrin, gbogbo eni ba ni igba lowo nii gun (women are palm trees, anybody with ladder climbs them). (Anonymous) Philosophical Meaning: Women are weaker vessels; like eggs, they are fragile. Postproverbial: ope l obinrin gbogbo enito ba ni condom lo n ba won sun. Postproverbial Meaning: Women are ever ready for fucking, just get a condom and cajole. Original Proverb: Bi oloko nla do ni, gbingbin laa gbin (When one is being fucked with big penis, one must groan). (Ojoade 1983: 4) Philosophical Meaning: When those that are more powerful are exploiting someone (a man or a women), the one who is exploited must learn to endure. Postproverbial: Bi oloko nla do ni, abe a ya perepere (When one is being fucked with big penis, one must have vaginal bruises). Postproverbial Meaning: When a woman has sex with a man with big penis, she must be prepared for bruises. Original Proverb: Adoni l aya o f oju re woni, ale oni k omo ma ku, orii baba omo ni o sun (Anyone who fucks a man s wife does not have a good motive for the cheated husband; he cares less if misfortune befalls him but for the man s destiny). (Owomoyela 1984: 37) Philosophical Meaning: There are situations in life when a man can be rescued only by destiny. Postproverbial: Adoni l aya o f oju re woni, o sekoko ni o tete pa (Anyone who fucks a man s wife does not have a good motive for the cheated husband, so it is better that the husband kills him, and swiftly). Postproverbial Meaning: Anyone who fucks one s wife does not have a good motive for one; it is better that you kill him first! Original Proverb: Adoni l aya o jebi, aya yin ni e kilo fun (anyone who has sex with one s wife should not be rebuked, one should rather warn his wife). Philosophical Meaning: One must learn not to put the cart before the horse; one step after another. Postproverbial: Adoni laya o jebi, iwo ni ko lo lo paraga (anyone who has sex with one s wife should not be rebuked, one should rather warn his wife and then take strong doses of the African aphrodisiac or the African equivalent of Viagra). 16

9 Postproverbial Constructions and Selected Sex-Related Yoruba Proverbs... Postproverbial Meaning: Whoever fucks one s wife is only telling one to improve his sexual performance and erotic skills in bed. Original Proverb: Oko n re ile obo, obo n leri, ipade d ori eni (Owomoyela 1972: 755). The penis is boasting and the vagina is also boasting; both will meet on the mat (to determine the superior) (Yisa 1997: 121). Philosophical Meaning: Boasting is meaningless when someone s plans to take action are in top gear. Postproverbial: Oko n re ile obo, obo n leri,won fe do ra won pa ni (The penis is boasting and the vagina is also boasting; both should stop boasting and start fucking!) Postproverbial Meaning: If both penis and vagina are ready for sex, why boast again? Original Proverb: Bi oko ti mi re, bare ugogo mi re rin (As the penis grows erect, so does the clitoris). (Ojoade 1983: 203) Philosophical Meaning: What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Postproverbial: Bi oko mi ba re, obo lo fee do (as a penis grows erect, it is interested in sex) Postproverbial Meaning: Sex is the food for an erected penis. Original Proverb: Akii ti oko obo obo tan ki a tun ma beru wipe iho re jin, ibi ti o ba wu obo ki o ma gbe oko lo (one does not insert a penis into a vagina and then starts to fear that its hole is deep; let the vagina carry penis wherever it likes). (Ojoade 1983: 205) Philosophical Meaning: What is worth doing at all is worth doing well. Postproverbial: Akii ti ok obo obo tan ki a tun maa beru HIV, kinni ise condom (one does not insert penis into a vagina and then begin to fear for HIV, what is the use of condom). Postproverbial Meaning: Once you have used condom, stop thinking, just fuck! Original Proverb: Obo ni itiju oun lo po to be ti oun fi lo sa pamo si ibi ti oun wa; sugbon ti oun ba ri oko, oun lati si ilekun fun un (The vagina says she is so shy because she has to hide her whereabouts, but as soon as she sees the penis, she just has to open a door). (Ojoade 1983:209) Philosophical Meaning: Nothing can be hidden for long, once the time comes and the need grows, it shall become visible. Postproverbial: Obo ni itiju oun lo po to be ti oun fi lo sa pamo si ibi ti oun wa; sugbon oun feran oko gan (The vagina says she is so shy that she has to hide her whereabouts, but she loves to be fucked by the penis). Postproverbial Meaning: Vagina smiles at the sight of penis. Original Proverb: Ado re tan, wo ji o kun okoko (After having sex with you, you still complain that there are corners of your vagina left to be fucked). (Yisa 1997: 124; Ojoade 1983: 212) Philosophical Meaning: One must learn to appreciate efforts, no matter how small; not just to make requests every time. 17

10 Adeyemi Johnson Ademowo, Noah Opeyemi Balogun Postproverbial: Ado re tan, wo ji o kun okoko, se o fe gbe mi ni? (After having sex with you, you still complain that there are corners of your vagina left to be fucked, do you want to kill me? Postproverbial Meaning: Run for your life when you meet a nymphomaniac! Original Proverb: Nkan n be leyin ma do mi niso (when a woman says fuck me the man should expect repercussion from the intercourse). (Anonymous) Philosophical Meaning: One must be weary of certain exclamations for they convey life saving messages. Postproverbial: Nkan n be leyin ma do mi niso, maltina kan ati miliki meji laaje (when a woman says fuck me the man should just get a bottle of maltina and milk ready to refill it). Postproverbial Meaning: Like Boys Scout motto, just be ready to fuck when the opportunity presents itself. Original Proverb: Ti a ko ba tete ge idan ni kekere, bi o ba dagba tan, ebon la ni yio ma gba lowo oko (If we do not clip a clitoris while it s young, it will receive great sacrifices from penis when it grows up). (Yisa 1997, 126; Ojoade 1983, 212). Philosophical Meaning: When a problem is suspected, one must take measures to nip it in the bud so that it does not escalate. Postproverbial: Ti a ko ba tete ge idan ni kekere, bi o ba dagba tan, that na FGM joor (if we do not clip a clitoris while it s young, when it grows up the very act of clipping will be FGM) Postproverbial Meaning: Cutting clitoris is Female Genital Mutilation, period! Original Proverb: Eni dobo leekan to gen lese, oko re a re (He who fucks a vagina once and then punches it has forgotten that his penis will erect again). (Yisa 1997) Philosophical Meaning: One must never mess up an opportunity. Postproverbial: Eni dobo lekan to gen lese, o ti lowo asewo lowo ni (He who fucks and punches a vagina has enough money to pay prostitutes when he wants a fuck next time). Postproverbial Meaning: Be ready to pay for your actions. Original Proverb: Eekan l atanido n tanido mo (He who deceives in order to fuck, does it only once). (Anonymous) Philosophical Meaning: You cannot fool people all the time. Postproverbial: Eekan l atanido n tanido mo, eyi ti ko smart niyen (He who deceives in order to fuck, and isn t able to persuade into fucking the next time, is not smart enough after all). Postproverbial Meaning: Master your cajoling skills. Original Proverb: Kini an do ninu obo taani kile oma mo (How much vagina is one going to fuck so that he can wish that the day won t finish (Yisa 1997: 124) Philosophical Meaning: There is always an end to everything. Postproverbial: Kini a n do ninu obo taani kile oma mo, ile mimo long thing niyen (How much vagina is one going to fuck so that he can wish that the day won t finish, day break will end the fun). 18

11 Postproverbial Constructions and Selected Sex-Related Yoruba Proverbs... Postproverbial Meaning: Enjoy while fun lasts. It is obvious from our analysis that there is a wide gap between the intended philosophical meaning of the proverbs and the meaning that the postproverbial constructions convey. There is the position that postproverbials are signs and evidence of a new consciousness of African modernities (Raji-Oyelade 2012: 24). The appropriate question, then, is what sort of modernity, or is modernity all about misuse and upturn in conventional wisdom? Also, drawing from the implications of the explicated sexuality proverbs and postproverbial expressions, we can as well ask: why do the Yoruba engage in such verbal expression of sexuality despite their disdain for vulgarity, or put succinctly, why do we talk in such manner that depicts a blatant obscenity? Can we locate answers to these questions within the Yoruba thought system concerning the role of sex, sexuality and feminist discourse? The answers to these questions are negative. The foregoing meaning and interpretation of sex-related proverbs and their postproverbial constructions underscore our position that linguistic interpretation alluded to sexuality proverbs by some scholars (i.e. Yusuf 1997; Balogun 2010, 1999) cannot be appropriate if seen within the context where the sex-related proverbs are used, because most of these postproverbials constructions are distortions of verbal art leading to alterations in the intended meaning and interpretations. The foregoing analysis and interpretation of sex-related proverbs and their postproverbial constructions reviews the fact that traditional Yoruba and other Africans do not, in the real sense of the world, see sexual proverbs as obscene just because they use sex symbols or mention sex organs; rather, they are used to connote frankness before sheer obscenity (Beier 1970:22; Ojoade 1983: 201). Like any other proverbs, sex-related proverbs must never be used out of context or at an inappropriate time and must be used correctly. The fact of the matter is that no one goes about just citing sex-related proverbs (or any other obscene folklore) just for the sake of quoting them, but when one does so at the right moment, that is the time one is given automatic license, which provides psychological release from the restraints placed on the individual by society. This lends credence to the opinion that in almost all cultures, obscenity at fixed occasions is not regarded as inappropriate, and on such occasions obscene proverbs can be quoted without loss of modesty and conventional wisdom. Conclusion Yoruba sex-related proverbs and postproverbials have little or no correlates to obscenity. Their respective meaning also bears no iota of relevance to the 19

12 Adeyemi Johnson Ademowo, Noah Opeyemi Balogun native metaphors and wisdom to the proverbs in their unperturbed form. Thus, alluding sexuality and gender based interpretation to sex-related proverbs would be to reduce the intelligence to a debased level of playful blasphemies and archetypical modernity typical of postproverbials. It reechoed the fact that postproverbials are but playful blasphemies which when read meaning into are bound to distort the meaningfulness of the content, context, and purpose of proverbs. Taken this to be an anomaly, this study recommends a deliberate introduction of postproverbial versions of the proverbs into the Yoruba proverbs teaching (in Yoruba language curriculum at all levels of education) so that the counterfeit /distorted would be learnt alongside the original. References Ademowo, A. J & Balogun, N. O Proverbs, Values and the Development Question in Contemporary Africa: A Case Study of Yoruba Proverbs. OmniScience: A Multi disciplinary Journal, Volume 4, Issue 2 Adeyemi, D A Semiotics of Aspects of English and Yoruba Proverbs. Obitun: Journal of the Humanities 3(1): Balogun, O Gender Crises in Yoruba Thought: An Aftermath of Western Experience. Journal of Arts and Humanities 1(1) Balogun, O Proverbial Oppression of Women in Yoruba African Culture: A Philosophical Overview in Thought and Practice: A Journal of the Philosophical Association of Kenya (PAK) New Series 2 (1) Balogun, T A Semantic Enquiry into Yoruba Proverbs and Gender Discrimination Journal of Arts and Humanities 2(1) Bascom, William Four functions of folklore. In The study of folklore, ed. Alan Dundes. Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice-Hall. Beier U Yoruba Poetry: An Anthology of Traditional Yoruba Poems. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Delano O. I Owe L esin Oro: Yoruba Proverbs, their Meaning and Usage. Oxford University Press. Finnegan, Ruth Oral literature in Africa. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Forte, J Realism, Narrative, and the Feminist Playwright: A Problem of Reception. In (H. Keyssar, ed.) Feminist Theatre and Theory. London: Macmillan Press Foucault, M The Will to Knowledge: The History of Sexuality. Vol. 1, Hurley, R., Trans. Great Britain: Penguin Books. Kaplan, C Language and Gender. In (D. Cameron, ed.) The Feminist Critique of Language: A Reader. Routledge: London. 20

13 Postproverbial Constructions and Selected Sex-Related Yoruba Proverbs... Makamani, R African Proverbs and Conflict Management: A study of Selected Shona, Ashivambo, Yoruba and Swahili Proverbial Expressions. African Journal of Rhetoric: Rhetoric, Political Agency and Africa 4(1) McArthur, T. (ed.) The Oxford Companion to the English Language. Oxford University. Meider, Wolfang American Proverb as Study of Texts and Context. New York. Peter Lang. Nicolaisen, W.F.H The Proverbial Scot. Proverbium ii: Nwachukwu-Agbada, J.O. J The Proverb in the Igbo Milieu. Anthropos, Bd. 89, H. 1./3. (1994), pp Nwoga, Donatus Appraisal of Igbo proverbs and idioms. In Igbo language and culture, ed. F. C. Ogbalu and E. N. Emenanjo. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Ojoade, J. O African Sexual Proverbs: Some Yoruba Example. Folklore. (London) 94: Oladeji, N Proverbs as Language Sign-Posts in Yoruba Pragmatic Ethics. Second Order: An African Journal of Philosophy. No 1:(2) Owomoyela, O The Sociology of Sex and Crudity in Yoruba Proverbs. Proverbium 20 (Old Series): ). Penfield, J and Mary Duru Proverbs: Metaphors That Teach. Anthropological Quarterly, Vol. 61, No. 3, pp Penfield, Joyce Communicating with quotes: The Igbo case. Westport CT: Greenwood Press. Raji-Oyelade, R Postproverbials in Yoruba Culture: A Playful Blasphemy. Research in African Literatures 30(1): Raji-Oyelade, R Playful Blasphemies: Postproverbials as Archetypes of Modernity in Yoruba Culture. Tier. Wissenchaftlicher Verlag. Raji-Oyelade, R Fluent In(ter)ventions: Web of the Literary Discipline. An Inaugural Lecture Delivered at the University of Ibadan. Ibadan: University of Ibadan Press. Romaine, S Communicating Gender. London. Samson A.D. (2005) Sexual Discourse in Niyi Osundare s Poetry: A Sociolinguistic Reading. African Study Monographs, 26(2): Tylor, A The Proverb, Proverbs and their Lessons. in Wolfang Meider (ed) Supplement Series of Proverbium Vol 13. Vermont: the University of Vermont, 2003 Van Dijk, T. A. (ed.) (1997): Discourse as Social Interaction. Heinemann. London. Yisa, Y English Imposed Sexism in Yoruba Language: The Case of Baby and Aya. Women and Language XII.2:

14 Adeyemi Johnson Ademowo, Noah Opeyemi Balogun Yisa, Y The Diffusion of the Male-Favored Praising, Consolation, and Persuasion of Children in Yoruba and Sexist Naming in English. Research in Yoruba Language and Literature 4(1) Yisa, Y Yoruba Proverbial Insight into Female Sexuality and Genital Mutilation. In ELA: Journal of African Studies, Critical Sphere 1(2) Primljeno Prihvaćeno: Adeyemi Johnson Ademowo, Ph.D Noah Opeyemi Balogun POSTPROVERBIJALNE KONSTRUKCIJE I ODREĐENE JORUBA IZREKE I USTALJENI IZRAZI U VEZI SA SEKSOM U ovom radu će biti reči o postproverbijalnim konstrukcijama u vezi sa Joruba izrekama i ustaljenim izrazima koji se tiču seksa, i njiovom uticaju na izvorna značenja ovih izreka. Petnaest nasumično odabranih izreka i ustaljenih izraza u vezi sa seksom će biti kritički analizirano. Studija je razotkrila da, dok su Joruba izreke u vezi sa seksom namenjene komunikaciji u iskrenom, šturom i direktnom maniru, postproverbijalne konstrukcije ovih izreka su iskvarile upotrebu izreka i ustaljenih izraza u vezi sa seksom u komunikaciji pre svega tako što su predstave seksa učinjene prominentnijim u postproverbijalnim konstrukcijama. Studija ukazuje na to da, osim vizuelnog simbolizma, pominjanje polnih organa u izrekama u vezi sa seksom nema implikacija za izvorno značenje izreka, što nije slučaj sa postproverbijalnim konstrukcijama gde predstava seksa i seksualni lin postaju glavni fokus. Članak stoga podstiče govornike Joruba jezika da budu svesni uticaja postproverbijala na upotrebu Joruba izreka u vezi sa seksom i njihovih iskvarenih značenja koja se razlikuju od izvornih filozofskih značenja. Ključne reči: izreke, seksualnost, postproverbijalne konstrukcije, Joruba 22