Functions of Hausa Proverbs in Political Discourse

Abstract

Abstract Karìn màganā̀ is a form of traditional cultural expression which has the status of a genre in Hausa oral literature. It is equivalent to a proverb. This paper presents examples of Hausa proverb usage in political discourse. The data were extracted from press articles published during the period of the Nigerian general election (February 2019). The research focuses on analysing discursive features of karìn màganā̀ and aspects of its contextual understanding and translation. In contemporary Hausa discourses proverbs perform textual and pragmatic functions. Each function in which a proverb is used changes its interpretation (representational meaning).