Understanding and Using Proverbs of Abuse in Yoruba Polygynous (Ile Olorogun) Settings

This paper discusses the use of abusive Yoruba proverbs in polygynous settings in Western Nigeria, with a focus on how such expressions reflect and shape interpersonal relationships. Using a socio-pragmatic and semiotic theoretical framework, this research explores how proverbs function as complex sign systems that encode power relations and cultural meanings. Data were collected through participant observation in polygynous households, semi-structured interviews with co-wives and family members, crowdsourcing via Facebook validated by a seven-member expert panel, and literature review of documented Yoruba proverb collections. The findings show that proverbs of abuse serve as tools for indirect communication, enabling speakers to negotiate power dynamics, protect personal boundaries, and maintain social harmony. The study reveals that these proverbs function across multiple categories including normalizing jealousy, asserting dominance, attacking character, maintaining strategic neutrality, issuing warnings, and managing hidden tensions. This study contributes to the existing literature by exploring how Yoruba oral traditions use disguised communication in the form of either subtle or overt abuse to convey ideas, mediate conflict, maintain social order, and reinforce cultural norms during crises.