Exonyms and Ethnophaulism of Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and Igala

Abstract

Inter-ethnic strife has been recorded within the multi-ethnic Nigerian nation, often termed political or religious. Not much rift has been attributed to misconception in identity evidenced especially in name calling, which may have shaped the mindset of many. This research explores the phenomenon of naming or identification of an ethnic group by non-indigenes, with focus on Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and Igala (henceforth, YIHI) ethnic groups in Nigeria. The aim of this study is to examine exonyms and ethnophaulisms existing in the YIHI ethnic groups using symbolic interactionism theory to evaluate how people come up with labeling through social interaction and also analyze the effect of such labels. Data are sourced through interviews from 5 native speakers, from ages 40-70years, from every language selected for the study and 23 tokens of inter-ethnic naming terms are collected for this study. The analysis shows that behaviour, habits, mannerisms, first communication context, geography, appearance, etc., influence exonyms and ethnophaulisms. Exonyms may arise due to pronunciation difficulties, historical interaction and cultural differences; however these reasons may acquire derogatory meaning over time leading to ethnophaulism. The findings highlight semantic shift, Nigeria’s cultural diversity and the challenges of navigating inter-ethnic relations in a multicultural society. It also reveals a dual nature of some of inter-ethnic naming terms, while they can promote inter-ethnic friendship in some context, they may also fuel inter-ethnic prejudice or social alienation when used in a negative sense. This study concludes that a better understanding of these terms is critical to fostering healthier inter-ethnic communication and reducing ethnic stereotyping in Nigeria.