ABSTRACT
This project work examines the linguistic realm of traditional music in Ẹdo, Nigeria, with a specific focus on the meaning communicated in dirges. The study is centered on how dirges serve as a means for cultural expression, mourning and social significance within the Ẹdo society.
Dirge stands as a universally understood language that resonates with the hearts of man. It is born of mankind's grief, (written or developed out of the grief of man) giving voice to the unspoken and painting emotions with sound.The method of analysis employed in this research work is the descriptive approach which seeks to account for language description from the perspectives of the native speakers of the language based on the use of the language in social backgrounds.
The method of data collection involves the primary and secondary source of which the primary source includes data gotten from interviews on competent speakers of the Ẹdo language, and transcribing of already recorded audios. The secondary source includes videos of burial ceremonies online, and lyrics of some of these songs on YouTube.
The study made a series of findings which are a symphony of insights into the socio-cultural and moral ideologies communicated through these dirges. It is the recommendation of this study that traditional Ẹdo dirges are a bedrock of socio-cultural and linguistic resources which need extensive study and documentation for the sake of posterity.
