SOCIOLINGUISTICS ANALYSIS OF TABOO FOODS AMONG ANIOMA PEOPLE OF DELTA STATE

ABSTRACT

This research provides an in-depth representation, classification and analysis of the taboo foods found in Ubulu-uku village in Anioma community, Delta state. The purpose of this researchis to analyse the Anioma people's cultural practices and beliefs by exploring the role of language in communicating and reinforcing taboo foods within the community, why are they existence of taboo foods and chronologically explain the effect of these restrictions on culinary acts and practices in the community using the sociocultural semiotic theory by Ferdinand desaussaure (1916) to analyse the different food taboos gathered from the native people of Anioma. The study revealed that most of these situations relating to creating taboo foods among the Anioma people cannot be scientifically proven but rather are based on myth and conventionally agreed upon by the Anioma people. It concluded that there is need for Anioma people to strictly adhered with these taboo foods as they are situations where people disobeyed and the consequences was really bad. This research employed both the quantitative and qualitative research methodology in gathering the data which were later used for the completion of this research.