Proverbs and identity: a study of Hadoti proverbs

Abstract

Proverbs are part of oral tradition in a society. They get meaning when they interact with a context, either when they precede or follow it. Proverbs, like any other linguistic element, are culturally meaningful in a given context. They are part of every society, and Hadoti proverbs are no exception to it. Such proverbs create a sociolinguistic reality and a unique identity to the indigenous people from the Hadoti region. This paper discusses how the identity of Hadoti speakers emerges from proverbs and is an attempt to capture this theme by analyzing what they say about the Hadoti region, culture, and people, and how the meanings that derive from a single-line phrase mirror the sociolinguistic reality and help establish an identity.