A Pragmatic Analysis of the Significance of Turkana Proverbs

This study aimed to pragmatically analyze Turkana proverbs. In pragmatics, meaning is not directly concerned with the word or sentence used but relies on the utterance and how it is used contextually. Turkana is a rich and dynamic language that has grown over the years. In Turkana community, proverbs remain powerful and effective in transmitting ideas, knowledge and social morality from one generation to another. The study embraced ethnographic qualitative research design against the backdrop of Relevance Theory by Deidre Wilson (2004). The sample used in this study was selected from speakers of the native Turkana language who formed the target population. A sample size of 90 respondents was used. It was selected through purposive sampling from which a random sample of 18 respondents was chosen. Respondents were randomly drawn from Kalokol village, in Turkana County of Kenya. It comprised of an equal number representing male and female aged between 30 – 65 years. The instruments for data collection comprised of oral face to face interviews and open ended questionnaires. This paper examined and analyzed the proverbs using Relevance Theory and concluded that their proper teaching and usage could be the right tools for enhancing morality, etiquette, hygiene and good health in the society.