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REVITALISATION AND SUSTAINABILITY OF ANNANG 
PROVERBS THROUGH ITS USABILITY 

 
Anana Mariam 

Department of Languages 
Mountain Top University 

Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State  
08133931381,  meanana@mtu.edu.ng  

Abstract 

Annang proverbs have not been reinvigorated and sustained because 
they are rarely spoken by elderly Annang men and leaders especially 
during official meetings. Also, they are selectively and scarcely 
utilized in informal situations.  It is very rare for the Annang youths 
to use Annang proverbs in their daily interactions; and if this trend is 
allowed to continue, in the next few years, the rich Annang proverbs 
may go into extinction. Lacks of its resuscitation and sustainability 
have made speech delivery devoid of humour, interest and diverse 
interpretations. In other words, the denotative presentations have 
deprived the listeners the logical interpretations of what they listen to 
and place them in a position where they just decode the surface 
meanings of what they hear. This study investigates Annang proverbs 
with a view to recommending ways of rejuvenating and 
strengthening them. The paper adopts pragmatics as its theoretical 
framework. Telephone conversation and Interview were used to 
collect data from Annang respondents in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom 
and Lagos. Ten (10) items self-structured questions were used to 
collect data from respondents. It was discovered that to revive and 
sustain Annang proverbs, these proverbs should be spoken by all the 
Annang people continuously. The paper also found that Annang 
proverbs are enveloped with interesting, humourous and diverse 
interpretations capable of enriching the listeners’ knowledge. Having
ascertained the importance of Annang proverbs, the study 
recommends that these proverbs should be learnt and used mostly by 
the Annang people so that their speeches would not only be replete 
with interesting, humourous and diverse interpretations but that 
Annang proverbs may be revitalised and sustained through their 
continuous usage.  

Key words: Annang proverbs, resuscitation, logical interpretations, 
speech delivery, interactions 



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Introduction  

Many scholars (such as Mensah (2010) , Adegoju (2009), Jegede (2008),  
Lamidi (2008),   Tadi (2007), Ojaide (2007) and Meider (2004) have been 
interested in the study on proverbs because of the indispensable creative 
and cementing power that proverbs exert on individuals, communities and 
the societies at large. Proverbs are very important in uniting the entire 
community because they are extracted from the cultures of the people. In 
other words, they are the root of cultural norms and traditions of people. 
It is what makes a community and as such to revive and sustain that 
community, proverbs must be used. Proverbs have the potentials of 
beautifying words and making them wonderfully spoken; it also makes 
delivery interesting, humourous and contains inherent suspense that 
naturally keeps people to wait and get to the end of what they listen to. 
Proverbs are words coded with different interpretations; they are witty and 
stronger words that make interactions interesting, humourous and full of 
meaningful interpretations.  

Also, Proverbs are short metaphorical sayings that centre on people’s
cultures. They sustain people’s interest and make them sometimes enjoy 
presentations beyond speculated time if it is exceeded. Proverbs, 
according to Yusuf (cited in Akporobaro etal 2010), is the pithy, concise, 
succinct, brief and terse practical expressions that project moral and 
ideological precepts. Egbe (2003) also affirms that proverbs are witty 
sayings, usually popular, pithy and very sensible and that they convey 
pieces of advice and warnings.  Egbe (2003) further adds, that Nigerian 
proverbs convey an air of authority and appeal to the fundamental laws of 
nature and that their predictions appear not to be opposed. Akporobaro 
(2006) states that a proverb is “an aphorism, a wise saying, based upon
people’s experience and that it is a reflection of the social values and
sensibility of the people” (69). Information Parlour, a sponsored online 
article, also observes that proverbs are the core of any culture, they help 
to guide the normal ways of life and form the centre of living a healthy 
life.  

Since everybody aspires to live a healthy lifestyle in all ramifications, it is 
therefore necessary that Annang proverbs are used to enliven its 
sustainability. To do this, it is important that every Annang speakers use 
Annang proverbs continuously and consciously both in formal and 
informal settings when necessary. They should also be taught as part of 
English studies right from primary schools so that by the time a child 



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enters secondary school, he should be able to master a good number of 
Annang proverbs that he can use easily in his interactions. Annang 
proverbs should also be used in social media to communicate with both 
Annang people and others.  

Annang proverbs are the rich proverbs used mainly by the Annang people 
who occupied the Eastern part of Nigerian, specifically, the South-South 
part of Nigeria, Akwa Ibom. Annang proverbs are quite unique because 
they are uttered in a typically beautified natural accent of the Annang 
people. These proverbs have reviving tendencies, encouragement, 
admonition; protective, corrective and preservative power for the people 
in Annang society and beyond. 

Over the years, Annang proverbs have not been revitalised and sustained 
because only elderly men and leaders in Annang community used them 
sparingly during their official meetings. Proverbs are said to be highly 
desirable among the leaders (Nairaland, 2019). This shows that proverbs 
are used by selected people; and if this continues, the rich Annang’s
proverbs may go into extinction. To revamp and strengthen the use of 
these proverbs, this paper recommends that every Annang speaker should 
use Annang proverbs in official and unofficial gathering (where 
necessary).  

The objectives of this paper are to identify Annang proverbs, analyse them 
and recommend ways of resuscitating and sustaining them for Ananng 
posterity and community. Annang proverbs will be presented in Nigerian 
English (NE) because the embedded meanings of Annang proverbs are 
better expressed in the variety of English that is very close to the culture 
of the people and in this context NE is the choice.  

The Concept of Nigerian English  

The existence of Nigerian English (NE) is no longer doubted in as much 
as new Englishes are in existence. English has spread to Nigeria; so, the 
variety used by Nigerians especially when they express themselves 
naturally is Nigerian English. Dazie (2004) avers that NE has come of age 
and its recognition as an international variety is a foregone conclusion. 
Adetugbo, (2004) observes that “it has long been recognized that the
English language in Nigerian has certain features that set it apart from 
other varieties of English.” Onyemelukwe and Alo (2015) state that the
concept of Nigerian English is no longer a controversy since it has been 



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widely explored by many outstanding linguists such as Bamgbose , Banjo, 
Adetugbo, Adegbija, Adejare , and  Akere. 

Walsh (cited in Ajani, 2007) was among the first category of people who 
first identify the existence of Nigerian English. He maintained that the 
variety of English spoken by educated Nigerians may be called Nigerian 
English. Confirming,Walsh’s disposition, Akere (2004) states that NE can
certainly be counted now as one of the “new Englishes” which have
emerged in  many parts of the world and which has also assumed 
distinctive characteristics of various socio-cultural environments within 
which they evolve. 

The English that exists in Nigeria and is widely spoken by almost all 
Nigerians at home and abroad is Nigerian English. It is the localized, 
nativised, widely accepted and spread language used by Nigerians in their 
daily interactions.  

Nigerian great writers such as Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka and Ola 
Rotimi incorporate Nigerian English in their literary works. Admitting the 
uniqueness of these Nigerian great writers, Ajeigbe (2004) observes that 
these writers use English in the full awareness that it is no longer just the 
language of Britain and United State but as a part of the linguistic heritage 
of many Nigerians. 

Akindele and Adegbite (1996 cited in Egwuwogu  2004) states that the 
variety of English that has developed into Nigeria non-native English 
situation is as a result of colonial imposition of the  language and the 
nature that English culture had on the country. They further state that the 
variety is not wholly native English and totally Nigerian but a blend of 
two of them, and this is what they call NE. 

Varieties of NE 

There are many varieties of Nigerian English based on dialectical 
differences, social differences, level of education, status and even political 
differences. Okoro (2004) observes that there are over 200 indigenous 
languages spoken in Nigerian and by implication there are over 200 
varieties of English. 

Okoro (2004) further states that there are distinct Nigerian Englishes based 
on the major ethnic groupings in the country, thus he mentions the Hausa, 
Yoruba, Efik , Igbo , Edo  and so forth variants as great varieties of 
Nigerian Englishes. Besides his geographical, educational and social 



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varieties, Okoro (2004) further observes that NE manifests greatly through 
phonology even among the majority of very highly educated Nigerian. 
Okoro (2004) further stresses that one can tell the part of the country a 
Nigerian comes from through that speaker’s accent of English. In the same
way, Adetugbo (2004) confirms that there are many varieties of English 
because features of native languages interfere on English; these, according 
to Adetugbo (2004) are they characteristics of NE.  

Similarly, Akere (2004) concludes that English has developed from its 
ordinary contact or trade language between the British and American 
merchants and slave dealers (on the one hand) and African middle men 
with others (on the other hand) into numerous varieties replete with 
linguistic, social and cultural features. This he calls NE. 

Considering the contributions of these great linguists above, the 
undeniable fact remains that NE exists and is effectively used in our day-
to-day interactions by Nigerians.  

Proverb Defined  

A proverb is a “short popular saying of unknown authorship, expressing
some general truth or superstition”(Akporobaro, 2006:49), Jegede (2008)
observes that proverbs are “dynamic mode o discourse with unique
identity” (182). Also, Adedun (2013) states that it is a wise, witty and
summarized expressions about life or a given situation. In addition, 
Ohwovoriolo and Joy (2014) observe that a proverb is a short esthetic 
saying that expresses truth, abstract idea or philosophical thoughts. They 
further state that it deals with larger issues and deeper meanings of life and 
events.  

The Importance of Proverbs 

Proverbs are very significant in any given society because of their unifying 
power to any society that uses them properly.  Its language is very 
sensitive and characterizes with imageries and allusions that are mainly 
based on cultural, social, environmental, economic and political life of the 
people. 

The essence of proverbs is numerous; however, some of them are to: 
i. Educate members of the community of the prevailing proverbs; 
ii. Warn erring members of the society of the impeding danger due 

to their wickedness or hardness of heart; 
iii. Present humourous delivery to the members of the society; 



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iv. Make delivery interesting;  
v. Sustain delivery; 
vi. Admonish people; 
vii. Persuade people to do so certain things that will be beneficial to 

them; 
vii. Encourage members of the society to do good things and 
viii. Lampoon societal abnormities with a view to correcting them. 

(source : author) 
Akporobaro (2006) observes that proverb has proved to be of great 
continuing relevance to modern man. He further adds that it has been and 
it will remain a most powerful and effective instrument for the 
transmission of culture, social morality, manners and ideas of a people 
from one generation to another. 

The Annang culture  

Many Annang communities are highly patriarchal; men are the mouth 
pieces of their wives. It is believed that a husband can speak for the wife, 
because what are in the hearts of the wives are easily revealed by their 
husbands. Also, it is not ideal for a woman to get up and start talking in 
the gathering of both men and women. She must be permitted to talk; and 
if her husband has already spoken before she shows interest in taking, she 
will be reminded that her husband has spoken her mind. Again, if she is 
the first to speak, opportunity will be given to the husband to do so; except 
he declines and it is very rare or not existing at all for a man to decline.  

The Origin of the Annang People 

The history of the Annang people can be traced to the Central Africa where 
they are said to have migrated into the Equatorial West Africa through 
Congo Basin. Udo (1983 cited in Afud Mbong Ikpaisong Annang 2008 ). 
The Annang people finally settled in the 3rd and 4th centuries BC at Eket. 
The Annangs are also believed to have migrated from their origin in Egypt 
and settled in Ghana before arriving in their  present area. The name 
Annang is said to have originated from Twi in Ghana and this means 
fourth son. The Annangs are said to have started their migration from 
Eygpt in about 7500BC (Ette 2008). Again, the Oral tradition also states 
that the ancestry of the Annangs is the Israelites from the North who left 
Israel to Egypt before Babylon was captured. The Annangs , according to 
Ette (2008) , are said to be the products  of marriages of the people of 
Israel and Egypt who migrated from Egypt to the Coastal Southeastern 
Nigeria through Ethiopia and Sudan.   



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Annang People  

The Annang people are fearless, bold, courageous, hardworking, neat and 
lovely people from the South-South, Nigeria; they have occupied their 
land for thousands of years.  The Annang people are special cultural group 
that reside precisely in Akwa Ibom State and Cross River State. They 
speak well and have the gift of eloquent speech (Nairaland, 2019, 
Pulse.ng 2019). The Annang people occupy eight local government areas 
in Akwa Ibom; and these are: Abak, Essien Udim, Etim Ekpo, Ika , Ikot 
Ekpene, Obot Akara, Oruk Anam and Ukanafun. They also reside in 
Akirika, Obi Ngwa in Abia State (where many of them speak Ibo 
language). Annang people are also found in many or all the States in 
Nigeria and abroad. 

The Annang people believe in Abasi-Ibom or Abasi- Enyong (the supreme 
being) and Abasi Ison also called Abasi Ipa- Isong. (the god of the earth). 
Some new breed Annang people solely worship the “Abasi Enyong” while
many old traditionalists, although many of them are elders in orthodox 
churches, still worship the Abasi Ipa-Isong. 

The major economic stays of the Annang people are farming, local crafts 
and trading and civil servicing (nairaland, 2019). As a result of their hard-
working nature, many Annang people are comfortable with their living 
conditions. It is very rare to see a typical Annang person begging for alms; 
it is not the tradition of the Annang people. 

In terms of education, the Annang people are highly educated now. It was 
in those days that they were used as servants to do menial jobs such as 
house helps and labour. In many Annang families there are  professors, 
doctors, masters’ holders, and others in various professions.  

Annang’ proverbs 

Annang proverbs are wise sayings that guide mainly the social and moral 
lifestyles of the Annang people.  There are many types of Annang 
proverbs. For me, Annang proverbs are grouped based on the functions 
they perform. They are resistible and irresistible proverbs, predictive and 
non-predictive proverbs, redeemable and irredeemable proverbs. The 
predictive proverbs are those that the speakers can forecast their outcomes 
while the non-predictive ones are those that the future occurrence cannot 
be known. The resistible proverbs are uttered to warn the intenders to resist 
from impending danger while the irresistible ones are those used in 
situations, where those addressed cannot resist the danger, even though 



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they want to. In other words, they are destined proverbs. The redeemable 
proverbs, as the name implies are those ones that can be remedied while 
the irredeemable means those that cannot be redeemed. This applies 
mainly to situations and not destinies as applied to irresistible cases.   

Theoretical framework  

Pragmatics  

Pragmatics is a subfield of linguistics that incorporates The Speech Act 
Theory, conversational implicature, talk in interaction and other 
approaches to language behavior, philosophy, sociology, linguistics and 
anthropology.  

Osisanwo (2003) observes that pragmatics includes the following: 

(i) the message being communicated; 
(ii) the participants involved in the message; 
(iii) the knowledge of the world which they share; 
(iv) the deductions to be made from the text on the basis of the 

context; 
(v) the implications of what is said or what is left unsaid; and 
(vi) the impact of the non-verbal aspect of interaction on meaning. 

(51) 

From the foregoing, context is very crucial in interpreting what is meant. 
Griffiths (2006) differentiating semantics from pragmatics, observes that 
if one deals with meaning without contexts, one is therefore doing 
semantics “but if there is a context to be brought into consideration” (6),
then one is engaged in pragmatics.  Mey (2001) avers that pragmatics 
extends its analysis of meaning beyond words, phrases, clauses and 
sentences. It also analyses the relationship between the participants and 
the background knowledge that participants bring into the situations under 
discourse. Pragmatics deals with the analysis of meanings in interactions. 
Griffiths (2006) submits that it is the study of utterance meaning.  

Pragmatics is relevant to our study because it centres on culture and our 
study is a typical research based on Annang people’s proverbs, an aspect
of Annnag’s culture. It is only a subset of pragmatics that is applicable to
this work; and these are its contexts, possible interpretations of utterances 
using the contextual information (i.e. explicatures) and implicatures of 
Annang proverbs.  

 



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Methodology 

This paper adopts two methods namely; telephone conversation and 
interview as its instruments for data collection. Telephone conversation 
was made to a research assistant who is an Annang lady; who resides in 
Ikot Ekpene. The researcher sent her research conversations to her through 
her Whatsup to the assistant’s Whatsup. The research assistant then 
converse with many Annang speakers and forwarded the conversations to 
the researcher who then pruned them, and randomly selected 10 proverbs 
from telephone conversations and 10 proverbs form the interview she (the 
researcher) conducted in Lagos where she resides.  

The Annang speakers from Ikot Ekpene (IK) constitute the sample for this 
study. The Annang people were selected because they are the original 
owners of Annang language. Being the bonafide owners of Annang 
language, they have in-depth knowledge of almost the neglected Annang 
proverbs in their language. Convenient Sampling technique and simple 
randomisation were applied to choose the respondents, the scope and the 
sample for this paper.   Data from the telephone conversation were coded 
and analyzed based on Pragmatics. In addition to this, responses from the 
interview were analyzed descriptively. The two sets of data were then used 
to answer the research questions.  

Data Presentation and Analysis: Excerpts from Telephone 
Conversations and interview 

Data are first presented in Annang before they are translated in Nigerian 
English and analysed using Pragmatics. Arabic numerals are used for data, 
“NET” (Nigerian English Translation) is used for translation in Nigerian 
English and “Ana” is used for analysis. All the participants are Annang
speakers. The semantic or literal meanings of each Annang proverb 
provide the bases for their explicatures and implicatures.  

1. Awo akute uruk-ikot ke iso essien mkpok idun amo , 
abohiyo akpon anun amanake abo ke ibeheke emo, 
idionoke ibo k’uruk-ikot ade asana aka esit ufok amo.  

NET: He who sees a live snake in his neighbour’s compound and passes
by does not know that that snake is moving directly to his living room. 

Ana: This proverb is usually said to those who are not concerned about 
the difficulties that others are passing through.  The linguistic context 
shows the utterance between two people, a concerned person to a carefree 



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individual. The non-linguistic context is that the use of snake indicates any 
unpleasant situation which can occur to anyone at any time. The 
background knowledge comes in here because the speaker is an 
experienced person who knows exactly what life offers. 

The implicature of this utterance is to deter the listener from putting a 
nonchalant attitude toward others. The speaker of this has a cordial 
relationship with the listener. The listener may infer that the speaker has 
either positive or negative intention toward him or her. 

2. Etono ke uyen edion ayop adiye eti ayan. 

NET: The palm fronds that would be good for making brooms start being 
good from the tender age. 

Ana: The “palm fronds” stands for people, things or objects. The Annangs
believe that any person that will make it in life must start doing well in his 
or her childhood. If things work out well at its inception, it is believed that 
it will end well. This proverb actually violates the belief that one cannot 
predict the future.  The implication of this is that it discourages waste of 
time and encourages people to do the right thing at the right time. The 
listeners may give both positive and negative inferences to this. On the 
one hand, if the person spoken to has already found some things 
irredeemable in his/her life, he/she may feel that there is no way out for 
him/her. On the other hand, a young person who has made it in life will be 
happy to conclude that all will be well throughout his life time; this is a 
typical pragmatic disambiguation displayed in this proverb. 

3. Ndiyon akabak isan ikpon, anye  adad uwak ntokayen. 

NET:     Plantain was afraid of walking alone; so, when it was the time 
for it to come to the   world, it came with plenty children. 

Ana:  “Ndiyon” is a unique Annang’s word; a typical Ibibio man or 
woman, for instance, will pronounce it as “Ukom”. The pronunciation
of “Ukom” is quite different from Annang’s “ndiyon” ; the articulation of
“Ndiyon” is embellished with beauty, weight, interest, homour and
meaning. “Ndiyon’ has a multifunctional interpretations depending on it 
linguistic, non-linguistic and social contexts. It could stand for a married 
person, a project at hand or any person. If it refers to a married person who 
is still expecting children in the marriage, it may cause anxiety but if it 
refers to a person who has children, such a person will be fulfilled.  Its 
implicature therefore, is for those concerned to have productivities; and 



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the inferences can be both positive and negative depending on the 
listeners. 

4. Nti ofon isisioho uyo k’akebe; ndio ese sio 

NET: Good clothes do not make noises in the box; the worst ones do so. 

Ana: This proverb has an inherent pragmatic disambiguation; it is always 
uttered to those who are either proud or haughty. Its implicature is to 
remind the proud ones of their emptiness with a view to preventing them 
from doing so. The listener may interpret it for jealousy or takes it as a 
warning to desist from pride.  

5. Nko awo akpapa anye aboko atibe eyen 

NET: It is only when someone dies that he or she can boast of having two 
eyes. 

Ana:  This proverb means that it is only the dead that are precluded from 
calamities. Its implicature is that one should be ready to face any form of 
trouble anytime in life. This is one of the predicative proverbs prevalent 
in Ananng community. Its intention is to make people ready to face 
problems especially death.   

6. Ebu ufok asekedoko ebu ikot abo k’ndidia mmo ke akobod
asine 

NET: It is the inside rat that goes outside to inform the outside rats that 
there is food in the cupboard.  

Ana: This is one of the predictable, irredeemable and irresistible proverbs; 
clearly issued to ingrates who reward their benefactors negatively. The 
implication of this is to reprimand the evil doers to refrain from evil.  

7. Ubono, ubono afid ifono akani iba 

NET: It is not good to shit purging shits twice. 

Ana: This means that disgraceful situations are not good to be repeated.  
This leads to different explicatures. First, if the addressee is already facing 
a shameful situation, he will probably interpret this as, “this is very
shameful; don’t allow it to happen again.” Secondly, if the addressee is
not experiencing a scandalous situation, it may mean that he is reminded 
to be careful so that he doesn’t’ engage in any despicable situation.   

 



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8. Ese ekere ebo ke nsad eto adi ito ikpa, ede nsek ato akpa 

NET: People always think that it is the dry branch of a plant that will first 
die but the freshly parts are those that will first die. 

Ana:  The pragmatic interpretation of this proverb means that what people 
do not always expect are what normally happen to them. This proverb has 
innumerable contexts that fit into the proverbs. The implicature of this is 
for the addressee to always prepare for the unusual. He can infer from here 
that he should comport himself very well when the unexpected occurs. He 
can also interpret it to mean that the unanticipated can happen to anyone 
at anytime. So the contexts in which this proverb occurs facilitate its 
disambiguation 

9. Ayen amana ke isong urua, ete eka fot  ukot 

NET: The baby is already born in the market place; they now tell the 
mother to cover her legs.  

Ana: This is a lamentable proverb over a painful experience that cannot 
be remedied.  This proverb can be uttered any time an irredeemable 
occurance takes place. The “baby” here represents any ugly situation. The
implicature is that the addressee has to accept the situation; the intention 
of the addresser is to ensure that the addressee realises the pathetic 
condition he or she finds himself or herself. The addressee may infer that 
the addresser sympathises with him or he is realistic about the addressee’s
irredeemable condition.  

10. Edim akpan iwan, ikpanna urua 

NET: Rain normally stops people from going to the farm and not those 
who are going to the market. 

Ana: The explicature of “farm” here could mean any significant event
while “the market” is an unimportant event or activity. “Rain” is any
obstacle or discouragement that may hamper the smooth advancement of 
an individual. This proverb is always uttered by a speaker himself or 
herself as a source of encouragement to forge ahead.  

11. Awo nkara nkara, abasi nkara nkara 

NET: A cunny man normally meets a cunning god. 

Ana: It is an irresistible proverb for dubious people to stop their crooked 
activities. It spells out the retributions for evil. It’s semantic interpretation



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means that whatever anyone sows that will he reap or a biblical expression, 
“ an eye for an eye, or tooth for tooth ” (Exodus 21:24) . The context of
cruelty denotes the level of punishment that the addressee will be made to 
go through. The “cunning god” here could mean any context that will
relinquish punishment for a wicked person. 

12. Awo aseke fehe nkpo asekewot ndon awo anannake ayin 

NET: It is always the coward that points the dilapidated compound of the 
fearless man to people. 

Ana: The explicatures of this proverb are multifunctional, the word 
“coward” can be referred to careful people, hardworking individual,
visionaries, planners, etc. They are said to be those whose dreams, works, 
visions, plans and activities are going to last longer than the haughty and 
visionless people.  The implicature is that the sender intends to encourage 
people to be positive and be creative thinkers and doers.   

13. Awo awotowo ke ofut adipa ke ofun.  

NET: Whoever kills by matchets will die by matchets 

Ana:  The pragmatic interpretation of this expression is that anyone who 
thinks of evil against another person shall also encounter evil.  The 
implicature is to discourage people from occupying their minds with 
negative thoughts. 

14. Awo asinne afia ke abasin adidiono ananga asana asio 
afia do.  

NET: He who puts a trap inside a basket will be the person who will know 
how to remove it. 

Ana: This also has possible multifunctional interpretations depending on 
the contexts; for example, if it is used for a man who has impregnated a 
lady without paying the bride price, the parents of the lady may use this 
proverb for the man to explain to him that the same way he impregnated 
the lady, will be the same way that he will meet them to pay the bride price 
and at the same time helps the lady to be delivered of the baby safely.  The 
implicature is to remind people that whatever negative things they do, they 
will be the ones that will correct or amend them; so they should not venture 
into them. 

 



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15. Akepde mma diono mmo ke ufok ito adi kappa urua, mkpa 
kesine ufa iba 

NET: If I had known that toilet will become a public market place, I will 
have won a new pant 

Ana: This proverb also has many explicatures depending on its contexts 
which are quite unique. It is a lamentable proverb, literarily interpreted as 
, “Had I Known.” It is a self-directed proverb, uttered to indicate the 
regrettable state of the speaker. For instance, if the speaker suddenly 
becomes partially rich as a result of the little efforts he puts into his 
business, he may utter this proverbs to lament his irreversible situation. Its 
intention is to show self-encouragement for better productivity. 

16. Nyen udon asetie ke nte eka atie 

NET: The pestle always sits where its mother sits. 

Ana: The “pestle” here means the loyalists or one’s children, relatives or
friends. The intention is to encourage unity and togetherness. The 
addressees will be encouraged to be supportive. 

17. Awo abiahake nnan abeneidem adide nnam. 

NET: He who cheats the blind is preparing to be blind. 

Ana: This means that people should not ill-treat the less privileged ones 
because there are laws of distributive judgment. Its implicature is to deter 
people from being evil. 

18. Afon ebobob ubok emum ntatam mbak edibom idip 

NET: It is good to fold one’s hands very well when one holds a cricket in
order not to burst out its stomach.  

Ana: This means that one needs to be very careful when dealing with or 
handling crucial issues/matters in order not to complicate the issues. Its 
implication is to enable people to be very careful in dealing with complex 
issues.  

19. k’ito ke anunune afid unen yak ewa aketibe ayen. 

NET: It should not be as a result of the hen’s smelling shits that a dog 
suddenly loses it eyes. 



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191

Ana: This proverb also has innumerous interpretations; for example, it 
means that one should not get hurt in an attempt to settling other people’s
disputes. Its intention is to call for wisdom in settling cases. 

20. k’ukpon ufiat ke iba owo nwen.  

NET: Don’t be excessively fat (obsessive) in other people pants. 

Ana: This proverb has several pragmatic meanings; for example, it can be 
used to a mother in-law who takes over the management of her son’s
family as if it were hers or to a sister, who, instead of getting married, 
confiscates her father’s property as if it were hers. The daughter-in-law, 
for example, may tell the mother-in-law that she should not control her 
and her husband.  This is intended to make people know that they should 
have total control of their property and not that of others. 

Findings 

From the analyses of Annang proverbs, the following findings were made: 

i. Annang proverbs are mainly multifunctional and unique; each 
can be interpreted in different contexts to mean different things 
depending on the participants. 

ii. Annang proverbs are harmonious and purgative ; capable of  
making people excited and removing burdens from the listeners. 

iii. Annang proverbs can function as encouragement agents to 
someone who faces distractions or difficulties. 

iv. Annang proverbs are replete with inherent pragmatic 
disambiguation.  

v. Some Annang proverbs have only two interpretations, for the 
good and the bad. 

vi. Many Annang proverbs are mainly used to warn people to desist 
from evil in order to avoid danger or impending doom.  

vii. Few proverbs are self-directed proverbs aimed at checking self 
activities. 

Conclusion and Recommendations  

The Annangs, the second largest ethnic group of people located in the 
eight local governments in AkwaIbom, are cultural group of people who 
are endowed with the gift of good and organised speeches. Their speeches 
are embellished with innate orations and proverbs of which renditions are 
always harmonious, interesting and replete with semantic and pragmatics 
interpretations. This work investigates the Annang’s proverbs with a view



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to indicating that Annangs’ cultural heritages may be rejuvenated and
strengthened through the usage of these proverbs.  The study recommends 
that Annang proverbs should be used constantly and consistently in 
necessary official and unofficial contexts. It also recommends that there 
should be a paradigm shift from its usage mainly by the elders and leaders 
to its usage by everybody including the women and the youth; it is 
believed that its usage may attempt to revitalise and sustain the rich 
Annang proverbs.   

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Appendix 1: Excerpt from one of the Telephone conversations 
Section A: Preliminary section 
The Researcher : Hello! 
The Respondent: Hello! 
The Researcher: How are you? 
The Respondent: Hello, I am fine  
The Research: Please I will like to discuss with you based on the previous 
interactions will had on the information about my research work. 
The respondent: Hello,  
The Researcher: Are you ready to respond to my conversations 
The Respondent: Yes, of course 
The researchers’ conversations are found in sections B and C below. 
 
Section B: Nigerian English  
Please answer “Yes” or “No” from these (closed)questions  

SN STATEMENTS Yes No 
1. Is there Nigerian English?   
2. Do you prefer Nigerian English to British 

English? 
  

3. Do you consider Nigerian users of Nigerian 
English as illiterates? 

  

4. Is Nigerian English spoken by many Nigerians in 
your locality? 

  

5. Do you enjoy when people use Nigerian English?   
 
Section C: Annang Proverbs 
Open Questions 

S/N STATEMENTS 

6. Annang proverbs have not been fully used by Annang people 

7. Annang proverbs add humour to speeches   

8. People are interested and satisfied when they listen to Annang 
proverbs 

9 It is ideal to just speak in plain language rather than using Annang 
proverbs  

10. Annang proverbs help us to sustain speeches 



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Appendix 2: (Except from one of the interviewees)  
Name : Mrs Roseline Pius 
Age: 45 
Language: Annang  
The researcher: Do you use proverbs in your daily interactions? 
The interviewee: No, but I use it rarely 
The researcher: Why 
Interviewee: Ikpo wo ese etata iko (Proverbs are meant for the elders) 
The Researcher: How do you get the proverbs that you sometimes use? 
The interview: Ami nde ayen yen obong ( I am from the descendant of the 
King) 
The Researcher:  Can you tell me some of the proverbs that you think may go 
into extinction if not utilize daily? 
Annang proverbs collected through interview and their interpretations are 
shown in the table below  

SN Annang proverbs Interpretations 
i. Ubok mum, ubok mum anye 

aben ekpat 
Collective effort or team work results 
in fast productivity 

ii Aboboho afid ifono akaniba It is not good to be disgraced 
repeatedly 

iii. Nko awo akpapa anye aboko 
atibe eyen 

Until someone dies before he is freed 
from calamities in the world. 

 
 
 

 
 


