A synta-onomastic analysis of Yorùbá nicknames of selected English Premier League football clubs

The main thrust of this research is to analyse the use of nicknames as an instrument of banter among fans of the English Premier League and sportscasters in Yorubaland. The aim of this research is to examine if the use of these names is parasitic or symbiotic to the Yoruba language and culture. Data for this research work were gathered from both primary and secondary sources, which include interviews and recordings of football fans’ conversations in selected viewing centres in Ibadan, Ilorin, and Malete towns, as well as gathering data from media sources, which include BBC Yoruba and Splash 105.5 FM Ibadan through their Meta accounts. The theory adopted for this research is the socio-onomastic theory, which sees a name as a social construct. From this research, it was discovered that syntactically, Yoruba nicknames of English Premier League clubs can be classified into nominal class and sentence class. Socio-onomastically, it was discovered that Yoruba nicknames of English Premier League clubs can be classified into Colour and symbol, Yoruba folklore, Clubs’ current form, Club history and Place and personal names. It was also discovered that Yoruba socio-cultural beliefs, which include belief in destiny and predestination, the concept of “Orí” ‘head’ in Yoruba cosmology, as well as other cultural practices such as the system of government, religion, etc., are embedded in Yoruba nicknames for English Premier League Clubs. In conclusion, Yoruba nicknames perform a symbiotic role between football and the Yoruba language and culture..