A SOCIOLINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF THE ROLE OF PROVERBS IN REFLECTING SOCIETY IN ROTIMI’S <i>THE GODS ARE NOT TO BLAME</i>

This study is a sociolinguistic analysis of the use of proverbs in The gods are Not to Blame by Ola Rotimi. The study examines the sociolinguistic functions of proverbs in Ola Rotimi's text with particular attention to how these oral forms reflect and construct Yoruba societal values, norms, and social relationships. While proverbs are widely acknowledged as multifunctional communicative devices in African literary traditions, limited research has systematically analyzed their role in dramatizing social structures and communal ideologies. Drawing on thirty-one purposively selected proverbs from the play, this study employs Dell Hymes' Ethnography of Communication framework, specifically the SPEAKING model, to analyze how Rotimi's strategic deployment of Yoruba proverbs enacts cultural truths, justifies actions, conveys advice, negotiates social hierarchies, issues warnings, and articulates social commentaries. The analysis reveals that proverbs function not merely as decorative linguistic ornaments but as dynamic vehicles for indigenous knowledge transmission, reflections of communal identity, commentaries on social justice, articulations of leadership principles, negotiations of power dynamics, and expressions of social conflict. The study demonstrates the essential function of proverbs in dramatizing social attitudes and strengthening cultural affinity, ultimately portraying how language simultaneously reflects and shapes social cohesion, cultural continuity, and communal values in African dramatic literature.