The Semiosis of Pet Naming in Yoruba and Igbo Cultures

Abstract

This work relates to the study of human-animal relations, which enjoys popular attention in the field of social sciences, socio-biology, psychology and veterinary science. Using semiotic framework, the paper analyses the discursive performances in pet naming narratives in south-western and south-eastern Nigeria. Analyzed from two semiotic levels, those of manifestation and depth, the findings show that pet naming, in addition to being a discourse of zoomorphic address, is a type of social script that is geared toward transforming the states of deficiency, deprivation, hatred, greed and general moral atrophy in the society.