Hausa folktale: a veritable tool for linguistic and moral development

Abstract

The practice of folktales exists in time and place, and they are also influenced by the nature of society and by the language and contacts made by the people. In every Hausa society, folktales are created and developed over a period of time. Using a contextual analysis, this paper discusses the role of folktales in linguistic and literary development in the Hausa community. Specifically, this paper explores the contributions of the Hausa folktale in promoting communicative competence, listening skills cultural and moral development in the Hausa community. In addition, the paper explains that the Hausa folktale deals with almost every aspect of human endeavors, such as politics, economic, socio-cultural, and traditional life of the Hausa people. Samples of Hausa tales are presented, analyzed, and discussed. The paper concludes that the importance of folktales to educational development and societal reconstruction along with moral, ethical, spiritual, social, economic, and political implications, is yet to be given much-needed consideration.