A PROJECT SUBMITTED TO TH E DEPARTMENT OF MODERN EUROPEAN LANGUAGES AND LING UISITCS, FACULTY OF ARTS AND ISLAMIC STUDIES, USMANU DAN FODIYO UNVIERSITY, SOKOTO.

Abstract

Language is learned, shared, and it is an arbitrary system of vocal symbols through which human beings in the same speech community or sub-culture interact and hence communicate in terms of their common experience and expectations. Sociolinguistics is the study of any or all aspect of the society, including cultural norms, values and beliefs. This research set out to carry out a sociolinguistic analysis of the proverbs in Chinua Achebe's "Thing Fall Apart". The sociolinguistic analysis of the selected proverbs was carried out using the Dell Hymes' Ethnographic acronym model. Sociolinguistics is a veritable tool in analysing and understanding of oral tradition peculiar to people of various cultures.