Dr. Abisoye Eleshin

Person
Priorities

Short Bio

My area of study is African languages and linguistics. My Ph.D. is in Yorùbá (Linguistics), with focus on morphology, and particularly nominalisation. I am presently a Research Fellow at the Institute of African and Diaspora Studies, University of Lagos, Nigeria. I am also a Principal Investigator in the Africa Multiple, Cluster of Excellence in African Studies (Knowledges RS), University of Lagos. My other research interests include African language documentation, and language use in African studies research. Presently, I have a University of Lagos grant of the a research title: Yoruba Indigenous Advertisement: A sociolinguistic Approach. Also, I am a member of the research team that is working on the languages and documentation of Yoruba folktales, a research funded by the African Cluster Centre of the University of Bayreuth. I teach courses in aspects of African languages including language family of Africa, structure and features of African languages. In my spare time, I write plays with focus on African sociocultural past events, I have also done some researches in translation studies.

Selected Publications

Effect of Gender on Language Use in Yoruba Indigenous Advertising in African and Diaspora Discourse, Journal of the Institute of African and Diaspora Studies, UNILAG, 2020.
Prefix Productivity by Tongue Height in Standard Yoruba. In Journal of Linguistics, Association of Nigeria, JOLAN Supplement III, 2018.
Negation and Nominalisation in Standard Yorùbá. Ihafa, Journal of African Studies, Department of Linguistics, African and Asian Studies, University of Lagos, Nigeria. Vol. 9, No. 1, June 2018
Aspects of Prefixation in Yorùbá: The Harmonic Interaction. In Current Studies in Yorùbá Culture, Language and Literature: Festschrift in Honour of Professor Olugboyega Alaba, Department of Linguistics, African and Asian Studies, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria, 2017.
Ìhun àti Ìtumọ̀ Orúkọ Àṣẹ̀dá Yorùbá nípa Àfòmọ́ Ìbẹ̀rẹ̀. (Trsl.) Structure and Semantics of Derived Nominals by Prefixation in Yoruba. Láàńgbàsà, Nọmba 19, University of Lagos, 2014/2015.

To access the lecture by Dr. Eleshin, please click here.

Project Description

Reevaluating the Knowledge of Demarcation in a Bi-dialectal Speech Community of Epe, Lagos, Nigeria

This project examines the bi-dialectal situation of Epe with the intention of making a statement about the dialect situation of the speech environment. There are two different groups with different two fifferent dialects of Yoruba language in Epe. This research is geared at setting and establishing the knowledge of a dialectal demarcation which contradicts the normal process of diglossia in which one dialect dominates over another. Also, the research will check if there is a possible hybrid dialect that has evolved as a result of the relationship between the two dialects. The study adopts diachronic approach as one of the template of analysing the dialects. This is necessary in order to be able to trace the historical development of the dialects and the reason why they possess their present features in the community. Apart from the social factors that can be said to be responsible for the maintenance of the demarcation, linguistic factors that contribute to the distinctiveness of language variants including phonology; syntax; semantics; phono-morphology and morphosyntax interfaces will be analysed. The reason for the above is to examine the reason why one variant of the language is not able to spread to the entire community. The outcome of the research will reflect on the various adjoining factors that could determine the status of dialects when they coexist with the view of creating an impression in the aspect of language inquiry in African Studies.