Personal Names: An Ethno-Pragmatic Study of Basa Death Prevention Strategy

This paper investigates personal naming practice as a strategy for preventing death among the Basa people of North-Central Nigeria, from the socio-cultural perspective, that is, it seeks to identify and analyze certain names and naming pattern as a strategy in preventing infant mortality. In this language, death prevention names can generate and maintain some level of assurance and security that is vital for the survival of a child given the belief that certain spiritual forces are responsible for incessant child mortality. These names are believed to link the bearer with their past, ancestors and deities. The quantitative approach was used with the study population as well as introspection to elicit the primary data supplemented by school registers in the study area. The secondary data were obtained via the onomastic literature. Different factors are responsible for the bestowal of the first name, but this study focuses only on those influenced by death, particularly, those used to appeal to ancestors, deities and those used to taunt or dare death. The study discovered that personal naming among the Basa people goes beyond mere personal labels to telling stories that index various social and psychological factors and circumstances surrounding the family and the birth of the name bearer, sometimes, these names serve as appellations and a means of communication to the interpelled who are usually ancestors or