NIGERIAN NAMES AS ENACTMENTS OF THE HUMAN ESSENCE: AN ANALYSIS OF TIV PERSONAL NAMES

The act of naming is a medium for conceptual using and interpreting human experience which constitute the human perception of the world. As a means of asserting humanity, names act as a device for conceptualization and assigning nomenclature to experiences and perceptions of human beings. Through the act ol naming, humanity is enact being and engages the universe. This paper, attempts to explain one of the ways through which die human essence is expressed through an act of language, which is naming. The paper therefore, addresses the phenomenon of naming as a means through which humanity enacts being in Tiv language.