Discourse Analysis of Rituals and Embodied Language Surrounding Child Birth in Akoosè

Cultural beliefs and practices find expressions through rituals. Birth is a rite of passage and children are perceived as special gift from the Supreme Being. As such, pregnancy and childbirth are special events cherished and celebrated through varied rituals in different cultures worldwide. Thus, pregnancy and childbirth are not only biological events, but also socially and culturally constructed with associated symbols that represent the social identities and cultural values of the Bakossi people of the South West Region of Cameroon who speak Akoosè language and use it during such rituals. Ritual and language are greatly related. This paper aims to explore the embodied language of ritual after child birth in Akoosè and people’s possession of a sacred but rare ability to use language in a peculiar way to orthodox linguistic norms especially while looking at Birth Songs, burying of the placenta, incantations and the language during libation while welcoming the child home. The ritual language used is an essential aspect that reflects the values and customs of the people given the variations in the language used like the use of metaphors, proverbs and other literary devices, giving the ceremony a poetic and symbolic feel. Language which is one of the principal issues in this study is defined by Sone, (2016) as a systematic means which human beings use in the communication of thoughts, ideas, values, norms and feelings. Data realized is through Tape and video recordings and participant observation. It is assumed that the custodians of the spoken discourse, is far more than mere use of words, rather it is a linguistically significant variety when studied within the Akoosè /Akɔ́ɔ́sè/context.