LEVERAGING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO ENHANCE THE SOCIAL FUNCTION OF FOLK POETRY: A SOCIOSTYLISTIC STUDY OF A YORÙBÁ FOLKSONG

Abstract

Yorùbá folk poetry, the verbal art identified with the Yorùbá people mostly domiciled in the southwestern geopolitical region of Nigeria, serves vital social functions, including the transmission of cultural values, preservation of communal memory, moral education and the reinforcement of identity. However, threatened by several factors, including globalisation, linguistic erosion and shifting modes of communication, the verbal art is going into extinction. This sociostylistic study thus explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can facilitate the revitalisation, preservation and dissemination of Yorùbá folk poetry. Sociostylistics studies the stylistic features of linguistic forms with focus on the relationship between language and society. This makes it an essential framework for analysing Yorùbá folk poetry, which is inherently tied to cultural and social contexts. Focusing on Jimi Solanke’s “Ba Rẹ Ní J’oyè”, a Yorùbá folksong purposively selected, the study examines the sociostylistic properties of Yorùbá folk poetry and how AI tools can help preserve these features. Sociostylistics will also provide insight into the social functions of language in Yorùbá folk poetry, such as education, moral instruction and community cohesion. The study highlights AI’s potential to enhance accessibility, foster intergenerational dialogue and support the dynamic evolution of oral traditions, while safeguarding their cultural integrity. By employing natural language processing, machine learning and generative AI models, traditional poetic forms can be digitised, translated and adapted for educational and cultural platforms. Ultimately, the study argues that AI, when ethically and contextually deployed, can be effective in sustaining the social relevance of Yorùbá folk poetry in the digital age.