Lexical indices of patriarchal ideology in Yoruba popular music

The representation of women in Yoruba popular discourse reflects entrenched patriarchal values that sustain unequal gender hierarchies. Àyìnlá Ọmọwúrà’s Apàlà music, though widely celebrated as entertainment, also operates as a discursive site where dominant perceptions of gender are constructed and legitimised. While previous scholarship has examined Yoruba music in terms of performance, aesthetics, and social commentary, little attention has been given to the ideological power of lexical choices in shaping gender identities. This study investigates how women are discursively represented in selected Àpàlà lyrics of Àyìnlá Ọmọwúrà, with focus on the lexical indices through which patriarchal ideology is encoded. Using Van Dijk’s socio-cognitive model of Critical Discourse Analysis, three songs that explicitly foreground women were purposively selected. The selected songs are: Agídí ò ṣé ló’lé ọkọ, Ìṣé Ilé and 25x40. The analysis examined lexicalisation strategies such as naming, adjectives, and metaphors, as well as transitivity structures that define agency and passivity. Findings reveal recurrent patterns of derogatory lexicalisation in which women are portrayed as stereotyped threat to morality and marriage, disruptors, objectified and dehumanised beings, and passive recipients of men’s authority; while men are consistently constructed as providers, disciplinarians, and custodians of order. Women’s agency is largely limited to negative actions, whereas men’s roles are framed as positive and corrective. Metaphors of disease, danger, and animality further dehumanise women, positioning them as destabilising forces within households and society. The study concludes that Àyìnlá Ọmọwúrà’s Apàlà is not merely artistic expression but a vehicle of ideology that sustains patriarchal dominance and normalises women’s subordination. By highlighting the ideological force of lexical choices, the research underscores the role of Yoruba music in perpetuating gender inequality.