Deciphering the Cosmopolitan Characters of Some Selected Ilorin’s Compound Names: An Assessment of the Cultural and Linguistic Continuity, 1807-1900

Abstract

This study examines the linguistic and cultural continuities that are replicated in
existing compound names. It also focuses on the cultural and linguistic diversity in
Ilorin’s compound naming system. The study adopts a historical research method
relying mainly on both primary and secondary sources. The secondary sources
include textbooks, journals, official documents from the Ilorin study centres, while
primary sources include oral Interviews with people of cultural and linguistic
backgrounds of the compounds selected. The purpose sampling was adopted to select
compounds that demonstrate clear linguistic or cultural imprints of these diverse
groups, ensuring that each selected name provides meaningful insights into Ilorin's
cosmopolitan character. This approach allows the study to compare variations in
naming patterns, identify cross-cultural influences and highlight continuities in
language use. The study argues that the compound names found across Ilorin between
1807 and 1900 are not merely labels of residential spaces but important cultural and
linguistic signposts that reveal the city’s long-standing cosmopolitan character. By
examining selected compound names, the paper demonstrates that the coexistence
and interaction of Yoruba, Fulani, Hausa, and Nupe groups, shaped by the Sokoto
Jihad, migration, and settlement patterns, produced a distinctive naming culture that
preserved elements of each group’s language, identity, and social relations. The
analysis contends that these compound names embody enduring evidence of
intercultural exchange, hybrid identities, and the continuity of Ilorin’s multicultural
heritage during the nineteenth century.