“NONSENSICAL SYLLABLE”? AN INQUIRY INTO ITS RATIONAL IN SUB-SAHARA AFRICAN

Abstract

In an interview for post of lecturer, one of the interviewers (Lecturer of History and
International Studies) said: “As an African child I enjoy and value folk songs especially those
that feature what I later found that people in music call „nonsensical syllable‟. What is your
view of this terminology?” He asked me. This paper is an elaborate researched version of the
author‟s response. It presents a new perspective towards rethinking and appropriating the
erroneous term – “nonsensical syllable”. The arguments are validated using relevant
folksongs of Aniocha people of Delta State, Nigeria to elucidate the discussion. The result of
this research paper is significant for discussing and developing contemporary analysis,
theory, terminology that portray the rational of African music.