Debranding through Prevarication in the Linguistic Market Place: A Study of Selected Products in Onitsha
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60787/jolan.vol28no1.437Keywords:
Phonotactics, Marketplace, Prevarication, Cloning, Branding, IdentityAbstract
This article investigates the ways cloners debrand products through prevarication. Prevarication is a feature in human language used in misinforming people. Cloners debrand products in the linguistic market place to deceive buyers. The study aims to examine linguistic strategies employed in cloning products taking into account morphophonological processes and phonotactic positions of sounds. It also evaluates buyers’ perceptions of these products. Schmitt (2012) consumer brand model and Bourdieu (1991) linguistic market theory provided the theoretical contexts for the study. Survey design was used in selecting Onitsha as the area of study. The work employed market survey method and four markets were randomly selected for the study. Data were collected on products such as T-Shirts, shoes, sandals, canvass, face caps, belts and wrist watches. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used for the data analysis. Findings showed most cloned products
were T-Shirts, Face Caps, Shoes and Canvas, Sandals, Belts and Watches. The analysis shows the activation of morphophonological processes such as insertion, deletion, substitution and metathesis in facilitating brand identity theft, and findings attested to phonotactics of segments. The study concludes that because debranding weakens trademark protection and undermines a company’s credibility, adequate policies should be put in place by the government to eliminate distrust in the market environment.
References
Abel, D. (2021). Quality management in developing economies. International Journal of Quality Science, 2(4), 272–291.
Adegbija, E. (2004). The domestication of English in Nigeria. In S. Awonusi & E. Babalola (Eds.), The domestication of English in Nigeria (pp. 20–44). University of Lagos Press.
Ahulu, S. (1999). The evaluation of errors and 21st century structure and usage. English Today, 15(3), 33–39.
Baker, M. (2005). An overview of the marketing concept. In Marketing concepts and strategies, 25(2), 1–17.
Bamgbose, A. (1982). Standard Nigerian English: Issues of identification. In B. B. Kachru (Ed.), The other tongue: English across cultures (pp. 95–111). University of Illinois Press.
Bourdieu, P. (1991). Linguistic marketplace theory. In J. Thompson (Ed.), Language and symbolic power (pp. 213–213). Polity Press.
Carnevale, M., Luna, D., & Lerman, D. (2017). Brand linguistics: A theory-driven framework for the study of language in branding. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 34(2), 572–591.
Chiluwa, I. (2002). The “Nigerianess” of SMS text-messages in English. Journal of the Nigerian English Studies Association, 3(1), 95–109.
Doyle, P. (2001). Building value-based branding strategies. Journal of Strategic Management Marketing, 9(1), 255–264.
Pereltsvaig, A. (2023). Languages of the world: An introduction. Cambridge University Press.
Ekpe, M. B. (2025). Linguistics and other disciplines. In F. Angrey & I. Inyabri (Eds.), The arts and other disciplines: Studies in the discipline of arts and their relationship with other disciplines (pp. 68–78). University of Calabar Press.
Ekpe, M. B. (2006). Glocalization of English lexis in Nigeria. Calabar Journal of Liberal Studies, 9(1), 29–40.
Egbokhare, O. (2006). Copying the master: Linguistic strategies in imitation name branding. In O. Egbokhare & C. Kolawole (Eds.), Globalization and the future of African languages (Vol. 1, pp. 207–215). Ibadan Cultural Study Group.
Ezeanochie, C., & Onu, G. (2014). Standard Organisation of Nigeria’s fight against substandard goods and its impact on the Nigerian economy. International Journal of Arts, Language and Business, 13(1), 1–16.
Hudson, R. A. (1996). Sociolinguistics. Cambridge University Press.
Lukose, A., Cleetus, R. S., Divya, H., Saravanakumar, T. M., & Jose, J. (2024). Exploring the intersection of brands and linguistics: A comprehensive bibliometric study. International Review of Management and Marketing, 15(1), 257–271.
Musonda, N., & Siame, P. (2025). The impact of language on branding: A comprehensive analysis. Journal of Linguistic Exploration, 2(1), 31–46.
Nadeem, S. N. (2017). Ethical issues in marketing: Challenges and solutions. International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews, 4(3), 766–771.
Ochia, K. (2022). Onitsha: The largest market in Nigeria—One of the largest in West Africa. In Marketplace trade and West African urban development (pp. 49–80). Palgrave Macmillan.
Ofule, C., & Ekpe, M. (2009). Introduction to linguistics. National Open University Press.
Osei-Tutu, J. (2018). Harmonizing culture IP across borders: Fashionable bags and outcomes of attitudes towards counterfeits of luxury brands. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 7(11), 10–15.
Phau, I., & Teah, T. (2015). Devil wears (counterfeit) Prada: A study of antecedents and outcomes of attitudes towards counterfeits of luxury brands. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 32(3), 176–189.
Resai, D. (2012). From trademarks to brands. Florida Law Review, 64(4), 1–64.
Schmitt, B. (2012). The consumer psychology of brands. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 22(1), 7–17.
Tom, G., Garibaldi, B., Zeng, Y., & Pilcher, J. (1998). Consumer demand for counterfeit goods. Journal of Psychology and Marketing, 15(5), 405–421.
Yang, S., & McConkie, G. (2001). Eye movements during reading: A theory of saccade initiation times. Vision Research, 41, 3567–3585.
Yule, G. (2006). The study of language. Cambridge University Press.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of The Linguistic Association of Nigeria
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
