In recent years there has been a growing awareness of the importance of studying language in its

meaning in context of use. Many scholars from different areas of linguistics emphasized that
language plays different roles at different contexts. We use language as an intrinsic part of our
everyday reality, not just to display our linguistic knowledge: we put it to use to give shape to our
thought process and to give expression to our communicative purpose. It is the vehicle through
which realities are conceived, perceived and expressed.

Language is veritable means of communicating information, as a result of this it has a powerful

influence over people and their behaviour. Fridlund (1994) avers that expressions evolved to elicit
behaviours from others. This is especially true in the way funeral is conducted in an area and the
choice of language use to access the motion of sympathisers and well-wishers. The choice of
language to convey specific message with the intention to creating a vacuum and making bereaved
people to understand the dead person is no more, and there is no effort made would bring back
him/her.

The language use in burial ceremony is deliberately chosen in order to evoke emotions of sober,
anger, cry and sympathy. If language use in burial does not move mourners and intensifies the
atmosphere, it fails. Some of the language provide information about the background to the death,
the childhood upbringing, educational achievement, occupational achievements and testimony from
friends, families and the irreparable loss death has caused, there is also nonverbal cues such as tone
of voice, pitch, and volume, choice of music, and songs facial expressions, all these create emotional
effects.

In Burial, disposing body of the dead into the ground is accompanied by certain language, ritual
songs or music convey emotional information. Burial sitting language is used as a vehicle for making
proposition about the dead, calling on the gods to accept the dead person’s soul, and grant peaceful
transition. Such rituals represent reality and create deep thoughts and emotions. Priests use words
to provoke sobriety, emotion that have deep impact on the psychology of people. Burial language
thus helps people to understand the journey about death and the need to be kind.