A thesis submitted in partial fulfilments of the requirements for the degree of Licence en Langue et Littérature Anglaises

This pragmatic Analysis of some Kirundi Marriaage-Related Ceremony Songs from Giramahoro Clun aims at looking and finding out how people get the meaning and the right message conveyed through symbols and the influence the socio-cultural context may have in hindering the understanding level regarding speeches containing symbols.

The methodology in its components passed trough different step which are questionnaire, observation and interview that opened a way to data collection for a good analysis and interpretation by means of a pragmatic approach so as to have insight into their context use. After the analysis, it was found out that the socio-cultural context may influence the understanding of symbols and their intended message by the speaker.

Given the corpus that this research produced, it is concluded that the socio-cultural context deeply influences the understanding of the meaning of some speeches which are symbolical despite the alteration of the intended message of the speaker by the listener who could be ignorant in cultural values.

The use of indirectness is a typical example in showing the impact the socio-cultural context has in influencing the understanding of the meaning of some speeches which are symbolical . The results show that symbols are special features which make their use an important tool of communication. Future researchers should explore these songs for other purpose and for the best understanding.