Proverbs represent the quintessence of a people's collective wisdom su
stained and transmitted from generation to generation. Due to the poly
morphous nature of the context and competence needed to be reactivated
in interpreting them, they also provide insight into some of the grea
test pragmatic constraints in language use. The purpose of this study
was to identify the illucutionary acts performed through the use of tw
elve Yoruba proverbs and then analyse the types of pragmatic context a
nd competence which listeners have to invoke and deploy respectively t
o interpret them appropriately, and to also resolve the overt contradi
ction in each of the six selected pairs of proverbs. On the basis of t
he findings, recommendations have been made towards a more pragmatic t
eaching and testing of Yoruba proverbs in particular and of the langua
ge as a whole.