ABSTRACT
The aim of this research was to do an in-depth study of the
variations in language as used by the various novelists in the novels
selected for this study. The objectives of the study were to investigate
the divergent ways in which these writers have creatively used English
to perform the functional role of communication in a non-native
environment, show the extent to which their various choices succeed in
the supposed semantic function, show how systemic text linguistic
approach is a departure from other stylistic approaches and to show how
the features of these “Englishes” contribute to the development of the
concept of global English. The novels studied are Chukwuemeka Ike’s Our
Children Are Coming, Festus Iyayi’s The Contract and Abubakar Gimba’s
Witnesses to Tears. The study is a text linguistic one based on the
Systemic Functional model. The two text linguistic concepts of
“projection” and “procedure” were used in the selection of data from the
chosen texts for analysis. The data gathered were analyzed according to
the three meta-levels of Primitive, Second order and Prime order
developed from the three levels of thesis, immediate situation and wider
situation in text linguistics. The study revealed that all the three
novels studied project a central message each. This is contrary to the
age long belief and tradition of multiple messages in a second order
text. The study also revealed that each author projects the message of
his text using the three aforementioned levels of meaning. However, each
author uses these levels in a manner that is peculiarly functional. The
study as well revealed that the messages projected by the novels are
interrelated, as they all bring human nature under scrutiny based on the
philosophical and linguistic idiosyncrasies of these authors.
Introduction
This work is divided into five chapters. The first chapter is the
introductory chapter which discusses the background of the research, the
problem that the research is intended to solve, the aim and the
objectives of the research, the questions that are to be answered in the
course of this research, justification of the research as well as the
scope and delimitation of the research.
The second chapter contains a review of essential literature relevant
to the topic of this research in order to show the extent of data in
existence in this area of study with a view to showing the contribution
of this research to knowledge. The third chapter is devoted to a
discussion of the methodology of this research. It gives a comprehensive
explanation on the way features of language are gathered for analysis
and the analytical procedure used for the study of the selected texts.
The fourth chapter discusses analytically the various linguistic
features identified as worthy of discussion in this research based on
the approach stated in the third chapter. Chapter five contains a
summary of the entire study, conclusions drawn from the research.
1.1 Background of the Study
For several decades now in Nigeria, there have been in existence a
number of divergent views on the kind of English used by Nigerian
writers of fiction. Scholars such as Adetugbo (1971), Afolayan (1980),
Bamgbose (1995) and several others have expressed views on this subject
matter. In summary, these writers have identified two groups of writers
of fiction in Nigeria. The first group, they remark, uses indigenous
English, while the second group has a flawless command of English, but
continues to adapt it to suit their peculiar environment for the purpose
of effective performance (Jibrin 2005).
However, there is no doubt that there is often a problem generally
associated with mastering a foreign language as well as using a foreign
language to express local sensibilities. The reason is that, a second
language learner always acquires his first language before his second
language. The system of this first language often interferes with his
learning of a second language. Then the foreign language does not have
ready mechanism with which to express other people’s culture. As
Nigerian writers try to master English in order to be able to adapt it
to carry the weight of their native experience, their various mother
tongues keep interfering. This is often the case of bilinguals who have
to make creative efforts in a foreign language. There are two popular
but sharply contrasting positions in Nigeria as far as the use of
English in fiction is concerned. The first group was championed by late
Obi Wali who barely three years after Nigeria’s independence, predicted a
dead end for all African literature written in English:
The whole uncritical acceptance of English and French as the
inevitable media of educated African writing is misdirected and has no
chance of advancing African literature… this would be pursuing a dead
end which can only lead to sterility, uncreativity and frustration
(Wali1963:14).