A SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF WOLE SOYINKA’S “THE LION AND THE JEWEL”

Abstract

The paper carried out Systemic Functional Linguistic Analysis of Wole Soyinka’s The Lion and the Jewel. Halliday’s (1994) Meta functions of language are used as bases for the analysis of the data. The data are the dialogues selected from the play. The data is presented and analyzed according to the three Meta functions. It reveals how Lakunle’s use of register portrays him as a voice of modernity and his alienation from the community. It also reveals that Baroka is the custodian of tradition and a master of manipulation. Furthermore, it reveals that Sidi’s role in the play shifts. Additionally, it reveals how language shapes social reality, reflects power dynamics and negotiates meaning in a postcolonial context. It concludes that the analysis deepens our understanding of Soyinka’s play. It also concludes that Meta functions remain a powerful analytic model indicating how language encodes social, cultural and ideological meanings in literary texts.