AN ASSESSMENT OF A LEXICO-SEMANTIC ANALYSIS OF CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE’S HALF OF A YELLOW SUN

AN ASSESSMENT OF A LEXICO-SEMANTIC ANALYSIS OF CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE’S HALF OF A YELLOW SUN

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Background to the Study

Language, in its sophisticated form, has served as a guiding tool or a convention structure for interacting or presenting recommendations and vocal expression of one's thinking. There are several methods to convey one's views and ideas, including employing sounds and symbols, as long as they are acknowledged as a linguistic form by people on the receiving end (other speakers and language users).

Languages, according to Lyons, are "the primary systems of communication employed by certain groupings of human beings within the specific civilization (Linguistic community) of which they are members." However, language, as a sole inheritance of humans, has been used in so many ways in our society, thus the delving of analysis of reputable and upcoming linguists into the complexity of language(s) such as morphology, semantics, phonology, domestic discourse (dodi), and syntax, as well as their employed uses (e.g Kakava, 2000; Odebunmi, 2003; Odebunmi, 2006; Odebunmi, 2007; Oni and Osunbade, 2009; Wallace, 2012).

A branch of language semantics is lexical semantics (also known as lexicosemantics). In lexical semantics, the units of analysis are lexical units, which comprise not only words but also sub-words or sub-units such as affixes, as well as compound words and phrases. The lexicon, or collection of words in a language, is made up of lexical units. The study of how the meaning of lexical units connects with the structure of the language or syntax is known as lexical semantics. This is known as a syntax-semantic interface (Pustejovsky, 1995).

Lexical semantics is the study of:

(1) lexical item categorization and decomposition

(2) the cross-linguistic variances and similarities in lexical semantic structures

(3) the connection between lexical meaning and sentence meaning and syntax

Lexical elements provide data on category (lexical and syntactic), form, and meaning. The semantics associated with these categories are then associated with each lexical item in the lexicon (Loos et al., 2004) Lexical items may also be semantically categorised according to whether their meanings are obtained from single lexical pieces or from their surroundings. Leech and Short's (2007) analytical checklist, on the other hand, is used to categorize randomly picked stylistic elements into three categories: lexical, grammatical, and context.

Lexical elements are associated with one another in predictable ways. Hyponymy, hypernymy, synonymy, antonymy, and homonymy are examples of lexical item relationships.

1.1.1 The Contemporary Nigerian Novel

The Nigerian novel from its inception explores all the aspects of the challenging realities in the Nigerian society. Thus, it has always engaged itself with the reflections of important events in the Nigerian history and culture. In this regard, it is not surprising therefore that that events in the life of a society provide the writer with the materials in the process of artistic products (Nnolim, 2001:190).

The Nigerian novel has its roots in what may be called the Regional perspective. Most of the early novels have shown evidence of reflecting specific regional concerns, for example, many of the novels from the eastern parts of Nigeria such as Achebe‟ Things Fall Apart (1958), and Arrow of God (1964) employ themes which have significant bearing upon real life and naturalistic inclinations of the Igbo society; M. Aluko‟s One Man, One Wife (1968) depicts many of the aspects of Yoruba culture while Tafawa Balewa‟s Shaihu Umar (1968) offers a vivid description of traditional life of the Hausa community. In these novels, Nigerian culture and origin is presented with details which illustrate local variations. Taken as a whole however, most of what is contained in these texts is valid for other parts of Nigeria. To a great extent, the Nigerian novel is influenced by socio-cultural factors which inspire creativity.

Nnolim (2001:290) argues that the novel is that which represents copies from and makes use of our folk literature, and creatively makes use of our local proverb, legends, customs, rituals, institutions and mythology in giving imaginative expression to our national culture. This argument in essence, attempts to link the Nigerian novel with the oral tradition thus formally establishing the innate bond between writers and their societies. The Nigerian experience here becomes unique because it enhances its social function and durability

It can be argued therefore, that the Nigerian novel offers in the process, an imaginative recreation of an identity through arts which cuts across ethnic and cultural boundaries sharing in the process some historical experiences both in terms of internal social dynamics and extended pressures. Thus, the Nigerian novel deals with and explores the entire Nigerian experience. It is in this regard that the civil war offered another experience, which the novel tapped from. One of the most predominant themes of the war literature has been the need for constant adjustment to a rapidly changing situation (Achebe, 1976:212).

Furthermore, the Nigerian civil war known as the “Biafran war” was fought between the 6th of July, 1967 and 15th of January, 1970 between the Eastern region and Nigeria. At the end of the war, was the emergence of a vibrant war literature in Nigeria. This history about the civil war is what inspired Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a young writer who presents the complexities of human experience in works inspired by events in her native Nigeria. The features used to present these experiences or themes are what this study attempts to explore.

 

1.1.2 The Author

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born on the 15th of September, 1977 in Enugu Nigeria, the 5th of 6 children to Igbo parents Grace and James Nwoye Adiche. While the family‟s ancestral home is in Abba in Anambra State. She grew up in Nsukka, in the house formerly occupied by the Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe. She completed her secondary education at the university‟s secondary school, receiving several academic prizes. She went on to study Medicine and Pharmacy at the University of Nigeria for a year and half. During this period, she edited the compass a magazine by the university‟s Catholic medical students.

At the age of 19, she left for the United States of America, where she gained scholarship to study communication at Drexel University in Philadelphia for 2years, and she pursued a degree in Communication and Political Science at Eastern Connecticut State University. She graduated from the same University in 2001 and completed a Master‟s degree in creative writing at John Hopkins University Baltimore. It was during her second year in Eastern Connecticut State University that she started working on first novel, “Purple Hibiscus”, which was released in October 2003. The book has received worldwide acclaim. It was shortlisted for the Orange Fiction Prize 2004 and awarded the Commonwealth Writers Prize for best first book in 2005.

Her second novel, Half of a Yellow Sun is set before and during the “Biafran war”. It was published in August, 2006 in the United Kingdom and September 2006 in the United States of America. Like Purple Hibiscus, it has also been released in Nigeria.

She was a Hodder fellow at Princeton University during the 2005-2006 academic years and earned a Master of Arts in Africa Studies from Yale University in 2008. Her collection of short stories, The Things around My Neck was published in 2009 and her latest literary project Ammericanah focuses on the Nigerian immigrant‟s experiences in the United States of America. Ngozi Adichie is presently married and is based abroad.

 

1.1.3 Synopsis of the Novel

Half of a Yellow Sun

Half of a Yellow Sun is the second novel written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Published in 2006 by Knoptl Anchor, it tells the story of the Biafran war through the perspective of the characters Olanna, Ugwu and Richard

The novel takes place in Nigeria partly during the Nigerian Civil War (1967-70). The effect of the war is shown through the dynamic relationships of five people‟s lives including twin daughters of an influential business man, a Professor, a British citizen, and a houseboy. After Biafra‟s declaration of succession, the lives of the main characters are torn apart by the brutality of the civil war and decisions in their personal lives. The story moves between events that took place during the early 1960‟s and the late 1960‟s, when the war took place, and extends until the end of the war. In the early 1960s, the main characters are introduced: Ugwu a 13 year old village boy who moves in with Odenigbo, to work as his houseboy. Odenigbo frequently entertains intellectuals to discuss the political turmoil in Nigeria. Life changes for Ugwu when Odenigbo‟s girlfriend, Olanna, moves in with them. Ugwu forms a strong bond with both of them, and is very loyal.

Olanna has a twin sister, Kainene, a woman with a dry sense of humor, tired by the company she runs for her father. Her lover Richard is an English man who has come to Nigeria to explore Igbo-ukwu Art. Moving four years ahead, trouble brews between the North and East and hundreds of people die in the massacre, including Olanna‟s beloved Aunty and Uncle in the North. A new republic called Biafra is created by the Igbo. As a result of the conflict, Olanna, Odenigbo, their daughter baby and Ugwu are forced to flee Nsukka which is the university town and the major intellectual city of the new nation. They finally end up in the refugee town of Umuahia, where they suffer as a result of food shortage and constant air raids. When the novel returns back to the early 1960‟s, we learn that Odenigbo slept with a village girl, who then has his baby. Olanna is furious at his betrayal and sleeps with Richard in a moment of liberation. She goes back to Odenigbo and when they later learn that Amala refused to keep the newborn daughter, Olanna decides that they would keep her. Back to the war period, Olanna and Odenigbo and Baby move in with Richard and Kainene where Kainene runs a refugee camp. The situation is hopeless as they have no food or medicine. Kainene decides to trade across enemy lines, but does not return, even after the end of the war. The book ends ambiguously, with the reader not knowing if Kainene lives.

1.2 Statement of the Research Problem

Stylistics is very important in Literature because each literary text represents an individual’s use of language which reflects his unique personality, thoughts and style. The study of literary styles shows the linguistics repertoire of a writer. We often hear of the style of Armah; the style of Milton and the simplicity that is associated with Wordsworth. Stylistics looks at the choice of words, the sentence patterns and figurative usage of words by a writer. Figurative expressions which are sometimes called “Rhetorical Expression” helps a writer to be vivid in his description of events and ideas.

Although many works have been done on stylistics, little work has been done on lexico-semantic style used in Chimamanda Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun which was published in 2006. Most of the works done were based on general analysis of how her works reflect the realities of the society.

1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study

This study aims at an identification of the predominant lexico-seminar analysis devices used in Chimamanda Adichie’s HOAYS and the effect these devices have in the overall evaluation of the novel.

1.4 Significance of the Study

This study will enable readers identify the predominant stylistic devices used by Chimamanda Adichie in her novel HOAYS as well as the effect achieved by the use of these devices. The study will, in addition, encourage writers to adopt the style of Chimamanda Adichie in their writing. Finally, it will provide materials for researchers in this field.

1.5 Scope and Limitation of Study

This investigation is limited to an analysis of the predominant lexico-semantic stylistic devices employed in Chimamanda Adichie’s novel HOAYS

The study analysis is restricted to such stylistic devices as compound sentences; compound complex sentences, italics, code – mixing, parenthetical expression and transliteration which the researcher encountered several times in the course of reading the novel

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