STRUCTURAL SENTENCE PATTERNS IN CHRIS EGHAREVBA’S TRILOGY

Nseobong E. Inyang

Dept. of English, University of Uyo,

Uyo, Nigeria

&

Iniobong E. Okon,

Dept. of English & Literary Studies, Akwa Ibom State College of Arts & Science, Nung Ukim, Ikono

LGA, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Abstract

Dr Chris Egharevba is a well known Marxist who employs the doctrine of the Marxist ideology into

his writings. His choice of words, phrases, clauses and sentences clearly portrays his beliefs and

ideological leanings. This study tries to identify the sentence pattern used by Egharevba in his

thunder series: Canopy of Thunder, Voices of Thunder and Legacy of Thunder. In doing this,

sentences are randomly chosen from the three books under review.

This study applies the Marxist sociological theory which exposes how the oppressed can be

conscious and disillusioned with their present state and march in solidarity to revolt against the

oppressive class. This is believed will restructure the political system and guarantee the social

stability. It applies the Freudian psychoanalysis and, to some extent, the Jungian archetypal

criticism to the centrality of pain. Freudian psychoanalysis exposes the battered psyche of the

traumatized masses and even that of the writer as outflow of accumulative, spontaneous more

than the spur-of-the moment impulses. In Freudian psychoanalysis, therefore, a literary work is

adjudged to have sprung from the battered psyche of a writer as evidenced in the linguistic

elements employed in artistic works.

The systemic grammar by M. A. K. Halliday helps in explaining the structural and functional

elements of the syntactic features in trilogy. The syntactic features shape the language of the

trilogy as it is a known fact that, language is a product of mental processes. Different syntactic

elements deployed in the trilogy conformed to the traditional grammatical rules governing

sentence formation while some violated the rule. This stylistically confirms the non implementation

of human rights in the society. The structural sentences comprise simple to compound complex

sentences. Stylistically, this showcases the simple tone of persuasion by the political leaders while

campaigning for political appointment but become harsh and complex while on the seat of

governance. It also represents the complex nature of vices.

1.0 INTRODUCTION

There had been long debates between literary critics and linguists as to which of their approaches

is more appropriate for the study of literary texts, and these debates did extend to which field of

study stylistics actually belongs. Stylistics has been an amorphous and ambiguous term, and this

non-specification has yielded some of its many names such as literary stylistics, stylo-linguistics and

stylo-behaviouristics. The problem of what style is or refers to has almost become a discipline on its

own. Murray (1976) comments on this issue as follows:

A discussion of the word style, if it were pursued with only a fraction of rigour of a scientific

investigation, would inevitably cover the whole of literary aesthetics and the theory of criticism. Six

books would not suffice for the attempt; much less would six lectures. I propose to attempt no

more than to ventilate a few of the actual problem that confront a literary critic; to try to formulate

a few of the problems he has to make up his mind about. I know that these problems will be, in a

sense, artificially isolated; that all kinds of tacit assumptions will be made, some of which I may be

able to justify, of others I shall be unconscious. (p.3)

Commentaries dealing with the problem of what style actually refers to are not only common but

they also tend to concentrate so much on the problem that actual analysis at times becomes a

second issue, as Enkvist (1964, p.3) observes “Literary scholars and professional linguists often find

themselves on different sides of a mountain-like barrier with philologists struggling for a precarious

foothold on one slope or another”.

In the above quotation, it is the literary text that is considered a mountain-like barrier with

different sides. Language cannot become a barrier to communication; rather, it is an aid. This

argument is supported by Osundare (2003, p.11)

Language is not just a medium of literary expression but an enabling factor, indeed the main pillar of literary edifice, a vital effective tool which aids the status of literature as a transitive enterprise.

2

Linguists are also often criticized by literary critics for their critical attitude to literature that they

throw little light on literary merits of a text, among others. In spite of the apparent confusion,

however, studies have proved that there is no literary work to which a careful linguistic analysis can

be possibly irrelevant. This is confirmed by Ogene (1993, p.12-13) as he says: “Stylistics is a

linguistic concept in that it studies certain aspects of language variations”. Chapman (1973, p.11)

also confirms this, “Stylistics is the study of literary discourse from linguistic perspective”.

In spite of this on-going controversy, stylistics remains a field of study employed in a variety of

ways by different critics. Leech (1969, p.1), for instance, explains that “Stylistics can be a study of

literary style, style being the study of language of a particular author… or the study of the use of

language in literature”. This being the case, stylistics is the point where literary critics and linguists

meet and, as an academic field, the two are relevant as Wales (1989, p.437) observes.

The goal of most stylistic studies is not simply to describe the formal texts, for their sake, but in order to show their functional significance for the interpretation of text, or in order to relate literary effect to linguistic ‘causes’ where these are felt to be relevant.

One of the areas the literary critics and linguists meet is through style. Enkvist (1964, p.Xi)

maintains:

…the study of style is wider than literature. To view in literature against background of the whole range of norms which a language develops in sub serving needs of the society which uses it, is to add a perspective to stylistic study from which the examination of language in literature cannot fail to benefit.

Oha (2003, p.82) also confirms this that “the study of style gives rise to literary and linguistic

stylistics”.

Insights from scholars as we have attested to, strengthen the position that language learning and

literary study are interdependent and should be seen as complementary at all stages in the

educational process. Osundare (2003, p.12) comments on this alliance:

‘’There is thus infinitely more to gain by seeing the relationship between language and literature as

that of interdependent and mutual illumination rather than of opposition and hostility’’.

Enkvist (1964, p.ix) also encourages this marriage:

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Nevertheless, as the academic world is becoming increasingly aware, it is often within the areas of two or more distinct but related disciplines that the growing points of creative research and teaching lie. And it is through collaboration in joint enterprise in such areas that disciplines which have grown apart can begin afresh to appreciate the particular insights and methods which each has developed out of its own specialized preoccupations.

However, our mission in this research is not to go into this erstwhile controversy, but to do a

linguistic stylistic analysis of Egharevba’s trilogy. In linguistic communication, special language and

style are captured most accurately through stylistic analyses. Linguistic analysis of literary texts

became popular during the 1960s. Before this period, the study of literary texts was primarily

approached from the literary critic’s point of view. As such, issues like subject matter, plot,

characterization and diction were the underlying basis upon which a text was examined or

criticized. Such analysis even at the level of diction was often so simple that language use in a text

could only be described as “lucid,” ”clear”, “precise’’, “pornographic’’, ‘’simple’’ or ‘’harsh’’.

Account was hardly taken of the linguistic features of syntax, lexis, semantics, phonology and

graphology, and how their forms deviated or conformed to the norms to create special linguistic

effect.

Recent research in stylistics coupled with the modern approach to analyzing a text, unveils the

reward in analyzing literary texts from a linguistic perspective. Oha (2003, p. 81) comments on

modern era of writing thus:

One of the major preoccupations of modern African writers is novelty. They want to recreate

fantasy in realistic essence. They want to revitalize the African literary mode and method in unique

forms. The narrator tends to blend with the unusual… in this process. They create literature of

special language and style.

Oha’s observation underscores the need for the application of a linguistic model in studying

modern African literary writing, given the experimental character of the writing. Relying on such a

model would guarantee a high degree of faithfulness to the meaning of the text. It is in the light of

the foregoing that this study is conceived to create a forum whereby the trilogy by one of Nigeria’s

younger generation of writers, Chris Egharevba, could be examined from this linguistics-based

approach to the study of literary text.

4

2.0 SYNTACTIC FEATURES

The aim of this chapter is to isolate, describe and evaluate the linguistic features of the trilogy at

the level of Grammar, with great attention to structural and functional sentence patterns.

Structurally, we will consider simple, compound, and complex sentences. Functionally, we will

consider the declarative, imperative, rhetorical or interrogative, fragmented sentences. It will also

deal with other structures like elliptical and contracted forms of words.

For deeper insight into this work, we will endeavour to apply a tree diagram using various sentence

patterns occasioned by the writer’s style. In linguistics, a tree diagram or parse tree is one way to

visually represent the structures of sentences. Tree diagram is also known as syntax tree, it is a tree

that represents the syntactic structures of a string according to formal grammar retrieved from net:

(http://en.wikipedia.org/parse-tree 16th March, 2011). It helps to give a graphic representation of

types of sentences; it helps to establish how active declarative sentences are disorganized at the

deep structures to produce different types of sentences, like relative clauses, embedded

constructions, passive constructions and complex sentences in general. The diagrams, therefore,

will help in the semantic interpretations of sentences.

This work is using systemic grammatical model as the theoretical framework as it has structures at

the surface grammar and a system of semantic features at the deep grammar. At the surface plane,

the grammar deals with how any given system is ultimately realized in grammatical structures and

their elements. At the deep plane, it accounts for how semantic features are organized into

networks with entry conditions explicitly stated. It identifies four theoretical categories in all

natural languages and these are: unit, structure, class and system.

Deep and surface structures are concepts that account for the relationship of sentences as well as

their syntactic features and interpretative meaning. The surface structure accounts for the

syntactic structure of an utterance, while the deep structure accounts for its interpretation and

meaning. This explains why some sentences differ on the surface, for example, “Okon kicked the

ball” and “the ball was kicked by Okon” these two sentences have similar or same deep structures

but different surface structures.

The application of the deep and surface structures are therefore relevant in this research

stylistically, because, in considering language of literature, surface structure may have underlying

5

deep structure through use of figures of speech by the writer as in cases where poetic license paves

way for the rule of sentence formation violation as to achieve or produce the stylistic aesthetics-

effect.

The basic concept of this grammar as will be explicated in this work is that, the model recognizes

the role of context, at the deep plane where meaning resides. There are systems which give the

language user choices, as choices made are not done arbitrarily.

3.0. Structural Sentences:

Sentence structure cannot be discussed without talking about syntax and vice versa. Syntax is

concerned with the study of sentence formation and like in all natural languages; sentences are not

formed by stringing words together randomly but must be in regular and rules guiding sentence

formation. Syntactic elements boost the communicative function of language. This is achieved

through description.

The sentence therefore is the foundation upon which meaning is built in any text in any natural

language. Words and letters can hardly make meaning on their own but must be structured in an

acceptable rule and this is called ‘‘well formedness’’ in modern grammar as opposed to

“correctness”. This presupposes that a language user knows what combination of words to be used

to form acceptable meaningful sentences. English sentence has clause elements of structure.

When we break down a sentence, the analysis will first of all produce a clause or clauses. A clause is

a sentence on its own. The clausal positions form the elements of clause structure and they are:

Subject represented by capital “S”, in analysis; predicator represented by capital “P”, complement

represented by capital “C”, adjunct represented by capital “A”. This sequential combination of

elements gives us this structure: (S,), (P), (C), (A). The sequence and combination are however not

fixed. It can as well result in: SPC, ASPC, PCA, SP, PCP, etc. This is because the elements perform

different roles in the clause and the groups have different membership, it follows that, the groups

must belong to different clause elements. In clause structure, nominal groups operate at subject

and complement positions, verbal group operate at predicator position while adverbial groups

operate at adjunct position. The analysis of a sentence will not end at using the various

demarcating symbols to separate the different units within the sentence. Thus there is need to

apply tree diagram (cf) Osisanwo (1999, p.15) to show different parts of the sentence structures

clearly.

6

Tree diagram is chosen in addition to other methods for our analysis because of its advantages over

other methods. It is a most popular approach with systemic grammar as well. It shows the step by

step description down the rank scale while it preserves the sequence of the texts. It makes it easier

for the analyst to measure and appreciate the relative complexity of sentences. Tree diagram has

different branches: we have the ‘α’ alpha symbol for an independent clause, the ‘β’ beta symbol for

dependent clause linkers, ‘&’ for word joining two independent clauses and ‘∑’ sigma symbol for

the entire sentence to be analyzed, and elements of the same rank are on the same horizontal line.

Analysis on the grammatical features in the trilogy will focus solely on structural sentences with

emphasis on simple, compound and compound complex sentences.

4.0 Presentation and analysis of data:

C.O.T. stands for Canopy of Thunder, V.O.T. stands for Voices of Thunder, L.O.T. stands for Legacy of

Thunder.

4.1. Simple sentences:

P S C

1.///Get/ me/ the knife./// (C.O.T. p. 77.)

S P C

2.///The Nissan/ drove/ passed///. (L.O.T. p.1.)

A S P A

3.///Quickly /he /walked/ away///. (C.O.T. p. 69.)

S P C

4.///I/ saw/ the building./// (V.O.T. p. 149.)

A S P

5.///But/ I /like his view./// (L.O.T. p.16.)

S P C

6.///Constable Nosa /now a convicted criminal/ on a hunger strike///. (C.O.T. p.54.)

7

α

α

P S C

I I

l h m h

I I I I

∑

Get me the Knife.

8

S P C

I I

l a

α

α

m h

∑

The Nissan drove passed.

A S A

∑

P

α

α

I I II

a h alI I II

Quickly he walked away.

α

α

S P C

I I

h l m h

I I I I

∑

I saw the building.

4.1.1. Analysis of Simple Sentences

The grammar of a writer’s language or the concept of syntactical complexity or simplicity is often

revealed through description of the grammatical and lexical items in terms of the structural

patterning which units in different ranks display. This phenomenon helps to unfold the writer’s use

of grammatical means which deliberately produce effect in the writer’s literary work. In

Egharevba’s trilogy, there is a carefully contrived syntactical balance characterized by spontaneous

spoken language of indirect and direct speeches, as a result of the author’s syntactic variation in

the texts. Syntactical features of language may be analyzed or tested by grammatical description or

category which include nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, etcetera, depending on the structural

pattern which units of different ranks display in the text.

9

∑

α

α

A S C

I I I

a h l

Again he smiled.

∑

α

α

A S P

I I

la h

But I like his smile.

h l

The use of simple sentences in the text enhances reader’s appreciation of the texts; it symbolizes

the author’s free flow of thought. Examples of such simple sentences in the trilogy are above. As

earlier noted that analysis of sentence does not end at using the various demarcating symbols to

separate the different units within the sentences, the need for tree diagram to show different parts

of the structure clearly is necessary as it shows step by step description down the rank scale while

it preserves the sequence of the texts analyzed. Simple sentences are normally known to be simple

in structure, in the sense that they are usually constructed with one lexical verb, however the

meaning and situational implications in them can be quite varied. Simple sentences as marked by

their brevity, conciseness and precision are observed to be punchy, definitive, rhythmic and

musical thus creating stylistic effect and also help to bring out the writer’s simple and free flow of

thought.

Simplicity of a sentence does not necessarily imply shortness in length, it is certain that simple

sentences contains a clause structure signifying only one unit of subject and one unit of predicate

with various complements and adjuncts.

In these texts, majority of simple sentences are in declarative form with all the obligatory sentence

elements of SPC, ASPA, PSC, SPCA, ASC, etc. as observed in sentences Nos.1-7.

The occurrences of these sentence elements make utterances in the trilogy ideal for clarity and

reduction of complex thoughts in simple understandable unit.

Besides the declarative nature of these simple sentences, these features are in tune with the

simple determining attitude of dictators in getting what they desire but becoming tigers when their

needs are achieved. Their messages come out clear, simple and unambiguous thus facilitating

direct and emphatic pronouncement of their intentions. The simple sentences are syntactically

balanced and complete with all obligatory sentence elements. When considering the multifarious

potential of a simple sentence, it is logical that elements (subject and predicate) that do not occur

in more than one unit should be largely complemented by other elements (adjunct and

complement) of these two. There seems to be the preference for adjunct in the texts under review.

This preference is justified in the explanation of syntactic features of adjuncts in Quick and

Greenbaum (1980, p. 209).

Adjuncts can go within the scope of predication pro-forms or ellipsis, constitute the focus limited

adverbial comprise the additive adverbials; consist of the focus of cleft sentence. For this purpose

adjuncts are sub-classified into view point, focusing, intensifier, process, subject, place, and time.

10

These classes have the semantic imports of indicating addition, limitation, emphasis, amplification,

manner, means, position, direction, duration, frequency, purpose, cause and reason.

Another syntactic feature from these texts is the heavy use of rank shift notion. These have

resulted in multi-varied simple sentences where the elements convey rank shifted items. This is

exemplified in utterance: No.6 of simple sentences: “Constable Nosa, now a convicted criminal on a

hunger strike” (C. O. T. p.54).

This rank-shift as illustrated in the utterance between Chief Idubor and Constable Nosa, Nosa’s

behavior is x-rayed in action, shooting a minority leader out of annoyance as a reminiscence into

the irony of the bad system of government that as a police officer, he is protecting the bigger

rogues from the lesser ones, and that the bigger rogues make laws not only to protect themselves

but to punish the smaller rogues.

The Rank shifting therefore provides a syntactic solution though the sentence remains simple by

virtue of restricted number of the restricted elements; the elements are heavily loaded with more

information in the form of rank shifted clause.

In line with the systemic grammarians, the tree diagramming as illustrated in this work ends at the

stage where groups have been broken down to their constituent words. Showing rank shifted

items, that is, where units larger than words come to operate at level of words and how such units

are still analyzed up to the stage where every word has been accounted for on the tree. This rank

11

l

∑

S

PC

P C

α

α

q

h

h

S

lm h

m

m

Constable Nosa now a convicted criminal on a hunger strike.

shifted pattern is obvious and is seen to contribute to the complexity of some sentences used in the

trilogy.

The rank shift notion as pronounced in the trilogy, still in line with the systemic grammar, does not

follow the hierarchical operation of five units of rank scale in English where a sentence has one or

more clauses, a clause consists of one or more groups, a group consist of one or more words and a

word consists of one or more morphemes.

But the rank shift notion according to the systemic grammar presents a situation where a unit is

found to be operating within another unit smaller than it. For instance, a clause may be found in a

place where one would normally have expected to find a group or word so also, a group may be

found in a place where one would have expected to find a word. This is very clear in sentence no-6.

(C.O.T. P. 54).

Here the subject of the clause is made up of a nominal group with the structure (mhq). The

modifier is a word just like the headword. But instead of having another word as qualifier to

complete the membership of the group, what we have is a whole clause or group, but at the rank

of a word. That is, at a level where word should have operated. The clause “now a convicted

criminal” has been rank shifted to operate at word level. “Constable Nosa now a convicted criminal

on a hunger strike”. (C.O.T. p. 54).

Stylistically, the violation of the implementation of the five units of rank scale, in English language

according to the hierarchy, portrays Nosa’s mental state. He is confused, anguished and

psychologically imbalanced. This in effect, is a glimpse into Egharevba’s psyche which reveals

instability and disharmony as representing the traumatized society. Stylistically too, this connotes

human rights abuses in the society. Also, a creative writer who is conscious of his/her environment,

in order to free his/herself psychologically must write the way he/she feels in order to feel relieved.

If a writer refuses to relieve him/her self through his/her writing, the bitter memories will be

suppressed and deposited in the ego. The ego in turn deposits these experiences in the

unconscious part of the psyche. The result is that a writer will continue to suffer from psychotic

fears in the form of night mares or Freudian slips.

4.2. Compound Sentences:

S P C S P C

12

1.///Leadership /is /a position of power// and// I /never /lacked it.///

S P C S P C

2.///She/ began/ to fight him// but// it / was / useless.//

S P C A S P

3.///We/ really/ regretted// that //confrontational stance/ we/ took.///

S P C P C

4.///We/ are/ proposing// to //drastically reduce/ the fares.///

13

Leadership is a position of power and I had never lacked the power

∑

PC

S

α

α

β

PS

mlh

C

h m

&

h h m l l m h

14

We really regretted that confrontational stance we took

∑

P CS

α

α

β

PS

mh

C &

l h l h l

She began to fight him but it was useless.

∑

P CS

α

α

β

PS

mlh

C

l

&

h m l l

4.2.1 Analysis of Compound Sentences:

Compound sentences contain combination of ideas through the use of certain conjunctions, they

co-ordinate sentences with the same or different subjects and objects. In addition, a compound

sentence is a sentence with two main clauses joined together by conjunctions.

In summary, compound sentence is used to describe structures which have more than one clause

in them, and where these clauses have equal grammatical status. Compound sentences are built up

through the technique of co-ordination and the rely on a fixed set of coordinating conjunctions like:

and, or, but, so, for, yet, etc.

The compound sentence structure in the trilogy possesses the obligatory elements of subject,

predicator and complement (SPC). There are elements of harshness and compelling tone

characteristic of coercive language, which are features prominent in the military regime, example

in sentences above.

The syntactic features here are balanced with the obligatory elements compelling the VOT boys to

be at alert. In sentence No 1, attention of the whole nation is drawn to violently fight for the peace

of the whole nation, that without violence, peace will never come to stay. The speaker in this case,

is trying to boost his ego as a leader. He is power drunk, and he is using his position to compel the

masses to obey him. This is decoded in his utterance; “Leadership is a position of power, I had

15

We are proposing to drastically reduce the fares

∑

P CA

α

α

β

PS

ah

C &

l h l m h

never lacked the power”. The introduction of the first person pronominal item “I” in this sentence

ensures the intention of the leader’s non-exceptionality in the fight for justice. Stylistically, it is

quite obvious that the coercion tone in this sentence is part of the elements of this variety of

sentence. The leadership involvement in the fight is to win the attention of the masses. This

strategy is normally used to compel people to submission and to secure their obedience and

compliance to the laws and order of the land. This language strategy is mainly used during the

periods of crises and disruption in the society. It is however more popular with the military political

elites and their political counterparts as portrays in the trilogy.

Sentence No.2 opens with a pronominal “she” which represents a female gender, a weaker sex.

Stylistically, the linguistic elements of this elements portray; the (SPC, SPC) obligatory elements.

This is a compound sentence joined by a conjunction “but”. This linguistic element go ahead to

explain the compounded nature of problems facing the masses. The syntactic arrangement explains

that, “she” as the subject component, represents the fragile masses with no armory to fight the

military, and the conjunction “but” reflects the contradiction and confusion that overwhelmed her

fate, her effort to liberation now results in futility as exposed by the elements of the alpha clause of

the sentence.

Further involvement of everybody in the course of the struggling is observed in sentence No.4 with

the introduction of the first person plural pronominal reference ‘we’ which anaphorically refers to

the two pronominals – ‘you and I’ which are the subject of the addresser and the addressee, that

is, the generality of the people called Nigerians. This call for alliance in the fight for peace simply

suggests that the issue or art of governance is a general problem that affects the whole populace

thus everybody, ‘you and I’, signified by the pronoun ‘we’ should rise join forces violently with the

VOT boys and fight for the right of our nation.

The method of cleansing the nation as emphasized in these compound sentences x-rays the psyche

of the traumatized masses. The weight of the suffering is severe and compounded as decoded in

the syntactic elements; “…never lacked the power”, “…to fight him but was useless”, “…stance we

took”, “…reduce the fares.” Sentence No. 1 summarizes the weight of joint force at the end of the

exercise, that is, violence will leave a “legacy of chaos and destruction” in the land and freedom will

be reinstated through violence.

4.3. Complex and compound Complex Sentences

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A complex sentence contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. A

complex sentence carries complex ideas. Complex sentences involve two possible structural

configurations but their main informing principle is that the clauses they contain are in

asymmetrical relationship to one another. The first configuration involves subordination where the

subordinate clause is appended to a main clause. To form this, co-ordinating conjunctions are used

and these include: that, since, when, and, although, yet, but, because, etc.

A compound complex sentence is a sentence with at least two independent clauses and at least

one dependent clause.

Let us consider the following sentences:

4.3.1 Analysis of Complex and Compound Complex Sentences

S P C S P C S P C

1. ///I /cannot fail// I am/ the/ leader //they/ are/ waiting for./// (L.O.T. p.35.)

A S P S P A A S C

2. ///Oh /my God/ I sensed it// the feeling/ had been /there// since /you/ came in.///(C.O.T.P.55)

S P C P C

3. ///We/ will discover/ the vaccine// that will gradually destroy// the parasite of the disease,

Releth.///(V.O.T. P. 97.)

S P C P C

4. ///We/ need /young men like you// to help propagate /the cause of Isalm.///(V.O.T. p

91)

S P C A S P C S P C

5. /// I /stayed /on the floor//, but when I woke up//, I/ was/ a different

person./// (L. O. T.p55)

S P C P C

6. ///Death/ to those / who ruined// our nation./// (C.O.T. p 57)

The general attitude of the people and the VOT boys is that of resentment of further entrenchment

of the military in the governance of the country. Hypothetically, the leaders have a great task of

wooing support for the government. They attempt this in three ways namely: appealing to the

citizens’ sentiments by bribing them, forcibly imposing their ego through the Governor, Col. Oge

Adam, and by contrasting the ugliness of the past situation with the beauty of an expected

wholesome orderly peaceful system. At all times of making speeches, the governor Col. Oge

Adams, attempts to achieve these objectives simultaneously. This may account for the syntactic

17

complexity of the language. The complexity is obvious in the great number of rank-shifted patterns

and the co-ordinate patterns signified by the use of conjunctions as illustrated in the sentences

under complex sentences and on the tree diagrams. The appeal to the citizens’ sentiments is

obvious in the ubiquity of the vocative elements in the speeches.”I cannot fail”, “I am the leader

they are waiting”, “I sensed it”. The pronominal “I” is showing prominence almost over other

syntactic elements, this confirms that the leader is so prominence, popular and is found

everywhere.

The second motive, that is to contrast the ugly past regime with an expected wholesome situation,

is demonstrated in the frequent use of the futuristic verbal group in sentence No. 3 on complex

sentences; “We will discover the vaccine that will gradually destroy the parasite of the disease

Releth.” The use of auxiliary ‘will’ indicates the tone of promises. This is shows that as at the time

of speaking, the expectations are not yet realized. The speaker keeps raising the hope of the people

that they ‘will’ come to a place of fulfillment in their dreams for a better Nigeria.

The third reason has to do with the Col. Oge Adams’ attempt to impose his ego on the citizens. In

this regard, there is the use of the singular, first person pronoun ‘I’ which refers to himself. The

pronoun ‘I’ is an effective political instrument in the hands of the speaker who sees himself as the

alter-ego of the institution he represents. The ‘I’ strongly shows that the speaker believes fervently

in his will and personality even though this is to the detriment of the vast majority of Nigerians.

The use of ‘I’ is a direct contrast to the collective ‘we’ which suggest inclusiveness and consensus.

Most of the sentences are declarative statements. This is because a statement is an expression of

facts, information and ideas. However, the facts or ideas may be of various levels of credibility. The

structure of the complex sentences can be illustrated thus in the tree diagrams. The tree diagram

of complex sentences will help to unfold the elements clearly:

18

19

∑

P Cα

α

S

α

α

β

h a l a

P CS P CS

hmmhlmam

I can not fail I am the leader, they are waiting for.

∑

α

β

P AS

a m h mh hl h l a

&A

C

Oh my God, I sensed it, the feeling had been there since you came in.

S PPS

am ll

20

α

α

α

α

αβ

∑

S P C A P

S P C

h l m h l h a m l m l m h

We need young men like you to help propagate the cause of Islam.

We will discover a vaccine that will gradually destroy the parasite of the disease, Releth.

∑

P CA

α

S

α

α

β

hml

P CS&

l a

lmah l m h h

21

Death to those who ruined our nation.

β

∑

ααS P C

h p m a l

P Cm h

I stayed on the floor, but when I woke up, I was a different person.

∑

P CS

α

α

β

PS

alh

C

m

&

h h ml l m h

α

α

SA P

a h l

5.0 Conclusion:

Analysis of syntactic choices here focused solely on structural and functional aspects of sentence

elements in the trilogy. He employs broadly; compound and compound complex sentences. The

sentence elements in these sentences make analysis difficult. This in effect, stylistically, x-rays the

complex and un-equilibrium state of the Nigerian society. The analysis has proved remarkable

usage and application of the elements by the novelist. In line with the systemic grammatical model

and Marxist sociological theory which see language as a form of social behaviour with interest on

the communicativeness or the functional value of a text, the interaction of language and its

situation or contexts of use, Egharevba uses language functionally in a manner as prescribed by his

society. This is revealed in the speaking aspects of the traumatized masses.

The liberty Egharevba takes with syntax Vis-à-vis other linguistic features provides him with a

powerful aid for the transmitting of more than the meaning of his message. The speaking voice is

more audible and distinctly heard in the trilogy. There is a direct unmediated address by Egharevba

to the readers. In other words, we feel the persona is Egharevba himself addressing the readers

directly, thus confirming with what Buffon says: “le style le meme” that is the style is man himself.

This is where concept of style as an individual choice and deviation from a norm comes in to play as

this gives Egharevba the freedom to vary his language usage in a way he desires in order to achieve

his purpose and this makes him stand out in a unique way from other artists, as language bears the

peculiarities of individuals that produce it.

The syntactic analysis of the trilogy in line with our stated objectives has gone a long way to proved

that the language employed in the texts varies according to the user and the use, and has therefore

proved that language is not just a medium of literary expression but an enabling factor which has

much to do with the context and situation of usage thus guiding the style of a writer. It goes further

to support that the language mirrors and helps to portray the function and purpose of Egharevba

through the linguistic elements employed by him which is dependent upon major situational

factors. Remarkably, the syntactic analysis has proved also that style is an individual marker and

thus some or all of language habits of one person, and a selection of occasional linguistic

idiosyncrasies which characterized an individual unique expression.

22

REFERENCES

Primary Sources:

1. Egharevba, Chris (1989). Canopy of Thunder. Lagos: Longman Nigeria Plc.2. Egharevba, Chris (1995). Voice of Thunder. Lagos: Minder International. Ltd.3. Egharevba, Chris (2006). Legacy of Thunder. Uyo: Century Literary Series.

Secondary Sources:

Chapman, R. (1973). Linguistics and Literature: An Introduction to Literary Stylistic. London: Edward Arnold .

Ernvist, N. (1964). “On Defining Style”. in Enkvist N., E. J. Spencer & M. J. Gregory: Linguistics and Style. London: Oxford University Press.

Leech, G. N. and Short M. H. (2007). Style in Fiction: A Linguistic Introduction to English Fictional Prose. 2nd Edition. Harlow: Pearson K. and Ronal C.

Murray, J. M. (1976). The Problem of Style. London: Oxford University Press.

Ogene, J. (1993). “Aspects of the Study of Literary Language”. in Journal of Humanities. University of Uyo. Vol.3. p.12.

Oha A. C. (2003). “Stylistics Renaissance in An African Short Story: A Study of Helon Habila’s Love Poem”. Journal of Nigerian English Literature (JONEL). Vol. 4. 2003. p.81-83

Osundare, Niyi (2003). Cautious Paths through the Bramble: A Critical Classification of Style Theories and Concepts. Ibadan: Hope Publications Ltd.

Quirk, R. E., Greenbaum S., Leech, G. and Svartvit J. (1973). A Grammar of Contemporary English. London: Longman.

Wales, K. (1989). A Dictionary of Stylistics. Essex and New York: Longman Inc.

Internet Sources:

http://scientific psychic.com. /grammar/ eng – ram 2. htm/( accessed September 5, 2011)

http://en.wikipidia.org.wiki/stylistics-(linguistics) (accessed August 8, 2011)

http://en.wikipedia.org/parse-tree(accessed February 16, 2011)

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