SEMANTIC ANALYSIS OF LANGUAGE USE IN OBAFEMI’S
SUICIDE SYNDROME
OLORUNFEMI OLATUNDE IFEYORI
07/15CD141
AN ESSAY SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF ARTS (HONS) IN ENGLISH
TO
THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH, FACULTY OF ARTS,
UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN, ILORIN, NIGERIA
MAY, 2011
i
CERTIFICATION
This project has been read and approved as meeting part of the
requirements for the award of Bachelor of Arts Degree in the Department of
English of the Faculty of Arts, University of Ilorin.
………………………………
……………………………
DR. T. A. ALABI
Date
(Supervisor)
………………………………
………………………………
DR. S. T. BABATUNDE
Date
(Head of Department)
………………………………
………………………………
EXTERNAL EXAMINER
Date
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DEDICATION
To the one and only,
The reason for my existence,
The one that was, that is, and
Is to come,
The one that will ever be
And never change.
ALMIGHTY GOD.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My greatest gratitude goes to God Almighty who has been my
guard. It is only by your grace and love that I am able to pass through the odds
in school. You shall forever be conserved in my heart.
I also wish to express my unreserved gratitude to my Supervisor,
Dr. T. A. Alabi, for the patience and tolerance he had all through the duration
of this research work. And for this I am grateful.
To all my lecturers who have made me who I am today, I am
grateful and I will never forget the effort of my late lecturer, Dr. A. Joseph.
You all are the best teachers.
To those who gave me life, I cannot in actual sense thank you
enough, Mr. & Mrs. N. A. Olorunfemi, you are the best and a true parent. If I
am given the chance to choose who my parents shall be in reincarnation if
there is, I will only but choice you both. Your love, care and honesty has kept
me going. I LOVE YOU
To the greatest aunt in the world, Mrs. Alemika, you are one in a
million. I will forever be grateful to you and your family.
To my siblings, Dekunle, Olorungbemiga and my little cousin
Pelumi, you are the best I ever had.
I also say a big take you to all my friends that have given me the
reason not to be lonely. You all will be forever remembered.
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ABSTRACT
The relationship between the meanings of an utterance with what
the hearer can infer from such utterance is an interesting field of semantic in
linguistics. This research work examines the semantic inputs of language use
in Olu Obafemi’s Suicide Syndrome. This research work has employed
semantic approach in exploring and identifying the issues of semantic interest
in the selected play. The whole play is divided into six movements but the
analysis of this work is selected randomly. However, the analysis of this work
is based on the theories of meaning, type of meaning and semantic issues
which are particular to the data. The result of every analysis indicates that no
utterance has conventional static meaning. This study attempts to emphasize
the meanings of utterances that can be deduced in the selected play.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page
i
Certification
ii
Dedication
iii
Acknowledgements
iv
Abstract
v
Table of contents
vi
CHAPTER ONE
General Introduction
1.1
Introduction
1
1.2
The Language of Literature
2
1.3
Drama as a Genre of Literature
4
1.4
Purpose of the study
5
1.5
Scope of the study
5
1.6
Justification of the study
5
1.7
Research Methodology
6
1.8
About the Author and the play
6
CHAPTER TWO
Literature Review
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2.1
Introduction
8
2.2
Semantics: Conceptualization and Scope
8
2.3
Theories of meaning
13
2.3.1 The Referential theory of meaning
13
2.3.2
The Image theory of meaning
14
2.3.3
The Ideational theory of meaning
14
2.3.4
The Behavioural theory of meaning
15
2.3.5
The Contextual theory of meaning
15
2.4
2.5
Geoffrey Leech Seven Type of Meaning
16
2.4.1
Denotative meaning
16
2.4.2
Connotative meaning
17
2.4.3
Affective meaning
17
2.4.4
Reflective meaning
18
2.4.5
Thematic meaning
18
2.4.6
Stylistic meaning
19
2.4.7
Collocative meaning
19
Semantic Issues
20
2.5.1
Homonymy
21
2.5.2
Polysemy
21
2.5.3
Synonymy
22
2.5.4
Antonyms
22
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2.5.5
Hyponymy
23
2.5.6
Meronymy
24
2.5.7
Ambiguity
24
2.5.8
Contradiction
24
2.5.9
Tautology
25
CHAPTER THREE
3.0
Introduction
26
3.1
Analysis
26
3.1.1
Datum One
26
3.1.2
Datum Two
27
3.1.3
Datum Three
29
3.1.4
Datum Four
30
3.1.5
Datum Five
31
3.1.6
Datum Six
32
3.1.7
Datum Seven
33
3.1.8
Datum Eight
34
3.1.9
Datum Nine
35
3.1.10
Datum Ten
36
3.1.11
Datum Eleven
37
3.1.12
Datum Twelve
38
3.1.13
Datum Thirteen
39
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CHAPTER FOUR
FINDINGS, SUMMARY, CONCLUSION
4.1
Introduction
41
4.2
Findings
41
4.3
Summary
42
4.4
Conclusion
43
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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