Language and Discourse Dynamism: A Study of Adenike Akinjobi’s Family Secrets
Abstract
The study explores the dynamism of language and discourse. It posits that language dynamism can be perceived from the purposes and functions that a language performs. It also states that discourse dynamism depends on its features in a particular context of situational use. It uses Akinjobi’s Family Secrets to demonstrate the dynamism of language and discourse. It uses various linguistic approaches in its investigations. It finds that in Family Secrets, the language dynamism dwells in the fact that the language performs emotive, conative, phatic, poetic, and metalinguistic functions in the discourse. It also finds that the dynamism of the discourse is portrayed with the features of the discourse and the presentation of various contexts in the play. In addition, it discovers that the discourse has a texture that reflects the unity of the discourse. It concludes on the ground that language and discourse dynamism varies in contexts and the context of situational usage greatly determines the functions, purposes and features of a discourse.
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