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8Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences 12 (2016 9) 3025-3036
УДК 811.432.56
Written Literature in an African Language: An Examination of Interrogative Sentences in Fagunwa's Novels
Temitope Olumuyiwaa and Aladesanmi Omobo la Agnes*b
aDepartment of Linguistics and Languages Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Nigeria hDepartment of Linguistics and Nigerian Languages Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria
Received 01.03.16, received in revised form 05.05.16, accepted 27.06.16
Fagunwa is no doubt a great Yoruba novelist, who has impressively extended the frontiers of the Yoruba literary heritage due to his skill as a story-teller and his linguistic competence in the use of Yoruba language. Many incidents in his novels are designed to teach morals. In his effort to teach these morals and expand the reader's knowledge and understanding about the messages contained in the novels, Fagunwa shows great skills in the use of interrogative sentences. It is against this backdrop that this study, therefore, examines the nature and use of interrogative sentences in his five novels. The study shows that Fagunwa uses a total of 678 interrogative sentences in the novels. The study posits that Fagunwa uses the interrogative sentences for various reasons which include: introduction of moral and social vices he condemns; creating humor; showing emotions in some characters and making some of his narrative techniques effective.
Keywords: Fagunwa, Interrogative sentences, Novels, Yoruba language.
DOI: 10.17516/1997-1370-2016-9-12-3025-3036.
Research area: philology.
Introduction
African Languages are numerous, genetically related and diverse in nature. Grimes (1996) puts the number of African languages at 2,035. This figure represents nearly one-third of the world languages (Heine & Nurse 2000:1). The African languages are classified into the following: language phyla: Afroasiatic, Nilo-Saharan, Niger-Congo and Khoisan. This study focuses on Yoruba, one of the languages of Niger-Congo
Language phylum. Grimes (1996) estimates the languages in this phylum to be 1,436, making it the largest language phylum in the world. Yoruba is one of the three recognized Nigerian major languages. Yoruba people in Nigeria are estimated to be about 43 million. They occupy a large area in the South-West geopolitical zone of Nigeria extending through Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Osun, Ekiti, Kwara, Kogi and Edo States. Yoruba is also spoken in the republics of Benin,
© Siberian Federal University. All rights reserved
* Corresponding author E-mail address: oluolumuyiwa@gmail.com, bolaaladesanmi@gmail.com
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Togo, Brazil, Cuba, Sierra-Leone and Trinidad and Tobago. Yoruba language was reduced to writing by Bowdich (a British diplomat in the Gold Coast) in 1817. The standardization of the language began mainly through the efforts of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) in 1875. However, the publication of the compilation: the serial of itan Emi Segilola Eleyinju-ege Elegberun oko laiye (The life Story of Segilola Eleyinju-ege, the wife to a thousand husbands) in July, 1930 by I. B. Thomas, marked the birth of Yoruba novel writing, Ogunsina (1992:15). Eight years after, Daniel Orowole Fagunwa, another novelist, came to the scene.
Daniel Orowole Fagunwa (D.O. Fagunwa), was born in 1903 in Oke-Igbo, Ondo State, South West Nigeria. He was the son of Joshua Akintunde and Racheal Osunyomi Fagunwa. D.O. Fagunwa's parents were adherents of Yoruba traditional religion before they were converted to Christianity. The Christian doctrines probably influenced Orowole Fagunwa to change 'Orowole' (Oro cults enters home) to 'Olorunfemi' (God loves me). D.O. Fagunwa started schooling in 1916 at St. Luke's Primary School, Oke-Igbo. He graduated in 1924 and later became a teacher at the same school in 1925. He entered St. Andrew's Teachers College Oyo in 1926. On completion of his studies in 1929, he began his teaching career at St. Andrew's Practicing School between 1930 and 1939.
It was during this period of his life, in 1935, when Fagunwa's first novel Ogboju ode Ninu Igbo Olodumare (Ogboju) (Forest of A Thousand Demons) was written. The book was presented for a competition organized by Miss Plummer in 1936. The Church Missionary Society bought the manuscript and published it in 1938.
D.O. Fagunwa was posted to St. Patrick's Primary School, Owo, Ondo State in 1940. He moved to Church Missionary Society (CMS) Grammar School Lagos in 1943. In 1944,
Fagunwa moved to Girls' College of Benin City and later to Igbobi College of Lagos in 1945. He was in Britain in 1947 and later returned to Nigeria in 1948 after his studies there. D.O. Fagunwa ended his teaching career at Government Teacher Training Centre Ibadan in 1950. He later worked as an Education Officer at the Publication Unit of the Ministry of Education in the old Western Region of Nigeria till 1959. He was conferred with the honour M.B.E in 1959. Later that year, he became Nigeria Representative of Heinemann Education Books. Other novels written by Fagunwa are: Igbo Olodumare (Forest of God) (1949), Ireke Onibudo (1949), Irinkerindd Ninu Igbo Elegbeje (Adventures to the Mount of Thought) (1954), and Adiitu Olodumare (The Mystery Plans of God) (1961). These novels underwent several impressions after they were first published. Fagunwa also wrote some other books, which include Iranse Eni Olorun Ti Leyin (unpublished manuscript 1939), Irin-ajd Eda apa kini ati apa keji (1959) and Taiwo ati Kehinde (1964). He jointly wrote the books Itan Oloyin (1959) with L.J. Lewis, and OjoAsotan with G.L. Lasebikan, which were published posthumously in 1964. Fagunwa died on December 7, 19631.
D.O. Fagunwa is reported to have had the strongest impact on the development of Yoruba novel writing. Ogunsina (1992:78) describes Fagunwa's place in the history of Yoruba novel writing as significant in the sense that he impressively extended the frontiers of Yoruba literary heritage in a fresh dimension, thus bringing an instant and yet unsurpassed continuity into Yoruba novel writing. Fagunwa's greatness as a Yoruba novelist has been linked to his skill as a story-teller and his use of Yoruba language. Critics of Fagunwa's works unanimously speak of his superlative use of the language. Fagunwa's language gymnastics include the use of short sentence sequences,
repetition of words, proverbial expressions, hyperbole and declamatory utterances, vivid and fanciful comparisons, ebullient rhetorical effects and humour. In describing Fagunwa's linguistic competence and his artistic ability to achieve lucidity without boredom, Bamgbose (1974) describes him as a master of Yoruba language, who creatively exploits the genius of the language by twisting it to express his feelings and those of his characters. In the same vein, Beier (1967:189) points out that the true Yoruba flavour of Fagunwa's works lies not in the material he used, but in the language of his narration.
The maj or scholarly work on the language use in novels by Fagunwa was written by Bamgbose (1974: 108-132). The work posits that Fagunwa's language is characterized by the rhetoric which shows itself in the love for words, hyperbolic expressions and declamatory speech. The work also examines the use of the following stylistic features: simile and metaphor, idiophones, proverbs, short sentence sequences, expressive imagery, repetition, humour and negative personification. Another aspect of language use in Fagunwa's novels which has not been examined yet is his use of interrogative sentences which is the main concern of this study. Therefore, the main thrust of the study is to examine the use and functions of the interrogative sentences in five novels by Fagunwa. We chose to investigate the use and functions of interrogative sentences in the five novels because previously they have been ignored.
Each of the Fagunwa's novels is a novel of actions (Ogunsina 1992:77). And many incidents in the novels are designed to teach morals. As Bamgbose (1975:943) correctly pointed out, each novel is a didactic document embodying an account of the trials and tribulations of a fellow human from whom we are supposed to learn a lesson. As a trained teacher, Fagunwa knew the importance of questioning as an instructional tool
in the dialogue of teaching and learning. In his effort to teach and expand the reader's knowledge and understanding of the lessons/messages conveyed by his novels, he shows great skills in the use of interrogative sentences. This is evident in the number of interrogative sentences used in the novels. In all, Fagunwa used 678 interrogative sentences. In Ogböjü Ode Ninü Igbö Irunmole (Forest of A Thousand Demons) (1938), (Ogböjü) he used 119 interrogative sentences; 96 in Igbö Olödümare(Forest of God) (1949), (Igbö); 99 in Ireke Onibüdö (1949), (Ireke); 95 in Irinkerindd Ninü Igbö Elegbeje (Adventures to the Mount of Thought)(1954), (Irinkerindd); 269 in Adiitü Olödümare (The Mystery Plans of God) (1961), (Adiitü). The breakdown of the interrogative sentences used in each chapter of the novels is shown in the Tables below:
This can be represented graphically as shown in Fig. 1 below.
The tables in Fig. 1 below show that there are no interrogative sentences in chapters three and five of Irinkerindd. This, we believe, is due to the fact that the two chapters are a mere narration of events. The tables also show that Fagunwa used more interrogative sentences in Adiitü than in other novels. The reason for this cannot be farfetched. Firstly, the first person narrative technique is abandoned in favour of narrative by an omniscient narrator. Secondly, the novel centres on the mysteries of God. It is therefore not surprising that it generates more questions than others. Finally, the numerous interrogative sentences in Fagunwa's novels as shown in the Tables below arouse our curiosity, thus, we decide to investigate its nature and use in the novels.
Interrogative Sentences
Several linguists have looked at interrogative sentences in natural languages. Among them, there are Bamgbose (1967:43), Ogunbowale (1970:102-106), Awobuluyi (1978:123), Radford
Table 1. Interrogative sentence in Fagunwa novels
Chapter Ogboju Igbo Ireke Irinkerindo Adiitu
1 6 1 4 14 3
2 11 32 31 10 15
3 7 11 8 17
4 3 7 4 23 7
5 33 8 23 13
6 27 29 17 2 61
7 24 2 12 4 41
8 8 6 17 78
9 17 18
10 1 16
11 7
TOTAL 119 96 99 95 269
300 250 200 150 100 50 0
N-V-b fo A <b
I I
L*i J.U.I \L ]., J
■ INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES IN FAGUNWA NOVELS OGBOJU
■ INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES IN FAGUNWA NOVELS IGBO INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES IN FAGUNWA NOVELS IREKE
■ INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES IN FAGUNWA NOVELS IRINKE
■ INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES IN FAGUNWA NOVELS ADIITU
Fig. 1
(1988), Aboderin (1995), Crystal (2003) and Haegeman (2006). Bamgbosé (1967:43) opines that any clause which has a question item in it is an interrogative clause in Yorùba. The question items may be clause introducers, initial items in a ni- clause, verbs or adverbs. Awobùlùyi (1978:123) believes interrogative sentences are sentences employed as questions. They are of two basic kinds in Yorùba: interrogative sentences that contain question words and those without
question words which usually have a special rising intonation pattern.
Sentences with an interrogating structure mostly convey that there is a certain amount of information which the speaker does not have and which he is trying to make the interlocutor supply, (Haegeman 2006:21). This implies that questions are statements which seek information and expecting a reply. Crystal (2003:218) says that questions fall into three main types depending on
the kind of reply one expects, and on how such questions are constructed. These types are: Yes-No questions (polar questions), Wh-questions (content word questions) and alternative questions. Yes-No questions allow an affirmative or negative response. Wh-questions begin with question words and allow a reply from a wide range of possibilities, while alternative questions require a reply which relates to the options provided by the sentence.
The terms "question" and "interrogative" are often interchanging (Matthews 2007:200). However, a distinction can sometimes be made. Thus, "can't he shut up?" has an interrogative structure, and its function is not a question, but a request or a command. Questions are used by people in all walks of life to learn about their world and find information to guide their lives. Questions also confront people with a challenge. There are two domains of questions: cognitive and affective. Cognitive questions concern intellectual understanding. Affective questions concern emotions, attitudes and values. Sometimes, it is difficult to distinguish affective questions from cognitive questions. This is partly so because each affective question has a cognitive part to it. As Kissock and Iyortsuun (1995:79) correctly pointed out: "cognitive questions focus attention on the idea or information being studied. Affective questions focus attention on the individual and his/her opinion, feeling, or belief about something".
Formation of Interrogative Sentences in Yorùba Language
The interrogative pattern of declarative sentences in English language is formed by changing the position of the auxiliary verb with respect to that of the subject (subject- auxiliary inversion-moving the auxiliary leftward across the subject). For example:
1. Declarative: "The murderer has broken the window"
Interrogative: "Has the murderer broken the window?"
However, in Yoruba language, there are two types of interrogative constructions: those that contain question words and those without question words. Interrogative sentences without question words are pronounced specially with the voice lighter and higher for such constructions than their declarative versions. Interrogative constructions that contain question words are of two basic kinds. These are yes/no (polar) and content word (wh-) interrogative constructions. Polar questions in Yoruba are derived by adjoining either of two question head elements nje or se to the beginning of declarative sentences as exemplified below:
2. Declarative: Oluwatise "Oluwatise
jeun. ate".
Interrogative: Se Oluwatise "Did
jeun? Oluwatise
eat?"
Nje Oluwatise "Did jeun? Oluwatise
eat?"
Unlike nje/se, which occur at the beginning of the sentence, bi and ndan are polar elements that occur at the end of Yoruba polar question sentence, as in:
3. a. Dayo wa bi? "Did Dayo come?" b. Won soro ndan? "Are they talking?"
The process of forming content word questions in Yoruba involves movement. Content word questions in Yoruba are nominal expressions which are often moved to the beginning of the sentence where they are immediately followed by the focus marker ni, (ilo ri 2010:256). Yoruba content word questions are ta 'who', ewo/wo 'which', ibo 'where', bawo 'which', elo 'how much', meloo 'how many', nitori ki... 'why'. This is illustrated by the following examples:
4. (a) Délé ri Ta Ta ni Delé
(ni) ni ojà ^ ri... ni ojà?
(b) Moyè ri Olù Ibo ni Moyè ni ibo ^ ti ri Olù?
(c) O gbo ki (ni) Ki ni o ^ gbo...?
(d) WOn ta Mélôô ni mélôô ^ won tà...?
(e) O maa dé Nigbà wo ni nigbà wo ^ o maa dé...?
(f) E fe èwo Èwo ni e fe nibe ^ nibè...?
(g) Iyen je èlo ^ Èlo ni iyen
je.?
"Who did Délé see at the market?" "Where did Moyè see Olù?" "What did you hear?" "How much
did they buy?"
"When are you coming?" "Which one do you want?" "How much is that?"
These content word questions demand phrasal or clausal answers. There are other types of content word question constructions which do not involve wh-items. Examples of such question expressions are:
5. a. O ti je?
b. Aso mi dà?
c. Iya re nko?
d. O ti i lo na?
"How is it?"
"Where is my cloth?"
"Where is your mother?"
"Has he gone yet?"
The discussions in the preceding paragraphs have focused attention on interrogative sentences and their formation in Yoruba language with the hope that this background will help us in our examination of interrogative sentences in Fagunwa's novels.
The Nature of Interrogative Sentences in Fagunwa's Novels
The general nature of interrogative sentences used in Fagunwa's novels is similar to the ones used in conversation in contemporary Yoruba. In the novels, Fagunwa used interrogative sentences majorly when there is interactivity between the speaker and the interlocutor. Some of the interrogative sentences used in the novels
are directed at the interlocutor. In the novels, the following interrogative sentences are found: (a) Wh-questions; (b) alternative questions; (c) polar questions and (d) interrogative sentences without questions words.
Fagunwa used Wh-question type more than other types in the novels. The linguistic patterns of Wh-questions in Fagunwa's novels are simple, short and sometimes identical. As shown in (6) below.
6. i. Tani baba won? Tani baba enia?.. Tani baba agbonrin? Irinkeridd p. 113.
Who is their father? Who is the father of man...Who is the father of antelope?"
ii. Tani o? *Kini o? (sic)... kil'o nwa? Kil'o nfe? Nibo l'o ti mbo? Igbo p. 14.
"Who are you? What are you? What are you looking for? What do you want? Where are you coming from?
iii Tani enyin wonyi? Nibo ni e ti wa? Nibo ni e si nlo? Ogboju p. 61.
"Who are these people? Where did you come from? Where are you going?"
iv Ta ni enyin wonyi? Kile gbe kele? Nibo le ti nbo? Ireke p. 110.
Who are these people? What did you depend on? Where are you coming from?
The question items ta, nibo, ki occur in the beginning of the sentence as in (6) above. The question items in (6) above conform to their linguistic usage in Yoruba language, except that ki 'what' as asterisked in (6ii) was inappropriately used. Ki is used to ask about non-human in Yoruba language. Likewise, nko "where" is incorrectly used in some cases. Its incorrect use in Igbo p. 3, 15, 35, 95 and Irinkerindd p43 is noticed in this type of construction:
7. *nitori kini nko? "What do you base it
on?"
The question element nko cannot co-occur with the question element ki in Yoruba. The
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correct version of interrogative sentences in (7) above should be:
8. Nitori ki ni? "What do you base it on?" The incorrect use of nko"where" in the instances mentioned above may be pardonable because the question element is correctly used elsewhere in the novels. Its correct use is noticed in the following examples.
Ojo mesan oni nko?
Aja ilé re nko?
Irinkèridà p. 75
Adiitu p. 7
iii. Iya re nko? Ôgbojù p. 82
"What of in nine days' time?"
"How is the
dog in your house?" "Where is your mother?"
Similarly, bee is another word used incorrectly in interrogative sentences in Ogboju p. 44 and Igbo pp. 33 and 44 as shown in the following examples:
10. i. 'Nje iwo ni Anjonnu-iberu ti ise onibode Igbo Olodumare be" p33.
"Are you Anjonnu-iberu, the gate-keeper of Igbo Olodumare?"
11. Nje iwo ni okunrin na ti o pa Anjonnu-iberu be ? p. 44
"Are you the man that killed Ahjonnu-iberu?"
iii. Akara-ogun, nje iwo mo pe awon ara ilu yi ngbero ati pa oba be" p. 44.
"Akara-oogun, do you know that the people of this town wanted to kill the king?"
The three interrogative sentences in (10) are grammatically correct without the word be". The word be" performs no function in the interrogative sentences. However, our observation in examples (7) and (10) above must not give the impression that language use in Fagunwa's novels is bad. We want to believe that the observations in (7) and (10) could be traceable to Fagunwa's idiolects at the time of writing the novels.
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The use of alternative questions in Fagûnwà's novels is usually done as in formal Yoruba discourse. Consider the following:
11. i... A o se tiwa tàbi a kô ni se tiwa? Ogboju p. 57
"Are we going to fulfill our course or not" ii ... nwon bara mu tabi nwon kô ba ra mu? Adiitu p. 93
"... Are they compatible or not?" iii. "Alafia ni enyin n ba bo tàbi kùmo?" Irinkèridô p. 57
"Are you coming in peace or not?" The speakers of the utterances in (11) above intended to request the interlocutor to choose from the options in the interrogative sentences.
At times, Fagûnwà creatively used interrogative sentences in his novels by combining two or more as a sentence. Consider (12) below.
12. i. "... Àlafià ko ni ile wa bi, ara kole bi, se kô si nkan?" Igbo p. 24
"Is it well with your home? How is your body, is all well?"
ii. "Nibo ni iwo ti wa nibo ni iwo si nlo?" Ogboju p. 42
"Where are you coming from, where are you going?"
The use of interrogative sentences this way shows the skill in Fagunwà's use of Yorùba language. Also, the use of polar questions in the dialogue between all the Lamorin and Alaga in AdiitU pp114-115 is picturesque. Fagûnwà innovatively presents the polar questions in the dialogue between Alaga 'Chairman' and Lamorin without using the polar question elements: nje, sé, and bi. Consider 13 below.
13.
Alaga: Iwo ni Lamorin kini? Lamorin: Be ni
Alaga: A bi o ni ojo 2 osu June 1922. Lamorin: Be ni
"You are the first
Lamorin?"
"Yes"
"You are born on 2 June 1922."
"Yes"
Alaga: O ti ko "You have fully
Olodumare sile rejected God"
patapata
Lamorin: Be ni "Yes"
Fagunwa uses this innovation to show the craftiness of Alaga (chairman) in entrapping his victims. The interrogative adverb ndan, the use of which was in vogue during Fagunwa era, was used twenty-four times in the novels. The interrogative adverb performs no function in the interrogative sentences where it occurs in the novels. This interrogative adverb has gone out of use in contemporary Yoruba language, probably because it is old-fashioned.
The Function of Interrogative Sentences in Fagunwa's Novels
Learning to communicate in a language involves more than acquiring its pronunciation and grammar. If we are to use language in a realistic way, we need to learn the uses to which utterances are conventionally put and how these uses are signalled. People use language principally as a tool to do things: ask questions, request a favour, report events, converse, teach, greet and so on. In a terminology introduced by Austin (1975: 23) such functions of language are called speech acts. Each speech act has several principal components, two of which are directly relevant in this section: the utterance itself (locution) and the intention of the speaker in making it (illocution). Hence, in this section, we shall examine the communication intents of Fagunwa as regard his use of interrogative sentences in his novels.
One of the important features of speech acts is interactivity. Interactivity is a communicating function which involves the speaker in a coordinated activity with other language users (Saeed 2009:231). While a speech act like asking a question does not need any explicit responses to make them a question, they nonetheless set up the expectation for an interactive response. In all
the novels, Fagunwa uses interrogative sentences mainly for interactive responses in order to meet communicative demands of all the characters. This is why almost all the interrogative sentences used in the novels emanated from interactive response between one character and another. However, there are other communication intents for the use of interrogative sentences in the novels.
Fagunwa has been described as a writer who shows an incredible feeling for words and their effects. In his use of language, he is a clever innovator who brings new life into stereotyped expressions and succeeds in holding the readers' attention by his verbal dexterity and manipulation of sentence patterns (Bamgbose 1975:953). In his novels, Fagunwa uses some interrogative sentences to introduce a number of moral and social vices he condemns. For instance, in Ögböjü (p. 53), he uses a sequence of twenty-two interrogative sentences to teach and comment on some of the things that can cause rancour amidst the couple. In a similar vein, he uses interrogative sentences to introduce and explain the causes of untimely death among the children in Ireke (pp. 57-58). Aside this, some of the moral stories incorporated into his narration are introduced by interrogative sentence(s). The Sage, who tells these stories in novels, always begins some of the stories by asking a cognitive question. This is evident in the story of Kiniun and Kolokolo (the lion and the fox) in Ogboju (p. 82), and also in the story of Kotemilorun in Adiitü (p. 112125), where Fagunwa uses seventy interrogative sentences for illustration. The dialogue between Alaga and the first five Lamorin is used to show covetousness and discontent in man.
Bamgbose (1974:127) describes Fagunwa as a humorous writer without telling us how he does it. One of the ways Fagunwa creates humour in the novels is by using interrogative sentences in the dialogue between some characters. Let's
take, for example, the dialogue between Ekun and Ologbo-ijakadi and between Ekun and his wife. The humorous dialogue shows the stupidity of Ekun and the mocking tone of Ekun's wife in ireke (pp. 21-44). Likewise, the dialogue between Omugodimeji and his visitors in Irinkerindd (pp. 42-46) is also humorous. Omugodimeji uses eight interrogative sentences to eulogize himself and his palace despite his unusual and repugnant behaviour. In the same vein, Fagunwa uses the interrogative sentences in the dialogue between Alaga and the last two new initiates to create humour inAdiitü (pp. 124-125).
One of the narrative techniques in Fagunwa's novels is direct address. Bamgbose (1975:946947) has correctly pointed out that the adoption of this technique arises from the writer's conception of his role as a story-teller and his acute awareness that he is addressing an audience. However, one opines that Fagunwa uses some of the interrogative sentences in his novels to make this technique effective by creating direct, intimate and audience participation. For instance, the interrogative sentences he uses in Adiitü (p. 1) is directed at the audience and this, we believe, allows for the audience's participation in the narration. Also in Adiitü (p. 3), Fagunwa employs some interrogative sentences to show intimacy between him (the fictional author) and the narrator. Interrogative sentence is also employed to introduce the first dream of the fictional author in Ireke (p. 7). Another narrative technique in which Fagunwa uses interrogative sentences is what Bamgbose calls "cross reference". In order to recapitulate the past events, Fagunwa employs eight interrogative sentences in Ogböjü (p. 71) and five interrogative sentences in ireke (pp. 117118).
Fagunwa's language is remarkable for its music and rhythm and poetic quality of many of the passages in his novels (Bamgbose 1975:950). However, we note that this observation is evident
in his use of interrogative sentences in Irinkerindd (p. 113), where he uses the interrogative sentences to capture the rhythm and atmosphere of drum language when he says:
"Tani baba won? Tani baba enia? Tani baba won? Tani baba agbonrin?
Tani baba won? Tani baba imado? Tani baba won?"
"Who is their father? Who is the father of man? Who is their father? Who is the father of antelope? Who is their father? Who is the father of the wart-hog? Who is their father?"
Also, Fagunwa employs some affective questions in order to show emotions in some of his characters. This is shown, firstly, in the interrogative sentences used in the love letters in Ireke (pp. 79, 84, 90, 91); Irinkerindd (pp. 73, 74, 75, 77, 80, 81) and Adiitü (pp. 7, 59, 63, 64, 79, 80, 81, 87). Secondly, when irikerindo and Adiitu Olodumare lost their loved ones in Irinkerindd (p. 8) and Adiitü (p. 37) and thirdly, when the king wanted to send Akara-oogun to Oke Langbodo in Ogböjü (p. 49). Finally, Fagunwa shows how Yoruba can use interrogative sentences to resolve conflicts in the society. This is evident in the story of certain man and a leopard in Ogböjü (pp. 91-93).
Conclusion
This study has discussed interrogative sentences in Fagunwa novels. In the course of this, we were able to describe the nature of interrogative sentences he used. The study shows that Fagunwa uses wh-question type more than other question types. The study also notes that some question items are used in the novels wrongly. The study concludes by examining some of the communicative intents in the use of the interrogative sentences in the novels. The study posits that some of the interrogative sentences used are not used to seek information, but rather, they are used to supply
information in the narration. Aside this, some of the interrogative sentences are employed to make some of the narrative techniques effective, to create humour and to show emotions of some characters.
End Note
This is abridging version of the history of D.O. Fagunwa. His history has been fairly documented in detail in Olubunmo (1964), Bamgbose (1974) and Ogunsina (1992).
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Письменная литература на африканских языках: исследование вопросительных предложений в романах Даниела Фагунвы
Темитопе Олумуйива, Аладесанми Омобола Агнес
аФакультет языков и лингвистики Университет имени Адекунле Аджасина, Акунгба-Акоко
Нигерия
бФакультет лингвистики и нигерийких языков Университет штата Экити, Адо-Экити
Нигерия
Без сомнения, Фагунва - это великий романист йоруба, сумевший значительно расширить литературное наследние йоруба благодаря его искусству рассказчика, а также за счет его высочайшего мастерства в использовании языка йоруба. Многие из его романов несут в себе поучительный смысл. Стремясь донести до читателя тот или иной урок, а также расширить познания читателя, позволить ему лучше понять сообщение, которое несет в
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себе роман, Фагунва блестяще использует вопросительные предложения. Таким образом, данное исследование направлено на изучение характера использования вопросительных предложений в пяти романах автора. Исследование показало, что всего в романах встречается 678 вопросительных предложений. Авторы приходят к выводу, что Фагунва использует вопросительные предложения по разным причинам, среди которых: изобличение моральных и социальных пороков; создание юмористического эффекта; выражение эмоций персонажей и повышение эффективности повествовательных приемов.
Ключевые слова: Фагунва, вопросительные предложения, романы, язык йорубы. Научная специальность: 10.00.00 - филологические науки.
