Download a discourse analysis of athol fugard`s sizwe bansi is dead brief

A DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF ATHOL FUGARD’S
SIZWE BANSI IS DEAD
BRIEF BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Human language is unique in being a symbolic communication system that is
learned instead of biologically inherited. “Language is a psychological or cognitive
property of humans” (Carnie 2007.) This is to say that in language production, there are
some set of neurons in the speaker/hearer’s head that allows the former to produce
letters and the latter to translate them into coherent ideas and thoughts. It involves
several subsystems. A speaker produces sound waves with the vocal cords and
articulates speech with the tongue and lips while the other hears the sound waves and
translates them into speech sounds using auditory apparatus. Crystal(1982) in
Nwachukwu et al(2007), defines language as human vocal noise (or graphic
representation of this noise in writing) used systematically or conventionally by a
community for purposes of communication. Thus, man is the only creatures that uses
language intentionally and habitually (Crystal 1997:40).
Language is studied layer by layer and system by system. This means that in the
study of language, the alphabet of a language gives rise to words, words give rise to
phrases and phrases and clauses give rise to sentences. And when sentences are
many, they form a DISCOURSE.
Discourse is defined as “the language in use” (Cook, 1989:6) and discourse analysis
is concerned with the “the analysis of language in use” (Brown and Yule, 1983:1).
Discourse analysis refers to the study of the relationship between language and the
contexts in which it is used. It involves looking at both language form and language
functions and includes the study of both spoken interaction and written texts.
Language allows interaction between human beings through the means of
talking; this “Talk” is termed “Discourse”. Discourse is a verbal interaction. Hence,
discourse analysis emerged from such talks whose meanings have to be analysed.
Harris (1952), sees discourse analysis as continuing descriptive linguistics
beyond the limit of a single sentence at a time and for correlating culture and language.
Discourse analysis came about due to the need for linguists to study the underlying
principles of everyday interactions.
Stubbs (1983), defines Discourse analysis as an attempt to study larger linguistic
units like conversational exchange or the study of interactive language including how
language is used in social context. Discourse analysis studies words and their relation
to situation in which they are made so as to facilitate hearer’s response. In Discourse
analysis, we study how one can use an utterance or an expression to transform a
message through meanings. Its general usage has to do with conversation and holding
forth on a subject.
It is believed that the system of communication in speech and writing is
language. As a result, human language is said to be communication when language
users are able to use appropriate words in an appropriate social context. Hence, the
desire to achieve communicative competence.
In a nutshell, Language communicates meaning and meaning gives information.
The intention of any language is to give meaning and the meaning is processed into
information. The analysis of discourse is necessarily, the analysis of language in use
(Brown and Yule 1983). Discourse analysis is committed to the investigation of the interrelationship that exists between language and language is use. Discourse analysis no
doubt, identifies these element functions and attempts to analyze them through the use
of the discourse techniques which unfold the process of turn-taking, topic change, topic
negotiation, presupposition, inference, implicature, participant, message, context etc.
are more prominent in drama texts than the other genres of literature, due to the
peculiar nature of drama texts. These resourceful elements of discourse will be applied
to analyze the play text: Sizwe Bansi is Dead
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
This study adopts Grice’s Co-operative Principle and the Maxims of Conversation which
is part of his famous Implicature theory. In a conversation, it is assumed that
participants co-operate with each other. This kind of assumption was put by Grice
(1975:45) known as ‘Co-operative Principle. The Co-operative Principle states thus:
“Make your conversation contribution such as is required, at the stage at which it
occurs, by the accepted purpose or direction of the talk exchange in which you are
engaged”.
For maxims support this principle.
a.
QUANTITY: This requires one to make one’s contribution as informative as
required (for the current purposes of the exchange), not more or less
informative than is required.
b.
QUALITY: Do not say that which you believe to be false or for which you lack
adequate evidence.
c.
RELATIONS: Be relevant
d.
MANNER: Be clear, brief and orderly. Avoid ambiguity and obscurity of
expression.
The study also derives its theoretical framework from Halliday and Hasan’s theory of
cohesion. That a text is unified is achieved by the use of cohesive devices. Cohesion,
therefore, is the glue that holds words that make a text together. Therefore, the main
theoretical framework is Halliday and Hasan’s theory of cohesion. Cohesion, according
to this source, is categorized into two broad types: lexical and grammatical. Reference,
conjunction and ellipsis are classified under the heading grammatical cohesion because
they involve syntactic terms. Lexical cohesion on the other hand, refers to the use of the
same similar or related words in successive sentences. Halliday and Hasan (1976) point
out that the distinction between the two is one of degree and that conjunction is on the
broader line being grammatical but with a lexical component.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
Since effective communication means the appropriate use of language in the
relevant context, the aim of this study will therefore be to examine the English language
used in Sizwe Bansi is Dead by Athol Fugard using discourse analysis to determine the
effectiveness of its language use.Sizwe Bansi is Dead is a play text and we intend to
examine how communication is achieved among the interlocutors/characters. The
essence of this study is also to investigate the extent to which Halliday and Hasan
(1976) model of cohesion (precisely cohesive devices) is used to achieve unity,
meaning, understanding and readabilityin the text.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Many researchers have carried out discourse analysis of the classroom,
courtroom, sermons, interviews, interactions, newspapers, play texts, and so on but to
the researcher’s knowledge, there is a dearth of research works on discourse analysis
of Athol Fugard’s Sizwe Bansi is Dead, hence, the significance of this study. By carrying
out this study, the researcher will x-ray and portray the discourse elements in the work
Sizwe Bansi is Dead and will add to the existing body of knowledge in the area of
application.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study will focus on the elements of Discourse in the play Sizwe Bansi is
Dead with the aim of using same to bring out the underlying meaning of the text by
examining how effective communication is maintained. There are many features of
discourse analysis but the researcher will limit the analysis to the conversational
features like the use of cohesion and cohesive devices/ties ( Halliday & Hasan 1994)
which include; (reference substitution, ellipsis, conjunctions and lexical cohesion)
coherence, discourse participants, turn taking, repetition, talk negotiation, topic change
and the application of Grice’s Co-operative Principle and the Maxims of Conversation.
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
After, carrying out a systematic analysis of the conversations in Athol Fugard’s
Sizwe Bansi is Dead, the findings will determine if the drama text as a genre of literature
displays discourse and pragmatic elements. The findings will also determine the
presence or absence of cohesion and cohesive ties in the text. If a passage of English
containing more than one sentence is perceived as a text, there will be certain linguistic
features present in that passage which can be identified as contributing to its total unity
and giving it texture” ( Halliday & Hasan 1994). A text needs texture and this texture can
only be created by the presence of cohesive ties
The author has been able to depict to us in the text by using some of the interlocutors
who are struggling to have their freedom, that is, their new identity through obtaining the
“pass book”. The pass book represents “New Life” which makes Sizwe Bansi dead but
not actually dead.
The findings will also determine if Grice’s Co-operative Principle and the Maxims of
Conversation which is part of his famous Implicature Theory is obeyed or violated by the
interlocutors in the text. In a conversation, it is assumed that participants co-operate
with each other. This kind of assumption was put by Grice (1975:45) known as ‘Cooperative Principle. The Co-operative Principle states thus:
“Make your conversation contribution such as is required, at the stage at which it
occurs, by the accepted purpose or direction of the talk exchange in which you are
engaged”.
This shows that in every discourse, there must be participants to point out that
the discourse participants are interested in the topic or subject matter of the
conversation which is very important.
Another vital expected outcome of the research would be topic negotiation and
topic change which the author uses to show that discourse can be enhanced and ideas
can be slotted in by the participants..
More so, it would be discovered that other pragmatic discourse tools such as
presupposition, context, inference, will be able to alleviate the interpreting of both the
obvious and obscure meanings as used by the author.
REFERENCES
Athol, F. (1973): Sizwe Bansi is Dead. Oxford university press.
Ashipu, K. B. C. (2012). Cohesive Devices in Nigerian Media Discourse: A Study of
Newswatch Magazine. Open Science Repository Communication and Journalism,
Online(open-access), e70081912. doi:10.7392/Research.70081912
Brown, G. Yule,G. (1983): Discourse Analysis. Cambridge University press.
Cook, G. (1992) Discourse oxford. Oxford university press.
Crystal, D. (1991): A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics (3rd Ed.) Oxford Press.
Blackwell
Cutting, J. (2002). Pragmatic and discourse London: New fetter lane.
Grice, H.P. (1975): Logic and Conversation. New York Academy press.
Halliday, M.A.K., Hassan R. (1994): Cohesion in English. London Longman Group
Limited.
Parvaz, M., & Nodoushan, A. (2006). The Effect of Text Cohesion on Reading
Comprehension. Iranian Journal of Language Studies, 54-59. FIND ONLINE
Stubbs, M. (1983): Discourse Analysis: The sociolinguistic Analysis of Natural
Language. Blackwell oxford press.