Greg Mbajiorgu's Blog: October 2017

By Basil Friday Ovu

ovubasil@yahoo.co.uk

+2348064833427

Department of English Language and Literature

Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri, Imo State

Being a Paper Presented at the Maiden National Conference of the Department of English

Language and Literature, Faculty of Arts, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Held between 7th

and 11th June, 2016.

Abstract

This paper reports an exploratory study into the use of proverbs and mood structure to communicate textual meaning and grammatical functions in a dramatic text. Using two models of analyses – Type and Token Content Analysis (TTCA) and Systemic Functional Analysis (SFA), the paper examines the use of proverbs to achieve effective character delineation and environmental education in Greg Mbajiorgu's Wake Up Everyone. A total of six (6) short dialogues containing eleven (11) proverbs drawn directly from the play text constitute the corpora. These were analysed in relation to their grammatical structure, mood structure and how the writer used them to communicate meaning to the reader using the 200 level NCE students from the Department of English Language and Literature, Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri as the research subjects. The TTCA reveals that the playwright used eight (8) bipartite; one (1) tripartite, and two (2) quadripartite proverbs; the SFA shows an incremental use of indicative mood by the playwright in a passionate cry against the mindless destruction of the ecosystem and a clarion call for more eco-friendly practices in Nigeria; while the result of the grammatical function test designed using the proverbs reveals that the students have challenges dividing the proverbs into their correct grammatical structures and labels even when they can accurately identify the appropriate mood structures of the proverbs. The paper, therefore, recommends an eclectic approach to teaching grammatical forms and functions using authentic literary texts in ESL classrooms.

Abstract

This paper reports an exploratory study into the use of proverbs and mood structure to

communicate textual meaning and grammatical functions in a dramatic text. Using two

models of analyses – Type and Token Content Analysis (TTCA) and Systemic Functional

Analysis (SFA), the paper examines the use of proverbs to achieve effective character

delineation and environmental education in Greg Mbajiorgu’s Wake Up Everyone. A total of

six (6) short dialogues containing eleven (11) proverbs drawn directly from the play text

constitute the corpora. These were analysed in relation to their grammatical structure, mood

structure and how the writer used them to communicate meaning to the reader using the 200

level NCE students from the Department of English Language and Literature, Alvan Ikoku

Federal College of Education, Owerri as the research subjects. The TTCA reveals that the

playwright used eight (8) bipartite; one (1) tripartite, and two (2) quadripartite proverbs; the

SFA shows an incremental use of indicative mood by the playwright in a passionate cry

against the mindless destruction of the ecosystem and a clarion call for more eco-friendly

practices in Nigeria; while the result of the grammatical function test designed using the

proverbs reveals that the students have challenges dividing the proverbs into their correct

grammatical structures and labels even when they can accurately identify the appropriate

mood structures of the proverbs. The paper, therefore, recommends an eclectic approach to

teaching grammatical forms and functions using authentic literary texts in ESL classrooms.

Keywords: proverbs, mood structure, grammatical form and function, TTCA, SFA

1. Introduction

Understanding a writer’s use of language is germane to helping the L2 learners to appreciate

not just the import and purport of a literary text but also learning grammatical forms and

functions. Again since most writers ultimately function within the social milieu where they

find themselves, their artistic creations ultimately reflect the cultural dynamics that define

their verbal repertoires. One of such verbal repertoires is proverb. To the Africans and

particularly Igbo writers, proverb is an important linguistic tool through which they

communicate both their arts and thoughts. In this regard Chinua Achebe gave what has since

become the canonical expression of the idea of proverbs among the Igbo when he wrote that

proverb “is the palm oil with which words are eaten” (6). P.N. Okoli further defines proverbs as “…pitchy saying[s] which had gained credence through widespread or frequent use” (19) while H.C. Okoye maintains that proverbs serve as a convenient but artistic “substitute for what is normally expressed in plain words” (16). In other words, proverbs provide the right platform in which an issue may be discussed in a way that shows its urgency and importance. Consequently, dramatists like Wole Soyinka, Amata Aidoo, Zulu Sofola, et cetera have used proverbs with a high degree of success in their works. These have been explored in various ways by scholars. However, a linguistic study of

proverbs has not been very much in coming. For instance, out of the nineteen articles

published in the Journal of Proverbs by the Department of English, Obafemi Awolowo

University, Ile-Ife in 2008, only two articles were devoted to the study of proverbs from a

linguistic perspective. Even in the two articles none of them studied proverbs from the

systemic functional perspective rather the study centred on sociolinguistic survey and formal

linguistic analysis respectively. It is against the foregoing backdrop that this paper makes its

own contribution to scholarship.

2. Types and Categories of Proverbs

Proverbs are at times conveniently divided into two broad categories using structure and

genre. According to Jasper Onuekwusi, proverbs can be structurally grouped into bipartite

(two parts), tripartite (three parts), quadripartite (four parts), and so forth while P.N. Okoli

opines that proverbs may exist as wellerism, exemplum, epigrammatic proverb, poetic

proverb, et cetera based on their specific genres. Wellerism refers to an idea or thought that is

attributed to a fictional character which could be an animal, object, god, man et cetera.

Exemplum like wellerism is not to be understood on its surface meaning but it differs from

wellerism in that it normally occurs as a short story with its morals existing side by side with

the tale. Epigrammatic proverb on the other hand exists as a simple statement of facts with

embedded meaning while poetic proverb exists as a miniature poem with rhythmic elements.

However, for the purpose of this paper and given the fact that the proverbs used throughout

the play maintained a stable epigrammatic genre form, only their structural aspect would be

discussed. This decision is further supported by the idea that classifying proverbs in terms of

genre is mainly for academic exercise since the “elders who are skilled in the arts of proverb

and rhetorics make floods of speech which are embellished with proverbs with total

ignorance of their genres” (Okoye & Okoye 111).

3. Synopsis of the Text

The drama text under study, Wake Up Everyone (henceforth, WUE), written by Greg

Mbajiorgu is an enlarged version of an earlier short commissioned play written in 2009 for

ATPS 1, Nairobi, Kenya. It represents a passionate cry against the mindless destruction of the

ecosystem and a clarion call for more eco-friendly practices in Nigeria. The protagonist is a

professor of Agricultural Extension who uses theatre as a medium of environmental

education and campaign against what he calls “man’s mindless activities on earth” (WUE

13). Prof. Aladinma (as he is called in the play) has been providing free extension services to

rural farmers. The play opens where he is having a hard time trying to convince his local

government chairman to take some proactive steps by sponsoring the building of a dyke in

the local government in order to forestall an imminent flood disaster. But the chairman

roundly rejects the proposal because he sees no reason why what he views as the fulfilment of

one of the biblical prophecies about end times can be averted by building a dyke. Although,

the chairman feigns ignorance of the danger that his refusal to construct the dyke portends to

his people, his major reason for not sponsoring the project lies squarely in his re-election bid.

When the flood eventually comes, the farmers become so infuriated that they threaten to burn

down his house. The play ends with Prof. Aladinma addressing the rampaging crowds to

show their grievances with caution and within the ambit of the law of the land.

4. Theoretical and Methodological Considerations

4.1. Systemic Functional Analysis

The systemic functional analysis (henceforth, SFA) is an analytical framework developed by

the British-born Australian linguist, Michael Alexander Kirkwood Halliday, whose works

ushered in what is today known as Systemic Functional Linguistics. As an approach to

language, SFL lays emphasis on language structure and functions. Thus, language use is

conceived as embodying a three-fold pattern that reveals meaning as “message”, “exchange”

and “representation”. These coincide with the three “metafunctions” of language such as

textual, interpersonal and experiential or ideational metafunctions. Each of these

metafunctions is realised through a three-fold structural formula: thematic structure, mood

structure and grammatical structure (cf. Halliday & Matthiessen 88-356). Thus, in SFL,

structural definitions are tied to functional correlates in which language is used to construe “a

mode of experience” (i.e. experiential metafunctions); enact “social relationships” (i.e.

interpersonal metafunctions), and maintain contextual relevance (i.e. textual metafunctions).

Both the experiential or ideational and interpersonal metafunctions are relevant to the study.

Ideational metafunction focuses on how form communicates meaning and interpersonal

metafunction looks at the relationships between the interlocutors in a discourse situation. The

mood system relates to the interpersonal metafunction. According to Wale Osisanwo, the

mood system facilitates the ability of the linguist and researcher to account for the various

options that are available to speakers in any discourse situation. Since speakers primarily use

sentences and sentence fragments in communicating ideas, the mood system is considered to

relate to sentence functions. Thus, a sentence may be used to approve or disapprove, to

express doubt, to ask questions or give answers; to greet, instruct, or to command others; to

include others within the social group or to exclude others from it. These functions of the

sentence correspond to different grammatical categories such as declarative (including

imperatives e.g. commands, requests, et cetera) and exclamatory, sentences (Yeibo 3).

Furthermore, the mood system operates in terms of mode, mood proper, and modality. Mode

relates to the manner or way of speaking or writing. If a speaker or writer is assertive, he is

using the indicative mood; if he is asking a question he is using the interrogative mood; and if

he is issuing a command he is using the imperative mood while if he is expressing a wish he

will be using the optative mood. All these can be related to the grammatical status of the

sentences in question. Thus, an independent sentence (or clause) is mainly declarative (or

indicative) but an embedded clause may require the subjunctive form. It may also have

special non-finite forms, such as infinitive, participle or gerund (cf: Halliday & Matthiessen

97-99). These are complemented by such grammatical labels like Subject, Finite, Predicator,

Adjunct and Complement.

4.2. Type and Token Analysis

Type and token analysis has a broad spectrum of application in different fields of research

such as philosophy, zoology, logic, linguistics among others (Wetzel 1). Its application to

linguistics is traceable to Joan Bybee’s Frequency of Use and Organisation of Language

which contains a collection of both old and new articles in the field). Bybee distinguished

between type and token frequencies. According to her, type frequency deals with patterns of

language where the primary concern is “how many distinct items are represented by the

pattern” while token frequency “counts the number of times a unit appears in running text”

(9). Both frequencies have different effects on the linguistic systems. For instance, the

primary effect of type frequency is that it determines the degree of productivity of a given

linguistic form or construction while token frequency has two principal effects known as

conserving and reducing effects. Conserving effects refers to the fact that “repetition

strengthens memory representations for linguistic forms and makes them more accessible”

while reducing effect refers to the fact that expressions and grammatical items that are mostly

used tend to be affected by phonetic reduction. Specifically, Bybee used the first effect to

account for diachronic changes that occur in the use of irregular verbs, morphosyntactic

constructions and phonological alternations in English while she used the second effect to

account for mainly phonological changes such as coalescence, phonotactic realignment, etc

and morphosyntactic changes such as grammaticalisation (see Bybee 11-180).

Similarly, Soren Eskildsen observes that both type and token frequency refer to two different

ways of counting linguistic occurrences in the body of a text. He distinguishes between type

and token frequency by stating that while type frequency refers to “the number of different

instantiations representing a given morphological, phonological, or syntactic pattern or

construction” token frequency refers to “the occurrence of a specific item, be it a morpheme,

a phoneme, a syllable, or a specific word or phrase” (661). Finally, Adele Goldberg and

Devin Casenhiser in trying to improve on the ideas of Joan Bybee, embarked on an

experimental, usage-based, constructionist study through which they observed that children

and adults learn certain constructions faster when they are introduced to a high frequency

token and at the same time exposed to several similar types that exemplify the specific

construction (cf. Goldberg & Casenhiser 197-215). The present study relies on type and token

frequency while analysing the proverbs.

5. Data Presentation and Analysis

The analysis of the proverbs covers their structural types; their use for character delineation

and their mood, thematic, and information structures. The structural analysis of the proverbs

reveals that they are predominantly bipartite. This is understandable since the corpora are

mainly short dialogues with a total of eleven proverbs. Out of these, eight are bipartite; two

are quadripartite and one can be broken down into six distinct parts. In terms of character

delineation, the proverbs reveal the characters as being proactive, non-proactive and cautious

while the mood structure analysis reveals the proverbs as being dominated by the indicative,

declarative, and few interrogative (wh-question and non-wh-question) clause types. The

internal elements of the clause is analysed using S, F, P, C, A, etc as structural labels. This is

added with the division of the proverbs in terms of theme-rheme. The theme-rheme

dichotomy provides the semantic label aimed at situating the proverbs within the larger

discourse (information) structure.

5.1. Structural Analysis of the Proverbs Used in the Play

Structurally, the proverbs come in varying length and complexities, namely, bipartite,

quadripartite, et cetera. The first recorded proverb in the play is from Prof. Aladinma. While

trying to convince Edwin Ochonkeya to invest in an ecological project sited at Ndoliland,

Prof. Aladinma uses the following proverb:

“//…when the drummer changes beat/the dancer must change his steps//” (WUE 13).

Also Dimkpa while defending himself against those who have accused him of indolence and

capriciousness releases two successive proverbs, which are presented as follow:

“//…it is only a wicked mother/that throws her stubborn child away with the

bathwater// That my brother is deaf-eared/ is not enough reason to allow him fall into

a deep gully//” (WUE p.27).

Both instances of proverb use illustrate an undeniably bipartite structure where each proverb

naturally falls into two parts while the characters use them to create a balance of thoughts and

arguments. Furthermore, a quadripartite proverb structure is equally reflected in the play

during the long verbal exchange between Nwakaego and some group of village farmers

(WUE, p.29), and between Ifediegwu and other farmers (WUE, pp.75-76) respectively.

Nwakaego’s speech is reproduced below for easy understanding:

NWAKAEGO: //When green leaves cease to grow on the ground/

ALL: /a goat will have no choice than to learn to feed on tree top/

NWAKAEGO: /a

nd to reach the tree top/

ALL: /it must learn the art of tree climbing//

NWAKAEGO: //Ukpana Okpoko gburu/

ALL: /nti chiri ya//

NWAKAEGO: //If the hunter learns to shoot without missing/

ALL: /Eneke the bird must learn to fly without perching//

The first set of proverb has quadripartite structure: “//When green leaves cease to grow on the

ground# a goat will have no choice than to learn to feed on tree top/and to reach the tree.

top#/it must learn the art of tree climbing//” while the second and third sets all have bipartite

structure as can be seen in the extract.

On the other hand, Ifediegwu’s speech displays a slightly different pattern of proverb use in

that he initiates the proverb and then allows his audience to complete them as the extract

below illustrates:

IFEDIEGWU: //The fruit we saw afar/ is no longer the same at a close range//

ALL: It is not.

IFEDIEGWU: //Can we allow the foam from our own soap to blind us/ while we are

still in the river?//

ALL: No!

IFEDIEGWU: //Now that we have discovered the hole/ that harbours the rattle snake/

that struck us with its tail/, do we fold our arms/ and wait /until we are bitten

by the same snake?//

ALL: No!

From the extracts, Ifediegwu uses three successive proverbs. Two of them have a bipartite

structure while one of them contains a complex structure which may be broken down into six

parts as indicated by the slant lines above. Thus, from the examples already given and many

more found in the play, it becomes clear that the characters preferred bipartite proverbs and

used them more than other types.

5.2. Proverbs and Character Delineation in the Play

As it has already been hinted at the beginning of this paper, the playwright uses Igbo

proverbs, which have been translated into English, as a vehicle for effective character

delineation in the play. Thus, characters like Professor Aladinma, Dimkpa, Okosisi, Anayo,

Mazi Chinedum, Ugodiya, et cetera intersperse their speech with enough doses of proverbs.

But others like Edwin Ochonkeya, Jango, Obioma, Adaora, Ekene and Nweke, Desmond talk

generally in plain language.

TEXT A (WUE 13):

PROF. ALADINMA: You see Mr Chairman, when the drummer changes beat, the

dancer must change his steps. …what we now witness are [sic] nothing but reactions

to man’s mindless activities on earth.

Here, Professor Aladinma uses a proverb to underscore the reality of the changing climate.

Nature is compared to “the drummer” and atmospheric conditions as ‘the beat” while human

beings are pictured as “the dancer”. As a change in drum beats necessarily signals a change in

the dancer’s steps, Professor Aladinma advocates a similar approach in combating climate

change. In essence, he is telling the local government chairman and other characters that they

must not fold their hands and watch the changing climate destroy all that they hold dear. His

character as a foresighted, passionate and proactive environmentalist and social crusader is

highlighted by his choice of proverbs. Even the chairman’s hypocritical and superstitious

reference to ecological problems as part of eschatological events recorded in the Bible is

vehemently resisted by the professor who quickly remarks that: “what we now witness are

[sic] nothing but reactions to man’s mindless activities on earth” (ibid).

Furthermore, when Dimkpa discovers that his farmland has yielded nothing, he uses a series

of proverbs to condemn in its centrality what he deems as a heartless and cruel treatment

meted out on him by Okosisi who fails to tell him about the improved seedlings and other

eco-friendly farming techniques that Professor Aladinma teaches him and other members of

the co-operative society:

TEXT B (WUE 25):

DIMKPA: …who is the stubborn weed here that has denied the tender plant a chance

to the sunlight.

Here Dimkpa compares himself to a tender plant and pictured Okosisi as the stubborn weed

and the secret which Okosisi has denied him the chance to feel the sunlight. It is pertinent to

note that although Dimkpa does not make any direct reference to the fact that Okosisi

deliberately withholds such important information from him. He is able to elicit pity from his

listeners. His vulnerability and precarious condition coupled with the bleak prospect of

imminent starvation as well as the threat of being deserted by his wife are all rolled into one

proverb which shows his absolute dependence on other farmers for sustenance. Again, when

Ugodiya reminds him that he had no one to blame but himself since he refused to make use of

the free extension services provided by Professor Aladinma, Dimkpa accepted his mistakes

but still insists that the punishment that has been inflicted on him by not letting him know

about the professor’s improved crop variety and animal species that can withstand the

changing climate far outweighs his sin. This point is couched with two powerful proverbs.

TEXT C (WUE 27)

DIMKPA: But it is only a wicked mother that throws her stubborn child away with

the bathwater. That my brother is deaf-eared is not enough reason to allow him fall

into a deep gully.

The above proverbs even make Dimkpa’s condition more pathetic as he compares himself to

a stubborn but helpless child. In essence, Dimkpa is arguing that regardless of what he may

have done, it is not enough reason for his trusted friend, Okosisi, to leave him in a rather

precarious situation. The second proverb highlights the hopelessness of his condition as he

likened himself to one who has fallen into a gully without any hope of coming out on his

own. Thus, his problem is not only serious but also requires urgent attention. Like a drowning

man he throws his hands to clutch at any available tree branch to escape being drowned in the

sea of starvation and shame.

Similarly, after supporting Dimkpa with part of their own farm produce, Nwakaego and his

colleagues use a series of proverbs to promptly advise him to learn from his mistakes and buy into Professor Aladinma’s new idea as well as pay attention to issues relating to climate

change particularly as they affect farming:

TEXT D (WUE p.29):

NWAKAEGO: Yes, Dimkpa, we made similar mistakes in the past but we have learnt

our lessons. When green leaves cease to grow on the ground!

ALL: A goat will have no choice than to learn to feed on tree top.

NWAKAEGO: And to reach the tree top!

ALL: It must learn the art of tree climbing!

NWAKAEGO: Ukpana Okpoko gburu!

ALL: Nti chiri ya

NWAKAEGO: If the hunter learns to shoot without missing.

ALL: Eneke the bird must learn to fly without perching.

The crux of the above verbal exchange is for one to be open to change. The idea of goats

climbing trees or Eneke the bird flying without perching does not suggest any impossible task

rather it shows the need for the farmers to develop adaptive strategies that will help them to

conquer the ugly effects of climate change while the proverb about Ukpana is aimed at

reminding Dimkpa of an even greater danger that awaits him should he in any way ignore

Professor Aladinma’s teachings about climate change.

Even the domestic squabble between Mazi Chinedum and his wife also attracts the use of a

proverb. As the woman asks her husband if his inability to catch any fish for weeks means

that her soup pot will continue to be empty, he becomes infuriated until he is pacified by his

friend, Anayo. Below is the extract of what transpires among the trio.

TEXT E (WUE 62-63)

ANAYO: Chinedum, I hope you are not scolding my wife?

MAZI CHINEDUM: This woman gets on my nerves at times.

ANAYO: Yet, you are still married to her?

MAZI CHINEDU: That the hunch is not heavy on its bearer does not mean that he is

comfortable with it.

The last statement from Mazi Chinedum reveals his attitude towards his wife whom he sees

as an unnecessary burden thrust upon him by tradition and society who through her frivolous

demands always gets on his nerves. Although the quarrel between him and his wife is purely

a family affair, it is not unconnected to the overall issue within the play, namely, the problem

of climate change. Mazi Chinedum’s anger hinges on the fact that his wife seems not to

appreciate the situation. Therefore he remarks:

What is wrong with you? I am talking about the world being at the brink of collapse

and you are worried about your soup. Must you women always struggle with the

intestines and excrement each time the men are slaughtering the festive cow?” (WUE

62).

Finally, the persuasive effect of proverbs is amply exploited by Ifediegwu when he stirs other

angry farmers against Edwin Ochonkeya for being so insensitive to their plights; their

conversation is reproduced below:

TEXT F (WUE pp.75-76):

IFEDIEGWU: The fruit we saw afar is no longer the same at a close range. Is it not

painful that it is the same jobless Edwin who was almost on his knees begging us for

our votes just last year, that has now refused to look into our plights? Is this the best

way to pay us back for the massive support we gave him?

ALL: It is not (They sigh and murmur aloud).

IFEDIEGWU: Can we allow the foam from our own soap to blind us while we are

still in the river?

ALL: No!

PROF. ALADINMA: It’s enough, my people. It’s enough.

IFEDIEGWU: No, Prof. You have tried your best, let us do the rest. People of

Ndoliland.

ALL: Eeeeh!

IFEDIEGWU: Now that we have discovered the hole that harbours the rattle snake

that struck us with its tail, do we fold our arms and wait until we are bitten by the

same snake?

ALL: No!

In summary, the use of proverbs in the play provides a clue into the personality of the key

characters in the play. Prof. Aladinma is depicted as a charismatic, selfless and visionary

leader who is committed to the survival of his people. Dimkpa is a flippant, carefree and lazy

individual who has to wait until there is a major disaster (in terms of poor plant yields) before

rising to his duties. Nwakaego and Ifediegwu like Prof. Aladinma are not only proactive but

also know how to deploy the resources of proverb to communicate their thoughts and visions

for Ndoli land. Thus, in terms of character delineation, the proverbs perform an effective

discourse function in the play as they help the reader to study the situation and appreciate the

roles played by each individual in the play. It is, therefore, doubtful if such an effective

communication and discourse function could have been achieved without the appropriate

deployment of proverbs as witnessed in the play.

5.3. Proverbs Used in the Play and their Mood Structure Analysis

Within the grammatical model adopted in this paper, mood structure relates to the clausal

grammatical categories. The mood structure analysis shows the nature of the proverbs within

the dialogues between characters in the play. These proverbs have been grouped into various

categories within the mood system as recognised in SFL using Wale Osisanwo framework in

what he calls “mood systems networks” where various kinds of clauses or sentences

correspond to different moods of an utterance such as indicative, imperative and subjunctive

moods. Mood indicative is often realised through declarative and interrogative sentences,

where interrogatives sentences are further classified into wh-questions and non-wh-questions.

Mood imperative comprises jussives and non-jussives, where jussive is further grouped into

“exclusives” and “inclusive” while the non-jussives are grouped into “volitives” and

“optatives” (cf. Bloor & Bloor 38-83). Table 1 presents the analytical framework which

captures the mood, thematic and discourse (information) structure network of the proverbs.

Table 1: Analytic Framework for Mood, Thematic and Information Structures of

Proverbs Used in the Play.

KEYS: B–Bipartite; T–Tripartite; Q–Quadripartite; S–Subject; P–Predicate;

F–Finite (Aux) C–Complement; A–Adjunct; α-clause–Main Clause; β-clause–Subordinate Clause

From the table above, bipartite, tripartite and quadripartite structural labels refer to categories

of the proverbs as discussed in section 2 above; subject, predicate, finite, complement and

adjuncts are traditional functional labels used to analyse the internal structure of a clause or

sentence in SFG; α-clause (main clause); β-clause (subordinate clause) refer to the clausal

structure of the proverbs; theme and rheme or residue refer to the thematic structure while

given and new refer to the information structure. On the whole, the mood structure carries the

interpersonal metafunction of a clause or sentence and it consists of subject and finite where

the subject is realised by a nominal group while the finite is realised by the first verbal group.

The rest of the clause is the predicate which forms part of the residue. Thus, a clause is made

up of two principal parts: mood and residue. Again, in terms of thematic structure, a clause is

made up of theme and rheme while in terms of information structure it is made up of new and

given (cf. Chong 6-14).

[PROF. ALADINMA]

THEME

[Mood] [Given

]

RHEME [Residue] [New]

α-clause

β-clause

You see Mr

Chairman

when the drummer changes beat the dancer must

change his steps

S P C

MOOD indicative → declarative → non-wh-question → exclusive

[DIMKPA]

THEME

[Mood]

[Given]

RHEME [Residue] [New]

α-clause β-clause

who is the stubborn weed

here

that has denied the tender plant a chance to the

sunlight?

S P C

MOOD indicative →interrogative →wh-question →exclusive

[DIMKPA]

THEME

[Mood]

[Given]

RHEME

α-clause β-clause

it is only a wicked mother

that throws her stubborn child away with the

bathwater

S P C

MOOD Indicative → declarative → non-wh-question → exclusive

[DIMKPA]

THEME[Mood]

[Given]

RHEME [Residue] [New]

β-clause α-clause

That my brother is

deaf-eared is not enough reason to allow him fall into a deep gully

S P C

MOOD indicative→ declarative → non-wh-question → exclusive

[NWAKAEGO] AND [ALL]

THEME [Mood] [Given] RHEME [Residue] [New]

β-clause α-

clause

β-clause α-clause

When green leaves cease to

grow on the ground

a goat will

have

no choice

than to

learn to

feed on tree

top

and to reach

the tree top

it must

learn the

art of tree

climbing!

A S P C

MOOD indicative → declarative → non-wh-question → exclusive

[NWAKAEGO] AND [ALL]

THEME [Mood] [Given] RHEME [Residue] [New]

α-clause β-clause

Ukpana Okpoko gburu! nti chiri ya

S P

MOOD indicative → declarative → non-wh-question → exclusive

[NWAKAEGO] AND [ALL]

THEME [Mood] [Given] RHEME[Residue] [New]

β-clause α-clause

If the hunter learns to shoot without

missing

Eneke the

bird

must

learn to fly without

perching

A S F P C

MOOD indicative → declarative → non-wh-question → exclusive

[MAZI CHINEDU]

THEME [Mood] [Given] RHEME [Residue] [New]

β-clause α-clause β-clause

That the hunch is not heavy on its

bearer

does

not

mean

that he is comfortable with it

S F P C

MOOD indicative → declarative → non-wh-question → exclusive

[IFEDIEGWU]

THEME [Mood] [Given] RHEME [Residue] [New]

β-clause α-clause

The fruit we saw afar is no longer the same at a close range

S P C

MOOD indicative → declarative → non-wh-question → exclusive

[IFEDIEGWU]

10.

THEME

[Mood][Given]

RHEME [Residue] [New]

α-clause β-clause

Can

allow

the foam from our own soap

to blind us

while we are still in the

river?

F S P C A

MOOD indicative →interrogative →non-wh-question →inclusive

[IFEDIEGWU]

11. THEME [Mood]

[Given]

RHEME [Residue] [New]

β-clause β-clause β-clause

Q Now

that

have

discovered

the hole

that harbours the

rattle snake

that struck us with

its tail

A S F P C

α-clause β-clause

do we fold our

arms and wait

until

are

bitten by the

same

snake?