Thursday 19 October 2017

EXPLORING THE PROSPECTS OF USING PROVERB AND MOOD STRUCTURE ANALYSES TO COMMUNICATE TEXTUAL MEANINGS AND GRAMMATICAL FUNCTIONS IN AN ESL CLASSROOM

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]
1.
B
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
2.
B
[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
3.
B
[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
4.
B
[DIMKPA]
THEME[Mood]
[Given]
RHEME [Residue] [New]
β-clause α-clause
That my brother is
12
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]
5.
Q
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
6.
B
[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
7.
B
[NWAKAEGO] AND [ALL]
THEME [Mood] [Given] RHEME[Residue] [New]
β-clause α-clause
If the hunter learns to shoot without
missing
Eneke the
bird
learn to fly without
perching
A S F P C
MOOD indicative declarative non-wh-question exclusive
8.
T
[MAZI CHINEDU]
THEME [Mood] [Given] RHEME [Residue] [New]
β-clause α-clause β-clause
13
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]
9.
B
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.
B
THEME
[Mood][Given]
RHEME [Residue] [New]
α-clause β-clause
Can
we
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
we
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
we
are
bitten by the
same
snake?
A S F P C
MOOD indicative interrogative non-wh-question inclusive

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). 
 
6. Discussion and Implications of the Findings
In order to determine the prospects of using the analytical model being proposed in this paper
to develop students’ awareness of mood structure and grammatical structures of proverbs, the
researcher designed a test instrument which was administered to a group of 200 level NCE
students from the departments of Theatre Arts, Igbo, French and History, Alvan Ikoku
Federal College of Education, Owerri. The choice of the students is hinged on the fact each of
them takes courses from the Department of English Language and Literature. As such they
have been taught Basic Grammar in first semester of the present session where issues related
to structural analyses of sentences have been discussed and they are currently taking
Advanced Composition where the ability to construct and manipulate sentence varieties that
match thoughts and styles constitutes one of the learning outcomes. Thus, 50 students from
each department were selected. This gave a sample of 200 students drawn from the four
departments. The results of the two tests are presented below.
 
The above chart shows the students’ performance in the test on mood structure, where the
average scores are as follows: Theatre Arts/ English 68%; English/Igbo 66%; English/French
58% and English/History 74%. Similarly, the result of the test on students’ knowledge of
grammatical functions like subject, predicate, etc is presented below.

The above chart shows the students’ performance in the test on grammatical function, where
the average scores are as follows: Theatre Arts/ English 54%; English/Igbo 48%;
English/French 50% and English/History 38%. This result is in sharp contrast from what was
obtained in the first test. As such, it is obvious from the test results that the students
understood the mood structure faster than grammatical function. Tentatively, this may be as a
result of them relying on not just grammatical information but also discourse and pragmatic
information made available by the context.
 
7. Conclusion
This paper set out to analyse the proverbs used in Greg Mbajiorgu’s Wake Up Everyone. In the
course of the analysis, the paper identified eleven proverbs with their respective structures,
functions in providing information on the major characters in the play and their mood structure
and grammatical functions. The results of the empirical study carried out to ascertain students’
knowledge of both mood structure and grammatical functions in relation to the proverbs
identified in the play were also presented. All in all the paper has contributed to knowledge in
that it did only show how proverbs can be used to discuss topical environmental issues like
climate change but also indicated that an eclectic approach in which authentic texts are used to
teach mood structure in combination with grammatical functions to students is a desirable and
innovative venture that ESL teachers can exploit in order to enhance their effectiveness in the
classroom.
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EXPLORING THE PROSPECTS OF USING PROVERB AND MOOD STRUCTURE ANALYSES TO COMMUNICATE TEXTUAL MEANINGS AND GRAMMATICAL FUNCTIONS IN AN ESL CLASSROOM (PDF Download Available). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/310753723_EXPLORING_THE_PROSPECTS_OF_USING_PROVERB_AND_MOOD_STRUCTURE_ANALYSES_TO_COMMUNICATE_TEXTUAL_MEANINGS_AND_GRAMMATICAL_FUNCTIONS_IN_AN_ESL_CLASSROOM [accessed Oct 19 2017].

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