DOCUMENT RESUME ED 391 370 FL 023 524 AUTHOR Olabode, Afolabi TITLE Stylistic Embedding in Yoruba Literature. PUB DATE Mar 95 NOTE 21p.; Paper presented at the Annual Conference on African Linguistics (26th, Los Angeles, CA, March 24-26, 1995). PUB TYPE Reports Evaluative/Feasibility (142) Speeches/Conference Papers (150) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS African Languages; Discourse Analysis; Fiction; Foreign Countries; *Language Patterns; Language Research; Linguistic Theory; *Literature; Literature Appreciation; Novels; Poetry; *Sentence Structure; Transformational Generative Grammar; Uncommonly Taught Languages; *Yoruba ABSTRACT The process of embedding, a term used in generative grammar to refer to a construction in which a sentence is included within another sentence, is examined as it occurs in Yoruba literature. Examples are drawn from Yoruba praise poetry, in both written and oral form and within Yoruba novels. Forms of embedding identified include those to draw attention to the subject of a poem, to digress from the main topic and provide brief relief from it, bring humor into a tense circumstance, and make direct or indirect comment on the situation or character. Two additional forms of embedding are noted: the embedding of minor stories within the main story, sometimes using incantation or proverb, and that of poetry. Implications of the analysis for creative writing and for evaluation of an author's work and style are discussed briefly. (MSE) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. * *********************************************************************** C7) rn rn CI) STYLISTIC EMBEDDING IN YORUBA LITERATU_RE AN1abi Qlab9de A Paper Presented at the 26th Annual Conference on African Linguistics, University of California, Los Angeles, U.S.A March 24-26,1995 U HT PARTMEN OF [DUCAL ION PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS EDUCATIONAL Ilf-Solifir.rs INI Of IMAI 7f, MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY CEND ti IF RC) 150011 I O"ASII ii 01 i O Minor ClIaalffOs haw 115,1111 implio.f. ati/1111 tiosifify 1-'01511, of 50,5 15 in, iaafiiii Ihr. dos if.f). 51 11, TO THE IDUCATIONA' IES%, 'ROES official (IL Ili lio Aim 515I 1,115, v INFORMATION CENTER IERICI 2 nEsT AVATIAMER Linguistic models and concepts can be of immense advantage to the analy- sis and arriving at plausible intepretation of literary works when they are carefully applied. Since the classical definition by Roman Jakobson (1960) of the nature of poetic language, using linguistic principles and concepts, and the pub!ication of Freeman(1970) and others, the linguists have been more than ever before allowed to have good say in literary discussions and analyses. And, the enterprise has been yielding good dividends to the two disciplines linguistics and literary criticism. Although there seems to be some doubts yet among some scholars as to the extent and limit of linguistics in the analysis of literature. The opinion of some scholars has been that linguistic involvement in literary inter- pretation can only be a means to an end and a half-way house to what can be called a comprehensive literary interpretation (01.ab9de 1981,1984). In fact,to some literary scholars (see Bateson in Fowler(1966b)), literary interpretation still remains a no-go' area for the linguists. However, the fact remains that whatever may be the misgiving about the two disciplines regarding the extent of the involvement or one in the other, linguistic principles and concepts should be allowed in literary interpretation for Lhe purposes of objectivity and justification by verification especially in the present day realisation of the enormous mutual advantages that abound in inter-disciplinary enterprises even among widely related disciplines . The case of linguistics in literary interpretation therefore seems more imperative as the two are closely related and deal with the same phenomenon language, although in different ways. In this paper, embedding'', a concept or Lerm used in Generative Grammar to refer to the process or construction whereby a sentence isincluded in another one,is projected on to the analysis and interpretation of the Yorlbui literature'', with a view to identifying what constitutes embedding and the forms it Lakes in the literature. While the basic concept or 1 embedding in syntax is restricted to description and analysis at the senteke level, we have used longer linguistic units/constructions like whole poem, a drama text and the whole novel within which we identify the embedded elements in them. Itis based on our assumption that a poem, a drama and even a novelis a 'long sentence',in which the literay artist can embed as many elements (that are discernable) as his resourcefulness can allow him,to achieve his aim to create a work of art. This isin agreement with Chomsky(1968) that 'there is close relation between innate properties of mind and features of linguistic structure.' Thus in the process of literary creation, whether oral or written, the mind of the author can be likened to a kind of solar system into vhose orbit all categories of things are attracted and language, motivation, plot, person- ality, culture, experience etc. are only satelites of the mythological entity (Leo Spitzer,1970). One of the prominent features of Yoruba Oriki (Yoruba praise poetry) is what (Patunji(1984;93-97) called multiple reference to the subject of the oriki. According to him, a person is referred to by several different kinds of names and the geneology of the subject of the oriki traced by linking him with his ancestors and offsprings by the use of phrases like: QMQ..., baba..., and Q0...; 'offspring of...', 'father of...', and 'husband of...' respectively. Usually thisis used by the oriki chanter to whip up the subject's sentiment and emotion asit reminds him of his past, his present and what is expected of him to bequeath to his off- springs.In the process of creating the above feature, the chanter may make use of embedded elements. These can bein form of either sentences of the occasional proverbial or idiomatic expressions. For instance in: 1. bi a m0 106ko ori 61(6 lójó ()mg Adóalb5sOgis9gba, AriwynmilsA5, yio ga ju ti Iv (BabalQ1a 1975:18) 2 .. if one looks at the shrub on the hill with scorn Offspring of the one whois equally dark as sgi bead, He that does not run away on seeing them (his enemies) it would be taller than the one on the plain. and: 2. Igba abOs kô t0k0, QV) AdUdóbásgis9gba Alam6 QMQ Ayi15r5 Af9lábi baba se'il igba IrAw0 a to 'sa EgbOindinlOgiin onirikisi, QMQ AfQlábi ArIw9nm6sAA, gbogbo ion 0 t'OlOrun Qba (op.cit. Babal0a) Two hundred needles can't equal a hoe, offspring of Adódtib6Ogisogba A1Am6 offspring of AyIlár5 (He that rolls in relations) Af915b1 (He that is born with honour), Father-left-property-behind Ajibik0, two hundred stars cannot equal the moon. Three thousand two hundred conspirators, offspring of OrididAAmti (He whose presence strikes confusion in others) AfQlábi Arlionmási6, dll of them cannot match God the King. (in WIt(inji 1984:95) where: bi a m0 kOóko ori 60 l6j6, yio ga ju IQ, and the parallel sentences: Igba abr kô 010 igba Iriw kO tOsil EgbOindinlogiln onirikisi, gbogbo wwi kô t'OlOrun Qba 3 5 constitute embedded elements in quotations I and 2 above respectively. Here, the embedded elements are allusions to an aspect of the life of the subject of the Oriki-Afgliibi.In them, the chanter is trying to emphasise the fact to the subject that no matter the degree of deliberate act on the part of the subject's detractors or conspirators to look down on the subject, and indeed whatever their number, his social status which indeed is hereditary, cannot be denied. This type of embedded element performs the phatic function (Jakobson,I960), that is, calling the attention of the subject of the oriki to: a) the fact that he has many detractors (whether real or imaginary) b) that his social (high) status although may be despised by many de- tractors cannot be denied in spite of (a) since itis hereditary and, c) that he will certainly overcome the detractors. d) comparison based on the imagery of 1061(o ori 6ke and that of The embedded elements are thus foregrounded and the orikiis backgrounded meanwhile so as to attract the attention of the subject and his well- wishers, not minding even if a member of such detractors was around. In the context of a live performance of this type of oriki with this tYPe ef embedding, there is always a feed-back as it will have emotional effect on the subject. Thus, it is natural that the subject too will reflect on the embedded sentences and predicate them of his past and present life experi- ences and so will be emotionally moved such that he will be ready to give out anything as gift to the chanter. As a result, the oriki chanters always make use of this stylistic embedding to their own advantage especially in live performances. Indeed, this type of embedded elements usually draws out certain possible responses from the subject of the oriki or his well- wishers in the audience as: 00 ni, 'Yes, it is so'; 0 se (, 'Thank you'in the case of 1) andin the case of 2)one would not be surprised to hear response like: 00 ni, wyn 6 L6 00; 'Yes, iLis so, they are no match at all.' In the two examples above, the embedded elements are deletable while the original structure and theme of the oriki is not disrupted. The embedding is purely a creation of the oriki artist and the choice of elements to be so embedded depends.on different contextual situations and the fact that the artist may want Lo foreground insitr.