Language Deconstruction in Some Selected Contemporary Nigerian Drama

Abstract

It has been observed that readers, especially Nigerian young readers and interpreters often misread/misinterpret and misjudge language construct in Nigerian play texts. This is because African playwrights especially Nigerians have been dominated and influenced by Western playwrights and writers with the styles writing their play texts. Thus the problem of this study centres on the Euro-American perceptions of writings on the sensibilities of Nigerian playwrights. The study aims at evolving means of interpreting Nigerian play texts through language and other artistic components and compositions from the point of view of the playwrights and interpreters. Objectives of the study include: to examine the object of language as foundations of semiotic and aesthetic analyses and interpretation. To deconstruct the selected plays through analyses and appraisal of language usage. The study is hinged on the t h e o r e t i c a l p r e m i s e o f D e r r i d a ' s deconstruction that made the researcher's meaning generation feasible. The study adopts random sampling, case study and content analysis approaches of the qualitative research method. The findings reveal that from the African deconstruction standpoint, language in Nigerian drama is aimed at effective generation and communication of meaning. The study recommends that language deconstruction should be key anchor for the interpretation of contemporary Nigerian play texts. The study concludes that cultural elements add to the construct and impart of the dramatic products. Hence, deconstruction should be applied as analytical tool for language deconstruction in contemporary Nigerian drama