TRANSITIVITY SYSTEM IN THE DISCOURSE OF DICTATORSHIP IN HELON HABILA’S WAITING FOR AN ANGEL

Abstract

This paper explored the transitivity patterns existing in the clauses used to depict the theme of dictatorship in Helon Habila’s Waiting for an Angel. Purposive sampling was first used to collect textual data from the text, while the stratified sampling method was used to select a sample population to represent the whole population. The clauses were categorized into five extracts, and a mixed research design was employed for the analysis. The transitivity system of Systemic Functional Linguistics served as the framework through which different processes, participants and circumstances inherent in the selected clauses were identified, classified and analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. From the excerpts used for the study, it was discovered that material processes ranked first (60%), indicating that many physical activities go on in dictatorial military affairs, especially as revealed in the novel. The relational process, linking participants to certain attributes, ranked second (17%), followed by the mental process (13%), which indicates that the participants were involved in mental activities. Verbal processes ranked fourth (3.8%), showing evidence of fewer talks than actions, and the existential processes ranked next, disclosing the being forms of the participants. The behavioural processes ranked least with 0.9%. These processes mentioned above were accompanied by their appropriate participants. Different circumstantial elements were also employed to reveal more information about the participants and the dictatorial activities. The varieties of the processes, participants and circumstantial elements testify to the richness of the language used to depict the theme of dictatorship in the novel.