Vol. 3 - 2026
This paper undertakes a linguistic stylistic examination of Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman. The investigation emerged from the necessity to pursue a more comprehensive study capable of adequately analyzing literature as a linguistic framework constructed to fulfill communicative objectives shaped by the author's stylistic choices. Accordingly, the research purposively selects Soyinka's play, notable for its integration of Yoruba cosmological themes expressed through English—a characteristic that renders the text suitable for both linguistic and stylistic examination. Employing Halliday's Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) model as the theoretical foundation, the study investigates the interconnection between linguistic structures and socially constructed meanings manifested in Soyinka's stylistic approach within the selected play. The analysis reveals foregrounded linguistic elements including proverbs, tongue twisters, and hybridized language constructions that reflect a distinct linguistic style, positioning Soyinka as a Yoruba writer who articulates the Yoruba worldview through English expression. This paper represents an effort to stylistically analyze the chosen text using Hallidayan theoretical frameworks that place literary texts within the context of the functions that literary codes perform in dramatic works.
Style, Stylistics, Linguistics, Literature
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