Abstract
This study presents a detailed morphological and syntactic analysis of Wole Soyinka’s novel, The Interpreters, (1965). Recognized for his complex narrative style and linguistic experimentation, Soyinka employs a sophisticated blend of morphology and syntax that challenges conventional norms of English usage. The research aims to investigate how morphological structures and syntactic patterns are used in the novel to convey meaning, reflect character complexity, and enhance thematic concerns. Using a descriptive and analytical method, this study applies principles from structural and generative grammar to examine the author’s use of word formation processes, morphemes (both free and bound), sentence structures, etc. The theoretical framework for the analysis is based on Noam Chomsky’s Transformational Generative Grammar and basic morphological theories. The findings reveal that Soyinka’s morphological style is characterized by frequent use of complex derivational morphemes, neologisms, compounding, and coinages. His syntactic choices display a wide range of sentence complexities, including nominalizations, inversions, and extensive use of embedded clauses. These features contribute significantly to the novel’s stylistic density and its representation of post-colonial Nigerian intellectual and cultural identity. This research concludes that the deliberate manipulation of morphological and syntactic structures in The Interpreters is not merely a stylistic flourish but a critical linguistic tool that deepens the reader’s engagement with the text. The study contributes to a broader understanding of linguistic creativity in African literature and opens avenues for further research in morphology, syntax, sociolinguistics, and literary linguistics.
References
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