Language and Culture as Stylistic Strategies in Toni Duruaku's a Matter of Identity: a Stage Metaphor
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This paper interrogates language and culture as stylistic strategies in Toni Duruaku's A Matter of Identity: A Stage Metaphor (2003). The study is premised on the understanding that in African drama, language is not a neutral medium but a cultural act. Duruaku's play, set in the fictional Igbo clan of Umunekwu, dramatizes the crisis that befalls a community when it abandons its ancestral heritage. The clan's lack of progress in a symbolic race, the oracle's ban on the Festival of the Rising Moon, and the spiritual journey of two young people to the ancestral land form the main story. This story represents the current identity struggles of modern Nigeria. The paper uses Leech and Short's (1981) model for analyzing style, along with Zabus's (1991) theory about making language more local, and also includes Halliday's (1978) idea that language is a way of communicating meaning in society. The study looks at how words are adapted in a local way, using direct information from pages 18, 19, and 21 of the main text. It focuses on topics like the special role of the kola nut in rituals, the beauty of proverbs, similar sentence structures, unusual writing styles, and the practical use of language in rituals. The study shows four main ways the style is used: (1) using Igbo cultural words that aren't translated, like Isee, (2) using proverbs such as hot coal, shrew, and bearded meat to explain things, (3) using similar sentence structures and a shared voice through the phrase ALL: (severally), and (4) using poetic, prayer-like language to create a special effect. The paper ends by saying that in Duruaku's work, language shows culture and style reflect ideas
Language: English
Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225449424