Transitivity of the Ekegusii Declarative Clause: A Systemic Functional Linguistics Approach
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Date
2025
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
This study sought to investigate transitivity patterns in Ekegusii declarative clauses on
the basis of Halliday and Matthiessen’s Systemic Functional Linguistics framework.
Although Systemic Functional Linguistics (henceforth SFL) has been widely and
successfully used by linguists in the West to account for varied aspects of language in
both spoken and written texts, it has not been sufficiently utilized by researchers on
African languages, particularly Ekegusii, to account for the syntax, and specifically the
transitivity of its (Ekegusii) declarative clauses.To achieve this, the research was guided
by three specific objectives, which weree: to describe the various forms of declarative
clauses in Ekegusii; to examine the different ways in which Ekegusii distinguishes among
the various forms of declarative clauses; and to explain the transitivity system in Ekegusii
declarative clauses within SFL. The study purposively sampled Ekegusii declarative
clauses, which were analyzed under the ideational metafunction of language. SFL, a
linguistic theory concerned with the social and pragmatic functions of language formed
the theoretical framework within which the study was undertaken. In terms of
methodology, the study adopted a qualitative research design, which includes techniques
that produce data in the form of words rather than numbers. The data for the research was
Ekegusii declarative clauses, which were collected from purposively selected written
sources that included five Ekegusii story books, two books from Ekegusii Bible, and also
through introspection. The selected clauses were transcribed using a pen, translated and
analyzed, whereby the features used to syntactically differentiate among the various
forms of Ekegusii declarative clauses were identified. In addition, on the basis of Halliday
and Matthiessen’s (2014) SFL approach, selected clauses were analyzed in terms of
clause as representation (transitivity system), the line of meaning in the SFL’s ideational
metafunction. In the analysis, the three components of transitivity (process types,
participants, and circumstantial elements) were identified. In terms of findings, the study
found out that Ekegusii declarative clauses exist in four main categories; affirmative,
negative, active and passive, and that those clauses differ syntactically in terms of polarity
and the status of the participants involved in different clause categories. More
importantly, the study discovered that Ekegusii declarative clauses have material, mental,
behavioral, verbal, relational and existential processes, and that each process type has
different participants as dictated by the process type. The findings of this study would
contribute towards the preservation of the African culture and indigenous languages, and
more specifically, add to the available literature on Ekegusii. The findings of this study,
by providing a detailed linguistic description of Ekegusii transitivity patterns, will
contribute significantly to the documentation and understanding of the language's
grammatical structure. This enhanced understanding is crucial for the development of
accurate language resources, teaching materials, and literary works in Ekegusii, thereby
fostering intergenerational transmission and promoting the vitality of the Ekegusii
language as a cornerstone of its culture and identity. The study recommends further
research on Ekegusii Declaratives in relation to clause as representation, so as to confirm
whether there could be other methods for syntactically distinguishing among the various
types of Ekegusii declaritive clauses.
Description
A Research Project Submitted to the School of Law, Arts And Social Sciences in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award Of Degree Of Master of Arts (English &Linguistics) of Kenyatta University.
Supervisor
Dr. Peter Maina Wakarindi