Transitivity of the Ekegusii Declarative Clause: A Systemic Functional Linguistics Approach
| dc.contributor.author | Nyamao Kemunto Jane | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-02-04T10:02:43Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-02-04T10:02:43Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025 | |
| dc.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 | |
| dc.description.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. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/32255 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Kenyatta University | |
| dc.title | Transitivity of the Ekegusii Declarative Clause: A Systemic Functional Linguistics Approach | |
| dc.type | Thesis |