Grammatical Deviation in Niyi Osundare’s Essays as a Tool for Foregrounding Socio-political Challenges in Nigeria

Abstract

This article investigates grammatical deviation in selected socio-political essays of Osundare in order to highlight some socio-political challenges which these deviations are deployed to communicate. Drawing on content analysis and hinging on Leech (1969)’s framework on foregrounding, the study explores the essayist’s utilisation of language which deviates from the normal rules of linguistic usage. The findings of the study include some stylistic devices and particularly grammatical deviation involving subject displacement, verb displacement, and subject and verb omission deployed to creatively foreground the socio-political challenges which Nigeria has been grappling with since independence. The study concludes that grammatical deviation plays significant role in literary oeuvres in that it accentuates the message communicated, reflects the ideological stance of the writer, produces a strong impression on the minds of readers, and creates artistic beauty. The skillful manipulation of this device is one of the qualities that foregrounds the essayist’s dexterity and style.