Stylistic Analysis of “Xuma” and “Leah” in Peter Abraham’s Mine Boy: A Verbal Transitivity Process

Abstract

This study is an application of Michael Halliday’s Transitivity theory in the depiction and portrayal of personality. The paper confined itself to the verbal transitivity process of two main characters- Xuma and Leah- of Peter Abraham’s ‘Mine Boy’. The findings hope to reveal the fact that the words given to characters reveal a lot of who they are (as replica of human beings) and that the transitivity analysis of their verbiages and interactive nature of the receivers and targets of their verbiages are very telling of their epistemic, emotive and social nature.
The essay consists of six sections. Section one is a brief introduction about linguistic analysis within the framework of social and functional construction of meanings to reveal speakers’ personality. The second section is review of literature in which stylistic analyses have been carried out with transitivity theoretical framework as a guide. The third is the transitivity theoretical framework for this study as presented by various scholars. The fourth section is a brief account of Peter Abraham’s “Mine Boy” by different reviewers while section five is presentation of the findings featuring analysis of the verbal processes of Xuma and Leah. The sixth and last section is a conclusion to the study.