Male-Female Characters’ Tenor of Discourse in Akachi Ezeigbo’s The Last of the Strong Ones

Abstract

This article attempts to explore male-female characters’ tenor of discourse in the novel entitled: The Last of the Strong Ones by Akachi Ezeigbo. According to Halliday’s (1978), the tenor of the discourse is the social role relationships played by interactants. It is associated with the grammar of interpersonal meanings which is, in turn, realized through the mood patterns of the grammar. The paper, through the analysis of mood system, modality and vocatives, reveals how male and female characters establish relationships between each other. The tenor of their discourse unveils how women are oppressed by patriarchy on the one hand, as well as how they fight against the system, on the other. From these linguistic choices, the work concludes that there exists an atmosphere of tension, distance, aggression and dominance between some characters of the novel.