ENHANCING INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND CULTURAL IDENTITY IN A GLOBALISED WORLD: A TRANSITIVITY ANALYSIS OF PROVERBS IN FLORA NWAPA’S EFURU

Abstract

This study examined how proverbs in Flora Nwapa’s Efuru reinforce indigenous knowledge and cultural identity in the face of globalisation using the theoretical framework of Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) with particular focus on the transitivity system of the experiential ideational meta function. Transitivity is used to examine how language represents human experience through different process types, participants and circumstances. By applying this theory, the study explained how the author used proverbs in her work to encode experiential meanings which reflect the socio-cultural realities of Igbo society. The theory is suitable for this analysis because it relates grammatical choices with meaning, culture and context. It becomes an effective tool for exploring indigenous knowledge and cultural identity in literary discourse. The use of proverbs in the novel is not just a literary device but an important means of transmitting Igbo cultural values, beliefs and social norms. The study adopted both qualitative and quantitative tools in its analysis. Data comprised 26 proverbs randomly and purposively selected from the novel and analysed based on the objectives of the study, research questions and theoretical framework adopted. The study summarily revealed that under the processes, the “material process” occurred majorly and followed by “relational process” (which represents actions and relationships in the Igbo society). Under the participants, it also showed that “actor” occurred highest and followed by “goals” (It represents the characters involved in a discourse). Under the circumstances, “manner” occurred most and followed by “location” (place) and matter (It represents the way of doing things in a given setting or event). The study concludes that lexico-grammatical pattern of proverbs in Efuru contribute significantly to the preservation and promotion of indigenous knowledge and cultural identity.