THE USE OF STYLISTIC DEVICES IN THE NOVEL WIZARD OF THE CROW BY NGUGI WA THIONG’O

THE USE OF STYLISTIC DEVICES IN THE NOVEL WIZARD OF THE CROW BY NGUGI WA THIONG’O
 
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Language is the distinctive quality unique to man. It is what enables man to express him/herself and communicate with his/her fellow man, and it is acquired naturally. According to Fromkin et al “…language is the source of human life and power” (3). They also state that “we use language to convey information to others…, ask questions…, give command…, and express wishes” (173).  There are two specific media of using language: oral – which is by words of mouth; and written – which is a graphic representation of words on paper.
It is in the use of language that style comes in. Style shows the difference between one piece of writing and the other. According to Adejare, “style is an ambiguous term…” (1). He further states that the term style means different things to different professions. Some examples are: to a psychologist, style is a form of behaviour, to the critic, style is individuality and to the linguist, it is the formal structures in function.