Department of Languages and Literature

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    INTERTEXT BETWEEN OKOT’S SONG OF LAWINO AND ACOLI ORAL SONGS
    (postcolonial.org, 2021) Charles Nelson Okumu
    As Cloete and Madadzhe observe, “a cursory glance at some of the oral poetry exposes the close connection between the past and present as revealed in, for example, some of Okot p’Bitek’s poetry. The late p’Bitek may be regarded as one of the most important literary figures in the field of oral literature … and its inclusion in African literature in general and his poetry in particular.” (Cloete and Madadzhe 31, emphasis mine). This article explores how Okot creatively used Acoli oral songs as intertext in his poetry, particularly in Song of Lawino. Since the publication of Song of Lawino in 1966, a number of scholarly studies and publications of Okot’s poetry were published, beginning with a full study of Okot’s poetry, The Poetry of Okot p’Bitek (George Heron 1976); scholarly articles such as “The Tradition and Modern Influences in Okot p’Bitek’s Poetry” (Ogo Ofuani 1985); “The Form of Okot p’Bitek’s Poetry: Literary Borrowings from Acoli Oral Poetry” (Okumu 1992). More recent studies include “Lateral texts and circuits of value: Okot p’Bitek’s Song of Lawino and Wer pa Lawino” (Garuba and Benge-Okot 2017) and “Okot p’Bitek Diagnostic Poetics and the Quest for African Revolution” (Kahyana 2017). Besides these examples, there are other important articles and theses on the poetry of Okot that establish Okot as an important African writer whose poetry is influenced by oral literature, as Cloete and Madadzhe note.
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    Order of adjectives and adverbs in L2 English: evidence from L1 Acholi speakers of Ugandan English
    (Studies in Linguistics, Culture and FLT, 2021-11) Amarorwot, Sarah; Isingoma, Bebwa
    Abstract: L2 English are quintessentially characterized by cross-linguistic influence at all levels of linguistic analysis as a result of contact phenomena. This study examines the contribution of the syntax of a Ugandan indigenous language (Acholi) to how its L1 speakers speak English and the extent of variability observed among them, taking into account two grammatical aspects, i.e. how multiple attributive adjectives are sequenced in a noun phrase and the placement of verbs in a sentence. The findings of the study show notable differences from L1 English (eg. Standard British English), as L1 Acholi speakers of English do not necessarily pay attention to the prescribed L1 English order of adjectives. At the same time, the position of adverbs in a sentence also seems to be modeled, to some extent, on what takes place in Acholi syntax insofar as some legitimate L1 English structures are rejected by L1 Acholi speakers of English (as L2). Crucially, the study also reveals interspeaker variability among L1 Acholi speakers of English in Uganda based on occupation, with students being the closest to L1 English norms (as opposed to teachers and the business community), most likely due to exonormative orientation imposed on students in Ugandan schools.
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    Implicit Arguments in Ugandan English
    (English Studies at NBU 2021, 2021-12-30) Isingoma, Bebwa
    In standard British/American English, some transitive verbs, which are ontologically specified for objects, may be used with the objects not overtly expressed (for example, leave), while other transitive verbs do not permit this syntactic behavior (for example, vacate). The former have been referred to as verbs that allow implicit arguments. This study shows that while verbs such as vacate do not ideally allow implicit arguments in standard British/American English, this is permitted in Ugandan English (a non-native variety), thereby highlighting structural asymmetries between British/American English and Ugandan English, owing mainly to substrate influence and analogization. The current study highlights those structural asymmetries and ultimately uncovers some characteristic features in the structural nativization process of English in Uganda, thereby contributing to the growing larger discourse meant to fill the gaps that had characterized World Englishes scholarship, where thorough delineations of Ugandan English have been virtually absent.
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    The Life and Times of Okot p’Bitek
    (UNISA, 2023) Okumu Charles Nelson
    Abstract Okot p’Bitek was born on 9 June 1931 to Jebedayo Opii of the Pacua clan in Patiko and Cerina Lacwaa of Palaro-Rajab. In the discussion on his biography, I follow a holistic approach using a chronological methodology which focuses on his education and life until his death on 20 July 1982. I premise my research on autoethnography which is a form of qualitative research in which the author uses self-reflection and writing to explore anecdotal and personal experience while acknowledging and valuing his/her relationships with other people. My personal knowledge of and shared culture with Okot have added value to my biographical structuring. I collected data using questionnaires and personal and group interviews with Okot’s family members, friends and colleagues in Makerere and Nairobi Universities, lecturers in Bristol and Oxford, and teachers in the various schools he attended in Uganda. I also researched his writings and writings about him in various libraries at different institutions, including the School of Oriental and African Studies, the University of South Africa, Oxford University, Makerere University and the University of Nairobi, where Okot’s original manuscripts are archived. The data collected is intended to inform scholars about Okot the man. This article is divided into two parts: Okot’s biography and the importance of this biographical study.
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    Gender Stereotype in Tess of The D’urbervilles by Thomas Hardy and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
    (East African Journal of Education Studies, 2024) Ketty Auma; Charles Nelson Okumu
    This study focused on gender stereotypes in Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles (1891) and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1925). The objectives of the study were to: examine the portrayal of masculinityfemininity stereotype; examine the language used in gender stereotype and analyse the impact of traditional gender stereotype on female characters. The study used the feminist theory to examine gender stereotype in the two maleauthored novels to show how they have positioned and portrayed women in their literature in the Victorian period both in England and America The literary analysis was to ascertain whether or not the gender stereotype was a global notion in literature or a misrepresentation of the women not as persons but as sexualized figures. Gender stereotype in these novels was examined using the descriptive research design and data was collected using literary analysis. The findings indicated that both novels portrayed the female gender with discrimination, injustice, dishonesty and exploitatively. This was done with the use of symbolism, imagery, similes and metaphor. The conclusion drawn points to the fact that the quest for a masculine identity is a common theme as male characters are seen struggling to become real men with traits such as: power, strength and robustness whereas female characters were portrayed as sexualized figure used for social status in the male dominated societies. With regard to language stereotype, the male characters employed language to paint negative image in line with the accepted image in the male dominated society. The researchers recommend that detailed and comprehensive studies be conducted in the area of gender and culture and gender and literature in the novel as a genre generally.