Reduplication and the IsiZulu novel: A morpho-stylistic critique

Abstract

While reduplication qualifies as a pure linguistic entity, little has been done to investigate this aspect in the context of literary works. This article thus seeks to attempt to close this gap by exploring a linguistic stylistic analysis of reduplication with reference to the isiZulu novel. The main aim of this is to blend and harmonise literary criticism and linguistics by discussing both the form (linguistic description) and function (literary effects) of reduplication, observing four isiZulu novels as primary data. This suggests that the study uses textual analysis as a qualitative research technique. Linguistic stylistics is proposed as the theoretical framework to validate and ground the findings. This theory is seen as suitable as it considers both form and function of language. Reduplication with reference to the selected novels is discussed through the following linguistic sets: complete reduplication and incomplete reduplication. Within these descriptive sets, the literary findings reveal that reduplication is used to emphasise the recurring nature of actions as reflected in the novels. This plays a significant role in the creation of vivid effects when the text is read.

Contribution: This study is significant because it provides a different way of examining style in the African indigenous languages’ novel genre. This genre has been approached from different perspectives, but there seem to be limited perspectives that opt for approaches that lean on descriptive linguistics. The study is thus believed to be valuable to the study of African indigenous languages of South Africa, as it demonstrates that a linguistic approach to literature can aid analysis and understanding of the novel genre. Using reduplication as a reference point, the study seeks to demonstrate that linguistics and literary criticism can co-exist and operate in harmony.