Realisation of Existential Processes in Ekegusii Declarative Clauses

Abstract

This study examines the intricate relationship between transitivity and existential  thought within the context of Ekegusii, an indigenous language spoken by the  Abagusii people of Western Kenya. The research sought to uncover how Ekegusii  speakers conceptualize and express the existence and occurrence of entities using  the language. Grounding itself on the experiential metafunction of Halliday and  Mathiessen’s (2014) Functional Grammar theory, the study specifically sought to find  out how existential processes are realized in the various forms of Ekegusii  declarative clauses, looking at the forms of the clauses in terms of polarity and  voice. Methodologically, the study used qualitative analysis. The data, Ekegusii declarative clauses with verbs carrying existential processes, was drawn from  Ekegusii Bible, Ekegusii storybooks, and the researcher’s intuition as a native speaker of Ekegusii. The analysis involved an examination of the patterns of the  transitivity structure in the selected clauses by looking at the various components of  the clauses: the verbs realizing the existential Process, the Participants involved and  the Circumstances, thereby allowing for a focused exploration of how existential  thought is linguistically represented in Ekegusii. Besides implications for language  teaching, translation, and cultural preservation efforts, the findings from this  research will contribute to a deeper understanding of how indigenous languages  and Ekegusii in particular, can serve to provide unique insights into human thought  and perception.