An Investigation of Speaker Intention in Monologue Discourse of Lubukusu
Abstract
This research examines speaker intent as an organizing and classification principle of monologue discourses. Speaker intent is a concept based within inferential models of communication. Such an inquiry, as it was found out, is bound to give more insight towards monologue classification. This is because inferential communication models have more observational, descriptive and explanatory adequacy than code models of communication where most previous classifications have been based.
Further, some lingering questions in the way communication works are also bound to be answered. The research argues and proves that evidence of speaker intent is discernible in structural elements identifiable in morphological operations, in the use ofparticles and in the types of sentences in utterances of the language of illustration - Lubukusu. The research is descriptive in nature utilizing unstructured interviews to collect primary data from near monolingual speakers of Lubukusu. However, speaker intent is not a product exclusive to structural elements of the text discernible morphologically, in particles and in sentence types.
The research also argues that a social and psychological dimension of language complements these structural elements of texts ultimately having a significant influence in the organization and content of utterances. Through the concepts of implicature and explicature in relevance theory, a connection is made between the structural elements and the social and psychological dimension. This is also bolstered with arguments using principles of politeness. The research is thus able to validate speaker intent as an objective organizing and classification principle of monologue discourses. The research thus recommends a classification of monologue discourses using speaker intent.
Publisher
University of Nairobi, Kenya