Performative Styles in Al- Wazir Junayd’s Poetry (Rhetorical Study)

Abstract

This study examined the usage of performative sentences, mainly the imperative types in the poetic collection of al-Wazir Junayd (d. 1417 AH), who is considered one of the most prolific and talented West African Muslim writers and poets during the 20th C.E. He was an authority in History, Linguistic, and Literature, and above all, a statesman, and a celebrated poet par excellence. The study sought to determine the degree of the usage of performative sentences in al- Wazir Junayd's anthology entitled: " The Fragrance of Flowers from Heavenly Gardens " a loose translation of the Arabic title "rawā'c al-azhār min rawdat al-jinān", arguably the most comprehensive work of the poet, considering the varied themes found in it. The research employed both an inductive and descriptive analysis approaches to trace and analyze the performative sentences in the anthology, under the purview of classical and contemporary studies on compositional stylistics. It is anticipated that the study will assist readers to adequately appreciate the collection, and shall as well, inspire other researchers to turn their attention towards the rich West African Arabic manuscripts. Below are some of the major findings of the study : 1. The anthology represents a perfect example for exhibiting both classical and contemporary rhetoric and compositional theories. 2. The anthology consists of several performative utterances used in diverse themes across the collection, such as eulogy, elegy, and description. 3. While some of the performative utterances have been used in their traditional senses, several others have deviated from their original senses as in 4 & 5 below. 4. It was established that the imperatives in particular have been used in contexts other than original senses, such as plea, supplication, intersession, and motivation. 5. As well, the interrogatives have been used significantly for different purposes such as interjection, warning, and exaggeration.