An investigation of themes in Swahili literature and an application of stylo-statistcs to chosen texts.

Abstract

The central aim of this is to subject samples of the three major genres of Swahili literature, i.e., Ushairi –poetry, Riwaya-prose, and Tamthilia-drama texts, to stylosatistical analysis. Under the type of analysis in question, texts are examined in terms of their observable characteristics, and so, their thematic aspects usually take a subordinate place in the investigation. It is therefore deemed necessary to take care of the discrepancy, so that each genre is examined in two chapters: the first to introduce the relevant literature by making tentative observation about the formal properties of the genre and surveying major themes dealt with, the second to subject sample texts to the stylostatistical analysis under selected appropriate criteria. This accounts for the title, which indicates that the aim is twofold.