Language and the Literary Construction of Religious Conflict and Survival in E. E. Sule’s Sterile Sky

This study investigates the ways language is employed in the construction of religious conflict and survival in E. E. Sule’ Sterile Sky. The research explores how lexical choices, figurative expressions, descriptive patterns, and narrative discourse contribute to the portrayal of violence, fear, hunger, trauma, and resilience within the settings of the text. Data are collected through close reading of the novel. Passages containing lexical items, expressions, and stylistic devices that depict religious conflict, killings, fear, hunger, depression, and survival are purposively selected. The selected extracts constitute the data for analysis.The novel presents a vivid depiction of communal and religious crises in Northern Nigeria, exposing the devastating consequences of intolerance, poverty, and social instability on individuals and communities. Adopting a qualitative textual analysis approach, the study examines selected extracts from the novel through the lens of literary linguistics and discourse analysis. Findings reveal that the author’s strategic use of language re-creates powerful images of suffering and survival, enabling readers to appreciate the psychological and physical realities of conflict. Lexical items associated with death, destruction, insecurity, deprivation, and emotional distress contribute significantly to the thematic development of the narrative. The study concludes that language serves not merely as a medium of storytelling but also as a critical tool for constructing the themes of religious conflict and human survival in the novel.

Keywords: Language Religious Conflict Survival Discourse Literary Linguistics Sterile Sky

Author

• Okolie Nicholas Osita
  Department of English and Linguistics
  Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
  Federal University Dutse, Jigawa State
  nicholas.okolie@fud.edu.ng
• Takim Ajom Okongor
  Department of English and Linguistics
  Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
  Federal University Dutse, Jigawa State
  takimajomokongor@gmail.com