Between Sociolinguistics and Literature: Address and Reference Terms in Post-Colonial Ghanaian Literature

Abstract

Taking cognisance of the cruciality of address and reference terms (ARTs) in real-world interactions, ARTs transcend into literary texts reflecting the nexus between Sociolinguistics and Literature. Little attention has been given to ARTs in literary texts, with a dominant scholarship adopting ethnographic approaches in face-to-face interactions. To occupy this niche, the present study explores the kinds and variations of ARTs in three post-colonial Ghanaian literary texts and examines how the ARTs implicate character traits. Adopting a qualitative descriptive approach, facilitated by directed and summative content analyses, the study analysed 558 ARTs from three post-colonial Ghanaian literary texts. The analysis revealed eight kinds of ARTs which were dominated by personal names. Also, aside from context, social variables and post-colonial issues such as racism, social class, occupation, Westernism, and globalisation accounted for variation in the use of ARTs across the novels. Again, characters’ traits were portrayed through the ARTs. Based on these findings, the study provides contributions to the three-pronged theories and offers implications for studies on ARTs and literary onomastics.