Linguistic Distinctiveness: Oladejo Okediji’s Aja Lo Leru as a Reference

It has been a common practice for writers to employ certain features in their work to carve out a unique linguistic identity. This study, therefore, seeks to explore the language use of the novelist/playwright Ọládèjọ Òkédìjí, focusing on one of his novels, Àjà Ló Lẹrù. It is undeniable that Òkédìjí remains one of the most creative detective novelists who adopted the Yoruba language as his medium of art. Beyond his deep investigative prowess, his ability to use words to create lasting images in the minds of his readers is a distinctive quality that sets him apart from his contemporaries. Some of the literary devices explored in this study include imagery, internal monologue, hyperbole, loanwords, parallelism, repetition, personification, idioms, proverbs, irony, onomatopoeia, malapropism, and puns. This work adopts the general stylistics theory, which examines universal principles and mechanisms such as syntax, tone, and rhetorical devices that contribute to conveying meaning and emotion. Ultimately, our analysis reveals that the author’s work challenges contemporary writers of Yoruba detective novels to once again draw inspiration from the effective use of the Yoruba language, as exemplified by this novel.