Stylistic and Sociolinguistic Dimensions of Gender Representation in Abi Daré's The Girl with the Louding Voice

<p><span>This research examines how stylistic and sociolinguistic considerations shape gender representation in Abi Daré's <em>The Girl with the Louding Voice</em>. Employing feminist stylistics, sociolinguistics, and critical discourse analysis, the study examines how character identity is both created through language and also how it reflects broader socio-political power relations in a patriarchal Nigerian state. The protagonist of the novel, Adunni, navigates the oppressive boundaries of society, and her developing language mode, including non-standard English, code-switching, and syntactic variation, is her journey towards empowerment and expression. The research demonstrates, in reading the unique voice of Adunni, how her socio-economic positioning and deprivation of education get expressed through language but at the same time subvert patriarchal expectations. Daré's strategic use of language structures puts at the center the marginalization of the subject and the placement of language as resistant. The research also puts into focus education's agency as a force for individual and social transformation to empower Adunni to reclaim voice and agency previously lost women. By showing how stylistic and sociolinguistic analysis provides additional understanding of the complex dynamics of language, identity, and power in postcolonial narratives, this interdisciplinary approach advances African feminist literary criticism.</span></p>