Syntactic Patterns in Fasaha Aƙiliya Poetry: An Analysis of ‘Yar Gagara

This study examines syntactic patterns in Aƙilu Aliyu’s ‘Yar Gagara, a poem from Fasaha Aƙiliya, with particular attention to their structural and stylistic functions. The study aims to identify the major syntactic patterns employed in the poem and examine how these patterns contribute to the construction of poetic meaning and expression. A qualitative textual-analysis design was adopted, using selected stanzas of ‘Yar Gagara as the primary data. The analysis is primarily based on Hausa syntactic principles, particularly those relating to constituent structure, word order, and phrase organisation, while Leech’s Linguistic Deviation Theory provides a supporting framework for interpreting marked syntactic choices and their stylistic effects. The analysis focuses on syntactic parallelism, marked constituent arrangement, inversion, repetition, euphemistic expressions within syntactic constructions, and other forms of syntactic variation. The findings show that Aƙilu Aliyu strategically manipulates syntactic structures to create emphasis, focus, cohesion, characterization, foregrounding, and poetic continuity. The analysis also demonstrates that expressions such as jakar birni acquire their figurative and euphemistic meanings through their syntactic and contextual use. The tree-diagram analyses further illustrate the structural organisation of selected nominal, verbal, and other constituent structures in the poem. The study concludes that syntactic variation in ‘Yar Gagara is an important resource for poetic expression and that the interaction between Hausa syntax and stylistic manipulation contributes significantly to the poem’s communicative and aesthetic qualities. The study therefore demonstrates the value of syntactic analysis in understanding the linguistic creativity of Hausa poetry.