PRAGMATIC AND STYLISTIC FUNCTIONS OF STAMMERING IN MAMMAN SHATA’S “UMARU DAN DAN DUNA NA GWANDU”

Abstract

This study examines the pragmatic and stylistic functions of deliberate stammering in Shata’s “Umaru Dan Dan Duna na Gwandu.” The poem demonstrates how stammering often perceived as a speech defect is artistically employed by the singer as both a communicative and aesthetic strategy. Anchored in Foregrounding Theory, Speech Act Theory, and Grice's Cooperative Principles, the study explores how Shata’s deliberate disfluency performs communicative acts such as praise, emphasis, humour, and audience engagement. Data were obtained from the orthographic transcription of the original Hausa oral performance and analysed qualitatively. The findings reveal that stammering serves both pragmatic and stylistic purposes: heightening attention, reinforcing admiration, and enriching the rhythm and emotional force of the performance. The study concludes that stammering in Shata’s poetic discourse functions not as a linguistic impairment but as a creative device that enhances meaning, artistry, and audience participation in Hausa oral poetry.