Author:Dr. Temidayo ONOJOBI & Mrs. Bukola Olayinka KANUMUANGI
Date: 20/02/2026
Studies have explored how language, as the primary means of communication between men and women, has been the site of patriarchy, with very few studies on silence as a signal of women's liberation. This study, therefore, explores a female character who uses silence as a method of rejecting male violence, thus highlighting the contribution of silence as a feminine rhetorical site among others. To achieve the set objective, this qualitative study reviews related written literature, interrogates and textually analyses the selected text by Mariama Bâ using deconstructionist theory. The findings reveal that women's silence is a linguistic weapon capable of signaling women's liberation in feminist fiction.
Keywords: pragmatic analysis, silence, deconstruction, women, liberation.
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