INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GENERAL STUDIES EDUCATION (VOLUME 7, ISSUE 1, 2026)
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ADDRESSIVITY IN A DRAMA TEXT: AN APPRAISAL OF OLA ROTIMI’S OUR HUSBAND HAS GONE MAD AGAIN

Fatiloro, Oluwadamilola Grace
Oluwadamilolafatiloro@Gmail.Com Baptist Secondary Academy University Of Ibadan

Keywords:
: Addressitivity, Dialogism, Discourses, Polyphony, Superaddressee

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PUBLISHED
5/11/2026
ABSTRACT

Addressivity is the orientation of an utterance towards a listener and the way a speaker shapes communication based on the person being addressed as well as the context of interaction. Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of addressivity was used to examine addressivity in Ola Rotimi’s Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again.  Four key concepts were identified: dialogism, intertextuality, superaddressee and polyphony. Through selected conversations among the characters, the paper shows how their utterances are shaped by previous discourses, cultural beliefs and social expectations. Dialogism is seen in the exchange of different perspectives, while intertextuality connects character’s speech with wider cultural, political and social experiences. The concept of the superaddressee is reflected in instances where characters appear to address an imagined listener beyond their immediate interlocutors. Polyphony is evident in the coexistence of different voices and viewpoints represented by characters such as Lejoka-Brown, Mama Rashida, Sikira and Liza. The study concludes that addressivity is central to the understanding of dramatic dialogue as it shows how meaning is produced through interaction between speakers, listeners and the wider social context