AN ECOLINGUISTIC APPROACH TO FRAMING AND IDEOLOGY IN HELON HABILA’S OIL ON WATER

Abstract

This study adopts an ecolinguistic framework to analyse the ideological framing of ecological and social crises in Helon Habila’s Oil on Water. Going beyond thematic critique, it examines the linguistic mechanisms that influence readers' perception of the Niger Delta’s petro-violence. Central to this analysis is Arran Stibbe’s model, especially the concepts of ‘salience’ and ‘erasure’, which are utilised to explore how Habila’s prose constructs a particular worldview. The novel’s language vividly highlights the visceral, sensory horrors of pollution, such as poisoned waterways and lifeless wildlife, thereby fostering deep empathy for affected communities and ecosystems. However, through grammatical strategies like passivisation, nominalisation, and the omission of specific agents, the narrative also obscures the direct responsibility of multinational oil corporations and complicit government entities. This interplay fosters an ideology of resigned tragedy and systemic inevitability, where environmental devastation is presented as an inescapable natural force rather than a result of deliberate human actions. The study concludes that while Habila’s skillful use of language immerses the reader in the slow violence’s experience, its neglect of perpetrators risks naturalising the very power structures it criticises. Ultimately, this linguistic analysis affirms Stibbe’s framework for unpacking postcolonial eco-narratives and highlights the critical role of discourse in either challenging or perpetuating stories of ecological injustice.