SEMANTIC ANALYSIS ON LARA OWOEYE’S NO HONOURABLE AT NIGHT

ABSTRACT This study examines the use of language and meaning in Lara Owoeye’s No Honourable at Night through a semantic analysis of selected excerpts. The research focuses on how the author employs referential language, lexico-semantic choices, and lexical creation to reflect social and political realities such as corruption, inequality, and moral decay in Nigerian society. Using Ambiguity Theory by David Kaplan (1989) as its theoretical framework, the study explains how words and expressions in the text carry multiple meanings that reveal deeper truths about leadership and social injustice. A qualitative descriptive method was used to analyze thirty selected excerpts from the novel. The findings show that Owoeye’s creative use of language serves as a tool for social criticism and moral reflection. Through ambiguity, metaphor, and word formation, the novel demonstrates how meaning can be shaped to expose corruption, evoke critical thinking, and reflect the lived experiences of Nigerians. The study concludes that semantic analysis helps uncover how writers use language to represent truth, create awareness, and challenge societal flaws.