MORPHOSYNTACTIC ANALYSIS OF COLONIAL DISCOURSE IN E. M. FORSTER’S A PASSAGE TO INDIA

Abstract

This study investigates the morphosyntactic structures in E. M. Forster’s A Passage to India (2007) with a focus on how grammatical patterns construct meaning, ideology, and thematic representation. The research adopts a qualitative textual analysis approach grounded in morphosyntax, particularly drawing on Hallidayan systemic functional grammar and structural linguistics. Selected extracts from the novel are analyzed to explore sentence structure, pronoun usage, verb forms, modality, lexical morphology, and syntactic patterns such as coordination, subordination, declaratives, interrogatives, and passive constructions. The study demonstrates that morphosyntactic choices are not neutral but function as ideological and thematic carriers within the text. The findings reveal that syntax and morphology actively shape representations of colonial authority, psychological tension, cultural misunderstanding, and identity formation. The study contributes to stylistics and postcolonial linguistics by showing how grammatical structures in literary discourse encode deeper social and ideological meanings.