Abstract for 10. What Silent Languages Do: An Analysis of Unspoken Forms of Communication in Social Relations in Bayo Adebowale’s Lonely Days

Widowhood in Africa is deeply marked by deep-seated social and cultural norms that manifest themselves in both verbal and nonverbal communication. In many African societies, widows often face harmful traditional practices through patriarchal influence, widowhood rites and social stigma imbedded in some silent languages such as gestures, body positioning, facial expressions, and other nonverbal cues that reveal power relations and societal expectations. This study therefore, explores the role of nonverbal communication in shaping social relations in Bayo Adebowale’s Lonely Days. Using discourse analysis and semiotic theory, the study examines these unspoken forms of communication and highlights how meaning and social realities are constructed beyond words. The paper argues that nonverbal communication in Lonely Days serves as both an instrument of social control and a medium for defiance. While silence and bodily gestures often not only reinforce societal oppression, but also provide widows with subtle means of resistance and self-expression.