Same Sacred Space, Diverse Emotions: A Semio-Stylistic Analysis of Marriage and Funeral Rituals in Nigerian Churches

Abstract

A sacred space is a location imbued with spiritual, cultural, or religious significance for individuals and communities. The church, as a prominent example, not only holds spiritual and cultural meaning, but also accommodates a wide range of emotional experiences. 

This study examines how Anglican churches in Ondo State, Nigeria, transform their emotional character through ritual practice, focusing on marriage and funeral rites as contrasting celebratory and mourning contexts.

Through ethnographic observation of twenty-two ceremonies across Akure, Ondo, and Owo (2020-2025), and textual analysis of programme pamphlets, the study analyses how semio-stylistic elements - linguistic choices, spatial arrangements, and symbolic displays - generate contrasting emotions within the same architectural setting.

Data collection involved systematic documentation of twelve marriage ceremonies and ten funeral services, with four programme pamphlets selected for detailed analysis using Peirce's triadic semiotic model and Halliday's systemic functional linguistics.

Findings reveal that spatial arrangement, symbolic objects, performative acts, and linguistic expressions function as multivalent signs, generating opposing emotional meanings depending on ritual context. The church emerges as a dynamic architectural space, capable of accommodating diverse emotional experiences, navigating both joy and grief through strategic deployment of semio-stylistic resources that transform the same physical environment into emotionally distinct ritual spaces.