Abstract
Hymns of exaltation are a vital form of Christian sacred discourse through which worshippers express praise, gratitude, and reverence, reflecting the cultural and situational contexts of their production. While previous studies have examined hymn texts from theological, historical, and musical perspectives, comparatively little attention has been paid to how contextual dynamics shape grammatical meaning-making, particularly in cross-cultural comparisons. This study examines contextual dynamics and transitivity choices in selected Western and Nigerian Christian hymns of exaltation. It aims to identify and analyze the contextual underpinnings of the hymns, discuss prominent transitivity patterns, and compare the hymns to reveal convergence and divergence between traditions. The data comprise four hymns: Carl Boberg’s How Great Thou Art and Fanny Crosby’s To God Be the Glory from the Western tradition, and Akanbi Olorunkosebi’s We Praise You, Lord King of Zion and Bola Ilori’s Lord, Thank You for a Peaceful Night from the Nigerian tradition. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines qualitative textual interpretation with quantitative analysis of transitivity processes. The theoretical framework integrates Kecskes’ Situation-Bound Utterances and Halliday’s Systemic Functional Grammar, emphasizing transitivity for examining experiential meanings. Western hymns and composers’ backgrounds were sourced online, while Nigerian hymns were obtained directly from the hymnists. Findings indicate that Western hymns foreground praise, awe, and gratitude, whereas Nigerian hymns emphasize magnification, appreciation, and thanksgiving. The presence of verbal processes in Nigerian hymns reflects a communal, dialogic orientation, contrasting with the individualistic, introspective approach of Western hymns. The study concludes that contextual dynamics significantly shape transitivity choices and recommends broader cross-cultural studies with expanded datasets.