Communicative Competence in Discourse: A Universal Pragmatic Analysis of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s Update No 26: Measures Taken to Combat Spread of Coronavirus

Abstract:

This paper examined the 26th official update (speech) of President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana to Ghanaians on the enhanced measures taken to fight the Coronavirus Pandemic. The aim is to examine the extent to which he communicates competently and effectively in managing the spread of the virus. The study adopted the content analytical method which involves qualitative method of data presentation and analysis. The framework employed for the analysis was Habermas’ (1979) Universal Pragmatics. Universal Pragmatics posits that anyone acting communicatively cannot avoid raising the following validity claims: uttering something understandable, giving the hearer something to understand, making himself understandable and coming to an understanding with another person. The analysis revealed the update as having met the validity claims set by Habermas and therefore competent and effective in combating the spread of the deadly disease.