| 1 |
Author(s):
Amadi-Nna Homa Ndaalu, Isaac Eyi Ngulube.
Page No : 1-48
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English Phonological Operations: A Study of Rule Interactions
Abstract
This study focuses on English phonological operations with emphasis on rule interaction, rule ordering, bleeding, and feeding. It is a study in rule-governed phonological description. The method adopted for analysis is the descriptive survey approach. The theoretical framework adopted is Noam Chomsky’s generative phonology. The finding is that phonological descriptive generalization is best done by rules rather than by phonemic analysis. This study recommends that the study of phonetics and phonology in Nigerian universities should focus more on practical exposure using laboratory instruments; laboratory exercises in conversational English using relevant phonological materials (tapes, records, video films, among others.), distinctive features, and rule writing approach for the advanced students are recommended.
| 2 |
Author(s):
Ben-Fred Ohia (Ph.D.).
Page No : 49-57
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Revolutionist’s View of African Fiction as a Protest Literature: Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s A Grain of Wheat
Abstract
Protest in African literature developed out of the misrule, marginalisation, exploitation, deprivation, forced labour, slavery, and subjugation perpetrated by inept, colonialist and neo-colonialist governments in Africa. In South Africa, it is a protest against apartheid;in East Africa, it is a protest against colonial domination of the land; and in West Africa, the protest is centred on the marginalisation and subjugation of the natives by the British colonialists. Aside from these, there is a general protest that spreads the entire continent against blacks’ inhumanity to fellow blacks at the corridor of power – the neocolonialist forces. Hence, there is the African struggle for decolonisation in African novels as evidenced in A Grain of Wheat. Therefore, this paper explores the elements that constitute protest in the novel. In its findings, it is discovered that characteristics such as environment, socio-political, religious and cultural situations prevalent in Africa are the factors that necessitated protest in the novel and African literature generally. This paper concludes that the protest in A Grain of Wheat is a struggle for decolonisation of an African Nation – Kenya and by extension the African continent. The paper recommends the sustenance of the commitment (which has made African fiction a protest literature) of African writers towards liberating African nations from the shackles of neo-colonialism in the 21st century.
| 3 |
Author(s):
Ngoungouo Yiagnigni Abass.
Page No : 58-74
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Conditional Clauses In Shupamem
Abstract
This paper describes the structure of conditional clauses in Shupamem, a Grassfield Bantu language spoken in the West region of Cameroon. The analysis of the empirical data collected from selected Shupamem native speakers revealed that Shupamem makes use of discontinuous morphemes to mark conditional constructions. The structure of these morphemes depends on (i) the branching configuration between the conditional clause and the main clause, and (ii) the tense feature of the conditional clause’ finite verb. The structure Cond.<MC involves the discontinuous morpheme kʉ̀......mbʉ́ whereby kʉ̀ “if” is inserted between the subject and the verb of the conditional clause, while mbú “then” introduces the main clause. The tense features of the conditional clauses are marked by the corresponding tense morphemes. In the second alternative of the Cond.<MC structure, the conditional clause is introduced by à pə̀ jʉ́ə (roughly translated as “is it that”) and closed by nə́, and the main clause is introduced by mbú. In MC<Cond. structures, on the contrary, no morpheme introduces the main clause. The conditional clause displays a relative clause-like structure introduced by the morpheme mə̀ jʉə́ “if” and closed by the definitizer nə́. Finally, Shupamem conditionals are classified into three types (general truth, possible actions, and imaginary actions), based on their semantic interpretations.
| 4 |
Author(s):
Eventus Edem, PhD, Esther Effiong.
Page No : 75-84
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Social Media English in Nigeria and the New Crime Wave
Abstract
This study explores the social media English in Nigeria and the new crime wave. Utilizing the theoretical frameworks of systemic functional linguistics and forensic linguistics, the study adopts a qualitative data analysis approach to examine the linguistic devices used in the portrayal of criminal activities. The research delves into the language of crime, reviewing related literature and analyzing selected posts for their use of specific linguistic devices. These devices include slang and code words, metaphors and euphemisms, sensational headlines, and biased language. The study reveals that these linguistic devices play a crucial role in the construction and perception of criminal activities on social media platforms. Slang and code words, for instance, often serve as a form of coded communication among criminals, while metaphors and euphemisms are used to downplay the severity of criminal acts or to disguise illegal activities. Sensational headlines and biased language, on the other hand, can influence public opinion and perpetuate stereotypes about crime and criminals. This study contributes to the understanding of how language is used in the context of crime on social media platforms, offering valuable insights for law enforcement agencies, policy makers, and researchers in the fields of linguistics and criminology. It underscores the need for further research in this area, particularly in the era of digital communication where language plays a pivotal role in shaping societal narratives about crime.
| 5 |
Author(s):
Temitope Folashade Oloyede.
Page No : 85-108
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Pragmatic Implications of Contextual Constraints and Delivery Styles in Selected Academic Sermons
Abstract
Academic sermons (preaching tests) which depend largely on pragmatic choices, are used to determine the preachers’ quality and qualification for theological certification. Previous studies on religious discourse have not recognised the influence of delivery constraints on the overall output of academic sermons. This study, therefore, examined the pragmatic implications of the preachers’ choices. The study adopted aspects of pragmatic act theory. Stratification and purposive sampling methods were used to select three seminaries from which data were gathered. The penultimate year student-pastors were purposively selected for data collection and data were subjected to pragmatic analysis. Four performance contexts and six delivery styles with eight strategies demonstrated training-induced delivery constraints, which conditioned preachers’ pragmatic designs and determined their level of compliance to training in the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminaries. The perfect orientation to narrative and prescriptive styles suggested compliance to training, but the partial orientation and complete disorientation to analytical, invocational, affiliative and professing styles implied pragmatic misadjustment and professional deficiencies with implications for pastoral competence.
| 6 |
Author(s):
Shadiat Folashade Bakare, Florence Nne Agwu (Ph.D.).
Page No : 109-122
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A Contrastive Study of the Comparative and Superlative Inflectional Morphemes of English and Yoruba Languages
Abstract
This paper analyses and contrasts the comparative and superlative inflectional morphemes of the English and Yoruba Languages with the aim of identifying the morphological and syntactic structural differences, which may pose some difficulties to the Yoruba learners of English as a second language. The study adopted the Contrastive Analysis (CA) theory as its theoretical framework as well as the qualitative descriptive design with a content analysis approach, while using a textual data collection method. The study revealed that while the English language uses the inflectional markers “-er” to mark the comparatives and “-est” to mark the superlatives of adjectives and adverbs; the Yoruba language on the other hand employs lexical items “-ju…lo” as comparative marker and “-julo” for the superlative marker through partial reduplication. The paper further discovered that while the inflectional morphemes of the English language are all suffixes, the Yoruba language lends itself to both, but majorly prefixation. However, the comparative and superlative markers of both English and Yoruba languages are suffixes. In addition, the English language in its grammatical rules contains some exceptions or irregularities, which may further pose some challenges to the second language learner. The study therefore recommends that second language learners, whose first language is Yoruba, should ensure proper learning and acquisition of the correct formation and usage of all the comparative and superlative markers of the English language, in order to improve their proficiency in the language.
| 7 |
Author(s):
Oluwatomi O. Adeoti (Ph.D.).
Page No : 123-144
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Pragmatic Acts in Characters’ Utterances in Femi Osofisan’s Women of Owu
Abstract
Studies on Femi Osofisan’s Women of Owu have examined the use of lexical choices and discourse markers in the drama text neglecting the choice of meaning negotiation in characters’ utterances. This paper, therefore, undertook a pragmatic investigation of how meanings and actions are generated in a play text using Femi Osofisan’s Women of Owu. Mey’s (2001) Pragmatic Act theory was used alongside implicature and presupposition as elements of pragmatics to analyse five (5) purposively selected extracts from the play. This is done to critically bring to the fore the practs performed in the utterances, the maxims obeyed and those flouted and the type of presupposition made. Findings revealed that the practs of informing, explaining, stating, naming, and influencing were used in the text unveil the thought pattern of the audience. The paper also revealed that the pivotal role context plays in decoding the exact meaning(s) conveyed in each of the extracted utterances. Context is instrumental to the performance of certain acts. From this, the paper concludes that in order to do things with words and to use characters to communicate effectively in any given context, especially in tradition based plays like Women of Owu, a writer needs to have the knowledge of grammar as well as the knowledge of how to use language from a functional perspective in the contextual and traditional backgrounds.
| 8 |
Author(s):
Margaret Ifelunwa Ejie, Joseph Obaro Ikupa.
Page No : 145-154
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An Enquiry into the Nigerianism in Nigerian English
Abstract
This seeks to examine the Nigerianism in Nigerian English in order to gain a better understanding of the English language in Nigeria. Specifically, it will investigate how Nigerian English has developed and what aspects of Nigerian language and culture have influenced it. In doing so, it will provide insight on the role of Nigerian English in the larger Nigerian context, as well as the broader international context. It will also review the sociolinguistic features of the Nigerian varieties of English in the area of phonology. The findings of this research are expected to provide a deeper understanding of the English language in Nigeria and its functionality within the Nigerian context. It is hoped that the results of this study can be used to inform and guide the development of future language policies in Nigeria. This study will also provide a valuable contribution to the existing body of research into the development of English and language in general.
| 9 |
Author(s):
Ejie Ifelunwa Margaret, Edhere Uzezi Joyce.
Page No : 155-164
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English Language Teaching and Learning in Secondary Schools in Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State: Problems and Prospects
Abstract
This paper studied the problems of teaching and learning English as a second language in junior school certificate examination in Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State. The study sought to establish the extent to which students in Junior Secondary School and teachers should value English as the language of instruction. The framework adopted is the behaviorist theory of bilingualism. The simple percentage method of data analysis was employed to analyze data. The population comprised students in junior secondary schools in Ozoro precisely the students of Opute Grammar School, Ozoro and Heroes Group of Schools, Ozoro both in Delta State of Nigeria. The sample size was 100, and the instrument for data collection was the questionnaire which was tested and retested on some other students to ensure that it was reliable. It was found out that the majority of the students consider the English language a difficult subject because of their inability to understand every aspect, which the English language entails. It was also found out among others that the level of infiltration of mother tongue into the respondents’ English is very high. This research recommended that good reading habits should be developed in the students and also well-equipped libraries should be provided in the schools and communities in order to improve better performance in their study of English language. It concluded that the problems of teaching and learning English as a second language is as a result of the impact of mother’s tongue, inadequate textbooks, poor language background and lack of professional growth and development of teachers. If these discovered factors are not checked there will be a drastic decline in standard of education.
| 10 |
Author(s):
Blessing Kwaghdoo Shikaa.
Page No : 165-174
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The Mood Types Analysis in Script of Nelson Mandela’s Speech at the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid.
Abstract
Nelson Mandela's impactful speeches at the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid have drawn considerable attention due to his global influence and eloquence in English. This study examines the mood types present in Mandela's speeches, focusing on their role within the interpersonal metafunction. Utilising a qualitative descriptive method, the researcher analysed a speech delivered by Mandela, sourcing data from a public address archived on the American Rhetoric website. The analysis involved labelling clause elements, segmenting clauses into mood and residue, and classifying mood types. The findings revealed that the distribution of mood types in Mandela's speech was as follows: Declarative accounted for 62%, Imperative for 19%, and Interrogative for 19%. Results showed a predominance of Declarative mood, indicating Mandela's emphasis on providing information and asserting historical events. Imperative mood was utilised for calls to action, while Interrogative mood prompted audience engagement. This research sheds light on Mandela's rhetorical strategies and the significance of mood types in his speeches.
