A STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF ORGANISATIONAL SIGNALS AND SUBTHEMATIC IDENTIFICATION ELEMENTS IN SELECTED NIGERIAN NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
A STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF ORGANISATIONAL SIGNALS AND SUBTHEMATIC IDENTIFICATION ELEMENTS IN SELECTED NIGERIAN NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
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Date
2015
Authors
YUSUF, Salihu Ahmad
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Abstract
The aim of thisstudy thesis is to investigate organizational signals (textual cohesion) and subthematic
identification (paragraph development) as the basic elements of writing to enhance
textual unity and understanding (coherence) and the main objective is inquiry into the
composition, readability and comprehension of newspaper articles by Nigerian journalists.
Specifically, the research examinesthe textual organization, cohesive devices and paragraph
development as the underlying elements for comprehensibility of written texts. The broader
objectives include the identification of whether articles written by Nigerian journalists follow
norms of English composition writing, comply with the rules of unity and coherence in essay
writing, if the paragraphs are sufficiently developed to enhance understanding and whether
reading is made smooth through the use of appropriate linking devices. Both authorial and
topical works by various linguists and scholars including: Fairclough (1999), Haliday and
Hasan (1976, 1985, 1994), Allerton, (1979), Stubbs, (1930), Crystal and Davy (1974), Bell,
(1984), Oluikpe, (2002) Frank (2004), Rasheed (1990)in areas of text analysis, composition
writing, newspaper language and functional use of English, gave insight into the procedure of
the research. As an aspect of text linguistics, the data consists of twenty excerpts, four each
from the five national papers selected for inquiry: i) Daily Trust, ii) The Guardian, iii) The
Vanguard, iv) The Punch and v) The Nation. These different papers from which the sample
texts are chosen contain the various types of essays necessary for our research. Their analysis
has given answers to the research questions set. A descriptive analysis is undertaken to test the
coherence features in the sampled newspaper essays. From the findings of the study, it is
evident that articles by the Nigerian print media are foremost composed to inform their varied
audiences. Thus, differences are found between composing an editorial and an ordinary news
item because while the former is meant to satisfy a well-read audience, the latter is for all other
readers without regard to their educational level. However, attempt is made in most excerpts
sampled to follow the terms of English essay writing from the introduction to the conclusion.
Hence, the selection and application of the requisite organizational signals and the relevant
developmental patterns for sub-thematic identification which from our analysis depend on the
type of essay that is, narrative, descriptive, argumentative or expository. Generally, analysis of
the data has enabled therealization of the impact of single sentences as whole paragraphs on the
unity and coherence of texts. Also, our analysis found out that the unity and coherence quality
of all the samples investigated relies heavily on the kinds of linking devices used. On the
whole, the findings reveal that differences in the excerpts are minimal.
Description
A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE POSTGRADUATE
SCHOOL, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA IN PARTIAL
FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF
DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Keywords
STYLISTIC ANALYSIS,, ORGANISATIONAL SIGNALS,, SUBTHEMATIC IDENTIFICATION ELEMENTS,, SELECTED,, NIGERIAN NEWSPAPER ARTICLES