Speech Acts and Welfarist Ideology in Governor Aregbesola’s May 1, 2013 address (Published)
Politicians make use of language for the purpose of achieving desired goals. In political utterances, many acts are performed as politicians through their speeches try to manipulate the listeners by the way they use language. This study investigates the deployment of speech acts and welfarist ideology in Governor Aregbesola’s address to the Osun State workers in commemoration of year 2013 “Workers’ Day”. The speech is selected for analysis to bring out Aregbesola’s language use and to highlight the welfarist ideology of the government of Osun State of Nigeria. The speech titled “Productivity is the key to Wealth” is analysed within the framework of J.R. Searle’s Speech Acts to bring out the illocutionary force in it. The analysis reveals Aregbesola’s language use in performing certain actions with a view to changing the attitudes of workers and also to project the government as welfarist in its programmes.
Keywords: Labour, Language, Politics, Rauf Aregbesola., Speech Acts., Welfarist Ideology
The Features of Effective English Teachers as Viewed by English Language Teachers and High School Students in Saudi Arabia (Published)
This paper aimed to study the features of effective English teachers as viewed by English language teachers and high school students in Saudi Arabia. The study consists of 17 English language teachers and 17 secondary school students, all from Saudi Arabia. The study depended on the descriptive approach to evaluate English teachers language proficiency, pedagogical knowledge and socio-affective features. The results asserts that the teachers advocated socio-affective skills, English proficiency, and pedagogical knowledge in order of importance, whereas the students advocated English proficiency, socio-affective skills, and pedagogical knowledge. The results show that the features of effective English teachers within the language proficiency are reading, writing and comprehension proficiency. For pedagogical knowledge, the research indicates the significant of preparing the lesson and using various teaching aids. Finally, the socio-affective features of English language effective teachers are “listening to the students” and “to be fair with all students”.
Keywords: English Teachers, High School, Language, Saudi Arabia, Student
Linguistic Devices in Media Discourse: A Case Study (Published)
Language is used creatively to enhance communication and critically evoke deep thoughts. It is a systematic resource which is powerful and active. Sometimes, the intrinsic power of language is often neglected by non linguists. Some are not conscious of the power of language which influences attitudes and promotes critical thinking. Others fail to realize that convictions are shaped by language. The study, therefore, examines the linguistic devices and styles in media discourse which are used to stake claims to knowledge, to influence attitudes and to promote critical thinking. Excerpts culled from different newspaper editorials are used to explore the linguistic devices and styles. Then, with Systemic Functional Linguistics complemented with Van Dijk’s theory of media discourse as models of analysis, it is observed that linguistic devices such as modality, evaluative adjectives, adverbs, generic phrases, rhetoric and idioms are used to state opinions, make predictions and influence attitudes. Furthermore, the linguistic devices evoke critical thinking, state different angles of possibilities, portray different shades of attitudes and judgments. The study concludes that the linguistic devices in the newspaper editorials shape and reshape attitudes and assess the potentiality of the state of affairs in the society. Hence, there is an intrinsic power in language to influence attitudes.
Keywords: Language, Linguistic Device, Media, communication