Abstract
The paper examines
the analysis of language use in Nigerian Newspapers on banditry Reportage. A
Speech Act Analysis of headlines in The Guardian and The Punch newspaper
reports on banditry are considered with a view to finding out the speech acts
that characterize the headlines. The speech act presents and documents
locutionary, illocutionary and perlocutionary acts that convey the intention of
speakers in banditry speeches. In an attempt to carry out the analysis, the
study randomly collected 16 headlines on banditry from the Punch newspaper and
the Guardian newspaper respectively. These headlines were analyzed to reveal
their speech act import. The study adopted a qualitative descriptive research
method. The speech act theory as modified by Searle (1969) serves as the
theoretical framework of analysis for the study. The findings reveal that three
of the five speech acts modified are found in the headlines reported in the
selected newspaper headlines but the assertive dominates the occurrence of the
speech acts. In conclusion, headlines reported concerning banditry may serve as
weapons of negotiation, dialogue, intimidation, blackmail, incitement and
coercion and thus create an atmosphere of fear and anxiety within the country.
Based on this, the paper recommends that language users or communicators on
either side of the contention must think before they speak, such speech should
be devoid of rage, emotion, and irrationality, but must reflect calm, reality
and humility.
Keywords: Use of Language, Newspapers, Headlines, Banditry, Reportage
DOI: 10.36349/zamijoh.2023.v02i02.002
author/Saidu Yahaya Ojoo, (PhD) & Almu Gafai Ibrahim
journal/Zamfara IJOH Vol. 2, Issue 2
