Browsing by Author "Adamu, Usman"

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    Analysis of Hate Speeches as Metaphorical Cultural Stereotypes
    (DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH FACULTY OF ARTS NASARAWA STATE UNIVERSITY, KEFFI, 2020-06-06) Salisu, Muhammad Raj; Adamu, Usman
    This study examines hate speeches as metaphorical expressions used in the language of cultura stereotypes. It explores the language use in a Facebook status update of a subscriber and the conversation that ensued among the interlocutors of different ethnic nationalities in Nigeria. In the data analysis, the research finds out that the conversation which is supposed to be a political discourse turns out to be an emotionally-charged one, with all the interlocutors making derogatory statements against one another. The result shows that the kind of slur language that ensues is a reflection of the assumptions each interlocutor holds against the other on account of their different ethnic nationalities. It is discovered that sixteen (16) out of the twenty (21) statements in the status update are structural metaphors. The recurrence of structural metaphorical expressions indicates that there are feelings of disaffection in the society. This is because, as implied by Janda (16), the use of structural metaphor indicates strong feelings and conceptualization of the speaker about what is talked about.
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    ItemOpen Access
    Analysis of Hate Speeches as Metaphorical Cultural Stereotypes
    (Department of English language, Nasarawa State University Keffi, 2020-06-01) Salisu, Muhammad Raj; Adamu, Usman
    This study examines hate speeches as metaphorical expressions used in the language of cultural stereotypes. It explores the language use in a Facebook status update of a subscriber and the conversation that ensued among the interlocutors of different ethnic nationalities in Nigeria. In the data analysis, the research finds out that the conversation which is supposed to be a political discourse turns out to be an emotionally-charged one, with all the interlocutors making derogatory statements against one another. The result shows that the kind of slur language that ensues is a reflection of the assumptions each interlocutor holds against the other on account of their different ethnic nationalities. It is discovered that sixteen (16) out of the twenty (21) statements in the status update are structural metaphors. The recurrence of structural metaphorical expressions indicates that there are feelings of disaffection in the society. This is because, as implied by Janda (16), the use of structural metaphor indicates strong feelings and conceptualization of the speaker about what is talked about.
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    COMMUNICATIVE PRINCIPLES IN HATE SPEECH OF INTER ETHNIC CONVERSATIONS IN NIGERIA
    (Department of English language, Nasarawa State University Keffi, 2020-06-01) Salisu, Muhammad Raj; Adamu, Usman
    This study is on Communicative Principles in inter-ethnic conversations laced with emotional undertones in Nigeria. It explores the language of interlocutors to determine how this linguistic theory can account for the language of such sensational interactions. The research looks at a naturally-occurring language situation of two speakers belonging to two ethnic groups in Nigeria who have stereotyped themselves. From the findings, the result shows that the communicative principles as propounded by Grice could not virtually account for such language situation in which speakers have developed predetermined assumptions against each other. This is because the conversational maxims are just moral codes that guide how language use can be mutually intelligible when speakers cooperate but could hardly account for language in sensational situations as exemplified in this study.
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    DEIXIS AND EXOPHORIC REFERENCES IN SPEECHES OF NASARAWA STATE GOVERNOR
    (DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH FACULTY OF ARTS NASARAWA STATE UNIVERSITY, KEFFI, 2021-01-18) Salisu, Muhammad Raj; Adamu, Usman
    This study examines cohesion in selected speeches of the governor of Nasarawa State. It explores the language of political speeches using cohesive devices such as deictic and exophoric references to determine a coherence coherence between text and context in language use. The aim is to examine how the speaker's use of these cohesive devices reflects on the assumptions he shares with his listeners that bring about language understanding. A descriptive design was employed. Two speeches were randomly selected for study from a series of speeches made by the governor. The findings show that there exists a remarkable linguistic relationship between the two coherence features studied. However, whether or not the cohesion or coherence truly reflects the assumptions between the speaker and the audience was no investigated as that requires administering of questionnaires to presumed listeners of the governor’s speeches. This is beyond the scope of the research.
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    Mental Spaces and Perceptual Experience in Inciting Speeches by Nigerian Military cum Political Leaders
    (DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH FACULTY OF ARTS NASARAWA STATE UNIVERSITY, KEFFI, 2021-02-05) Salisu, Muhammad Raj; Adamu, Usman
    This study examined selected inciting comments of two Nigerian political leaders; General Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd.) and General T.Y. Danjuma (Rtd.) whose speeches at particular occasions caused disaffections amongst Nigerians. The research adopted an eclectic theoretical framework; mental spaces from cognitive linguistics and perceptual experience - an aspect of cognitive psychology to examine how human experiences affect perception and conceptualization of issues. The methodology used was a purposive selection of statements made by these two personalities who enjoy reverence from their supporters. The result of our findings indicates that, given their fame in the society and amongst their supporters, the speakers' utterances understudy and thecontext, in which they occurred, produced two varied perceptions. The first was from the immediate audience, who are members of the speakers' in-group. To this group of people, the speaker's utterances were meant to lure them to action against other groups perceived as 'enemies'. The second perception was realized in the audience who are members of the speaker's out-group - who view the speaker's utterances as inciting statements meant to cause disaffection amongst the larger society. In both cases, the audiences arrived at their respective conclusions using their mental spaces that conjured to them negative assumptions against the others.
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    Mental Spaces and Perceptual Experience in Inciting Speeches by Nigerian Military cum Political Leaders
    (DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH FACULTY OF ARTS NASARAWA STATE UNIVERSITY, KEFFI, 2020-12-09) Salisu, Muhammad Raj; Adamu, Usman
    This study examined selected inciting comments of two Nigerian political leaders; General Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd.) and General T.Y. Danjuma (Rtd.) whose speeches at particular occasions caused disaffections amongst Nigerians. The research adopted an eclectic theoretical framework; mental spaces from cognitive linguistics and perceptual experience - an aspect of cognitive psychology to examine how human experiences affect perception and conceptualization of issues. The methodology used was a purposive selection of statements made by these two personalities who enjoy reverence from their supporters. The result of our findings indicates that, given their fame in the society and amongst their supporters, the speakers' utterances understudy and the context, in which they occurred, produced two varied perceptions. The first was from the immediate audience, who are members of the speakers' in-group. To this group of people, the speaker's utterances were meant to lure them to action against other groups perceived as 'enemies', The second perception was realized in the audience who are members of the speaker's out-group - who view the speaker's utterances as inciting statements meant to cause disaffection amongst the larger society. In both cases, the audiences arrived at their respective conclusions using their mental spaces that conjured to them negative assumptions against the others.
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    STRUCTURAL METAPHORS IN THE HATE SPEECHES OF EMOTIONAL EXPRESSIONS IN FACEBOOK COMMENTS ON THE #ENDSARS PROTESTS IN NIGERIA
    (Department of English language, Nasarawa State University Keffi, 2021-02-01) Salisu, Muhammad Raj; Adamu, Usman
    This study examines structural metaphors used as expression of emotions. It explores the language use in Facebook conversations occasioned by the #EndSARS protests which almost grounded socio-economic activities in Nigeria. The study investigates three different such Facebook Status updates which comments were presented and analyzed. It was found out that 16 out of the 28 statements selected in the three status updates were structural metaphors. These were presented and analyzed accordingly. It was, thus, discovered that the comments, though could be termed as hate speeches at the surface level, a cognitive analysis reveals that they were actually expressions of emotions of the interlocutors who felt dissatisfied and infringed of their rights as citizens. Accordingly, such emotions were expressed based on three thematic preoccupations. The first was a protest against the perpetual brutality by the personnel of the Nigerian Police Force called SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad). The second was a show of revolution against the leadership of Nigeria that is populated by the old generation. The last was another expression of a counter-protest by individuals from a particular region of the country who viewed the #EndSARS protest as an orchestrated plan to discredit the central government headed by a man from this region. The recurrence of structural metaphorical expressions, thus, indicates that there are feelings of disaffection against the establishment and the teething regional sentiments that seemed to herald the politics of the 2023 general elections.
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    THE USE OF MENTAL SPACES IN CONCEPTUALIZATION OF HATE SPEECHES
    (Department of English language, Nasarawa State University Keffi, 2021-05-01) Salisu, Muhammad Raj; Adamu, Usman
    This study examines language use in the Facebook status updates of subscribers to determine how human perception or mental images are used to conceptualize statements or utterances as hate speeches. The research, thus, studies the Mental Spaces Theory as a cognitive linguistic model suitable for investigating such derogatory utterances among interlocutors in an emotionally charged context of utterance. In the data analysis, the research found out that the conversation that ensued depicts the feelings of disaffection among the interlocutors. This was triggered by provocative and counter-provocative statements they made against one another in-groups. The residents indicates that a fundamental factor that is sensitive in every speech situation is how the addressee/receiver perceives and interprets an utterance made by his fellow speaker, using the base space which is the shared assumptions between them, and the space builders which are the neural motor transmitters in his brain that inform his perception and interpretation of the speaker's utterance. Whether or not his perception holds truth is not shared with the speaker. So, rather than viewing the slur language that ensued as hate speeches, it should be seen as the reflection of the assumptions each interlocutor holds against the other on account of the different ethnic nationalities, religious or political affiliations.