NEXUS BETWEEN LANGUAGE AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT USING HEADLINES IN SOME AKWA IBOM STATE BASED NEWSPAPER
NEXUS BETWEEN LANGUAGE AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT USING HEADLINES IN SOME AKWA IBOM STATE BASED NEWSPAPER
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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
The word language could be defined in various ways
depending on whether one is interested in dialect and those who speak them,
works and their histories, the differences in language as an art, medium use of
language and the likes. Language is seen as a code, ideas about the world.
Language is a conversation. This implies that is accepted and used and used by
a group of people or a community. It is a shared knowledge because every
members of the group agrees on and accepts this medium of communication. In
their views, Bauuman and Sherzer in Azikiwe (1998:6) explains that words and
sentences are used as they are, only because the speaker in language community
agree on such matters, and participles, strategies and value that guide the
production and interpretation of speech which is termed the community rules for
speaking.
Language is used for
communication. Azikiwe (1998:7) opines that the main purposes for language is
for personal interaction with people in different circumstances. People
interact in order to give or receive information, and to accomplish task. The interaction
could be through signs and gesticulations, speech and actions. Language is used
for the purpose of communicating with people around to express our feelings,
ideas and experiences. Also, Bloom Lahcy in Azikiwe (1998) see language as a
means for masseges. Language is a social act that we learn as a mean for
obtaining, maintaining and regulating contact with other persons.
Naldman in Azikiwe
(1998:1) sees language as a system of articulated sounds by humans and used by
a group of humans for purpose of communication. The existence and use of
verbalized language is therefore one factor used to differentiate a human
characteristics that distinguishes man from the lower animals. Indeed, man has
used language as way of representing experiences. Language is the means by
which representation of human experience work efficiently together. According
to Brumfit (1998:2), language could be social to mend the relationship between
words and experience its form of verbalization. Language as verbalization of
experience occurs when we produce language by talking and writing that is
putting our reactions to experience within and around us into words.
On the other hand other
hand experience of verbalization occurs when we receive language by listening
and reading; making sense out of the words put others and understanding them in
their context. Simply put, language means putting our experiences into words for
others to understand, as well as to understand the experiences of others put
into words. Language is an integral part of man. It surpasses mere
communication and social interaction. Language is very significant as far as
human existence is concerned Language influence thought and often influences or
condition’s action as well as human behaviour and conduct language, therefore
is strongest medium of transmitting culture social reality.
Since creation, language
has been used by human beings to promote national development. Language spoken
by man has power to unit and build any nation. Also, language either spoken or
written can promote peace and unity among people; it can also cause war and
disintegration among people. Thus, the famous Tower of Babel in the Bible was
suspended as the result of confusion and different in languages God gave to
humanity. Language is what God give to man; every human has a language. It
could language used in government, politics, religion, education, health,
media, court parliament, agriculture among others. Without language human
relationship, interaction and communication could be in confusion and
ineffective. Every human society has a language through which its members
communicate. Language is used not only in inter-personal communication, but
also, in transmission of mass mediated messages.
Technology has made
possible, the emergence of mass media communication, which have improved
communication system within and among communities. These media of mass
communication basically fall into two broad categories. The first category is
the print which comprises among others, newspapers and magazines. The second
category is the electronics, made up of radio, television and film. What is
however, of importance is that theses media disseminate message or information
through the use of language.
Opinion leaders, courts,
government, newspaper, editors etc, play a crucial role in using language to
shape issue in the society and setting the boundaries of what is talk about and
how it is talked about (Henry and Tator, 2002). Newspaper is particularly known
to lead in the initiation of discourse on key national figures, celebrities and
happening around the nation and exposing them the people.
However, the language
used in any news media can contribute to promote or hamper the development of
the society. It particularly reveals the social, cultural and national
presentations circulating in a society at any given time. Newspaper headlines
are often subjected to linguistic manipulation. Newspaper, editors, copy
writers and feature writers work on social values, conception of the world symbolic
system in order to create their messages.
According to Abba and
Nasiru (2015), the role headlines play as precursors to the news; make them to
be constructed in such a way that they are usually linguistically manipulated
to influence the leadership. Most editors ensure that the choice of expressions
in headlines reflect the feelings, opinion and attitude of people about issues
in the news. Headlines play a crucial role in shaping relating issues in the
society to the people and issue in the society to the people and setting the
boundaries of what is talked about and how it is talk about. Most newspaper
editors choose to relay and established their message the reading public
effectively. Suitable headlines must inform, educate move the reader into
certain may bring about peace or war depends on the style of language used in
the news headlines. It can promote national etiquette and societal development.
The choice of language
used in the newspaper headlines have a lot influence on the reader’s thought
which can lead to national development. If the headlines of newspaper carry or
convey the right message or information, which can educate or affect the mindset
of people or oriented the readers toward the new development in the society. It
is often said “if you are not informed, youth will be informed” it is often
said not informed. When the news headlines convey a suitable message, the
readers would be informed but when carries or conveys wrong message,
the readers would be deformed.
Therefore, the language or style
of the newspaper headlines, can create awareness and contribute immensely
toward the growth and societal development. Just as the usage of language
either spoken or written can build society or destroy it, so is the language as
far as newspaper headlines is concerned can be used to unite, build or scatter
a nation. The types of language used in developing a news headlines by the
editor can provoke the readers to take violent action against or supportive
action for the issues of national discourse. Furthermore, the language in the
news headlines does have a lot of significance relationship to the development
of any sector of the society or nations. Moreso, the types language used in
newspapers headlines to relay
information about health, politics government, religion group, community,
petroleum issues, corruption and crime, education, labour, market among can
help developing any sector of the society in the appropriate words or language
are used.
Therefore, this study is
an attempt to look at how language are used in news tabloid in news headlines
to promote national development:
particularly Akwa Ibom based news paper.
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1.2 Statement of
the Problem
New media whether print or electronic’ projects the mind
or opinion of the masses or the plan of the government. The opinion of then
people may be express through the use of local dialect of national language
like English in the news media. It is believe that news tabloids serves to
educate, informed, and entertain the people as promoting the unity and
coexistence but the language in Akwa Ibom states headlines do not encourage
national development. It is obvious the
language use in local tabloids headlines which is supposed to be an effective medium
of education and informing the readers as well as the masses causing social,
religious, political, economic and technological and ethnic crisis in the
country through their headlines reportage. Thus, the language of the news
reportage should educate and inform the people are not appropriately used.
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Ani and Anyandike (2013:2014) opines that the slangs of
most opf the editorial was more of condemning, unwarranted and unwanted
behavoiurs usually exhibited by government on issues that borders public
interest. Also, the improper and complicated grammatical usage in the newspaper
headlines has impeded the essence of national development. It is against this
problems that this research sought to
examine the nexus between language and
national development in headlines in Akwa Ibom State newspapers.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of the study is to examine.................
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