Pragmatics and Society - Volume 17, Issue 2, 2026

Abstract

#EndSARS protest started publicly on October 8, 2020, with teeming Nigerian youths moving from one location to the other to press home their demands, protesting police brutality among others. The protesters, especially those in Lagos, chose the Lekki Toll Gate as their protest base. The protest protracted across the country until October 20, 2020, when there were alleged shootings at the Lekki location by men in uniform believed to be from the Nigerian army. The protest and the shooting generated controversies, with the international community lending their voice to condemn the act. Existing studies on protests in Nigeria have examined #fuel fees must fall, Biafra protest, and so forth. Yet, studies have not adequately examined the #EndSARS-induced Lekki shooting. Its critical examination can confirm or refute the existing claims on protest discourse. This study, therefore, examines the newspaper narratives on the October 20 #EndSARS shooting at Lekki Toll Gate, to identify the deployed discourse issues, the pragmatic acts, identities and ideological polarisations in the discourses. Using aspects of van Dijk’s model of critical discourse analysis, Mey’s pragmatics acts and Voyant Tools, related narratives from two widely read Nigerian newspapers: Punch and Leadership revealed two broad ideological polarisations (US vs THEM) and four sub-categorisations of ideological discourse structure: actor description, argument, activity and goal description, and discourse strategies, and different pragmatic acts.

Abstract

Same-sex sexuality is an important topic worth consideration, especially in Africa, where this is still highly taboo. As a result of subsisting homophobia in the Nigerian public sphere, social media provides a space for collective queer voices. Queer studies in the Nigerian context have mainly been sociological and legalistic. However, linguistic studies on the media representation of same-sex sexualities have explored how heteronormativity is accentuated, without adequate attention paid to how sexual minorities have also used language to emphasize their attitude about their situation in Nigeria. Drawing on the appraisal framework, this study examines the stances in pro-queer tweets on X by considering discourses from #EndHomophobiaInNigeria, which trended on Nigerian Twitter in 2020. Findings revealed that words, clauses, and other discursive strategies construe LGBTQ+ people as unhappy and resilient.

Abstract

This study examines the noun forms of address (NoFA) used by matatu touts, employees who solicit business for Kenya’s minibuses, to navigate social interactions. It addresses two questions: (i) What noun forms do matatu touts use to hail passengers? (ii) How do these forms align with or diverge from Brown and Levinson’s Politeness Theory, and what do they reveal about power, hierarchy, and cultural norms? The data were collected through soundwalking, observational notes, and audio recordings at three public transport stations in Eldoret, Kenya. A qualitative analysis shows that touts use noun forms in English, Swahili, Sheng (Swahili-English slang), and native languages, including fictive kinship terms, formal titles, status indicators, endearments, physical descriptors, and epithets. These linguistic practices foster social bonds, assert authority, and facilitate economic transactions. Highlighting NoFA’s fluidity and multifunctionality and advocating for broader recognition of informal communication in non-Western settings, this study transcends traditional politeness models.

Abstract

Previous research on address forms has largely focused on the effect of sociolinguistic variables on address practices. Yet, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no study has investigated this phenomenon from a semio-cultural conceptualization perspective within the Kenyan context. Thus, the current study aims to fill this gap by exploring how address forms and self-reference terms in Kenya are culturally conceptualized. The data for this study were drawn from three popular Kenyan TV dramas: Vioja Mahakamani, The Real Housewives of Kawangware, and Selina. The episodes were viewed multiple times, and instances of address forms and self-reference terms were identified and analyzed. The findings indicate that these linguistic forms are deeply entrenched in Kenyan culture and reflect semio-cultural conceptualizations such as cultural schemas, emotion schemas, and cultural categories. These conceptualizations, in turn, express aspects of gender identity, age-related norms, and social status. The study underscores the value of a semio-cultural conceptualization approach in understanding the complex interplay between language and culture. It also recommends that future research continue exploring the linguistic expressions of cultural practices in Kenya and other sociocultural settings.

Abstract

This paper examines how Protestant faithful select songs they deem worthy of being performed during church services. It is premised on the hypothesis that, in addition to its text, pitch, rhythm and dynamics, the sacredness of a song depends on the context of its production. The data were collected in a parish of the Eglise Evangélique du Cameroun in the town of Maroua, Cameroon, through a questionnaire. The results revealed that the most recommended song was composed in a language that was not understood by the respondents, while the second most recommended was the endless repetition of ‘Alleluia’. On the other hand, the least recommended songs were in a language the respondents understood well. The sacredness of the songs thus appeared to be also based on authority, patronage, and tradition. It was thus concluded that songs were co-constructed, like other speech acts, by the composer and the listener.

This article reviews Structures in Discourse: Interaction, adaptability, and pragmatic functions978-90-272-1491-1