Citation: Henrietta A. EKPOKI (2024). Exploration of Stylistic Features in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Acceptance Speech after 2023 Presidential Election. Yobe Journal of Language, Literature and Culture (YOJOLLAC), Vol. 12, Number 1. Department of African Languages and Linguistics, Yobe State University, Damaturu, Nigeria. ISSN 2449-0660
EXPLORATION OF STYLISTIC FEATURES IN PRESIDENT
BOLA AHMED TINUBU'S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH AFTER 2023 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
By
Henrietta A. EKPOKI
Abstract
This study attempts to explore the stylistic
features used by Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his acceptance speech after the 2023
presidential election. In order to achieve this, the speech was analyzed
using Leech and Short (2007) heuristic checklist of linguistic and stylistic
categories as a theoretical framework. Results of the analysis indicate
that the then President-elect makes use of graphological features such as
punctuations and acronym. The utterances used mostly are simple,
compound and complex sentences. In the analysis of graphological
features, it is revealed that, punctuations and acronyms are used. In the
entire corpus, the most commonly used punctuations are full stop, commas and
apostrophe. In the analysis of syntactic features it is revealed that, simple,
compound, complex and compound-complex sentences are used. In the analysis of
lexical features there is also the frequent use of nouns and pronouns. The then
President-elect richly makes use of adverbs to give additional meaning to the
meaning of what he is saying. It is therefore recommended that researchers should
be encouraged to investigate the styles used in President-elect Bola Ahmed
Tinubu's acceptance speech after the 2023 presidential election to see areas of
divergence.
Keywords: Exploration, Stylistics,
Acceptance speech and Presidential Election
Introduction
Language is always used in a context. What is
said and how it is said are always determined by a variety of contextual
factors like the speaker, the listener or audience, the subject under
consideration and medium of transmission. This is why it is cogently demanded
that written words be far more explicit than the spoken words (Birch, 2005).
Language therefore must be fashioned and used in a way that it does not only
communicate but also appeal to the reader or audience.
The way in which language is used in a given
context, by a given person, for a given purpose, according to Leech & Short
(1995) is referred to as style. Lauham (2004), defines style as the varieties
and function to which language is put. Style can therefore, be considered in
this regard to the personal use of an individual makes in speech or writing of
the language at his or her disposal. Hence, the scientific study of style is
known as Stylistics (Lodge, 2009). Stylistics is the study of texts rather than
the study of authors which emerged as a sub-discipline in late 20th century
(Aslam, Aslam, Mukhtar & Sarfaraz, 2014). It explores the reader’s
attention while studying literary texts. Analysis in stylistics therefore
involves a range of general language qualities, which include diction, sentence
pattern, structure and variety, paragraph structure, imagery, repetition,
emphasis, arrangement of ideas and other cohesive devices. Stylistics studies
and describes the formal features of the text, that is, the levels of
expression and the content, thus bringing out their functional significance for
the interpretation of the work.
Stylistics looks at language selection and use
it in accordance with context of situation and purpose which implies that as
many contexts, activities and events that exist, there are unique language
features that are used to articulate them. In determining the style of a
context within a field, it is pertinent to determine the lexical and
grammatical selection that have been made to enhance using language in the most
appropriate and effective way or in a good manner. One of such area requiring
the use of specific language is president Bola
Ahmed Tinubu's acceptance speech of 2023 presidential election which
this study seeks to investigate.
Statement of the Problem
Stylistic analysis of a given text is usually an
attempt at evaluating the use of language in order to unravel the synthesis of
the thought in the text. Although, many works have been done on stylistics. The
language or diction used in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's
acceptance speech after the 2023 presidential election belongs to an
overlapping speech which may be differentiated by lexis, forms of address or
any other distinguishing stylistic features (Lauham, 2004). Therefore, this study
seeks to explore stylistic features in President Bola Ahmed Tinibu's acceptance
speech after the 2023 presidential election.
Aim and Objectives of the Study
The general objective of this study is to
explore stylistic features in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's acceptance speech
after the 2023 presidential election. The specific objectives are to:
i.Identify the
graphological features used in the acceptance speech.
ii.Determine the lexical
features expressed in the acceptance speech.
iii.Analyze the
syntactic features used in the acceptance speech.
Research Questions
The following research questions guides the
realization of the study:
i.What are the
graphological features used in president Bola Ahmed Tinubu's acceptance speech
of after the 2023 presidential election?
ii.What are the lexical
features expressed in president Bola Ahmed Tinubu's acceptance speech of after
the 2023 presidential election?
iii.What are the
syntactic features used in president Bola Ahmed Tinubu's acceptance speech
after the 2023 presidential election?
Literature Review
The Concept of Style and Stylistics
Style is the manner of expressing one’s
thoughts. Just as there are various ways of doing things, there are stylistic
variations in language use. Style is also distinctive in the sense that the
language used in some way is significant for the thematic design of any genre.
This distinctive aspect of style is predicated upon the fact that from a
variety of items of language, the writer chooses and arranges them, depending
on the genre, form, theme, author’s general disposition, etc.
According to Olsson (2008), style is the
arrangement of words in a manner which at once best expresses the individuality
of the author and the idea and the intent in the author’s mind. The best style,
for any given purpose, is that which most clearly approximates a perfect
adaptation of one’s language to one’s ideas. Style is a combination of two
elements: the idea to be expressed and the individuality of the author.
According to Agemo
(2011), style is referred to effective use of language, especially in prose,
whether to make statements or to rouse emotions. It involves first of all the
power to put fact with clarity and brevity. Style can be seen as the
description and analysis of the variability forms of linguistic items in actual
language use. Leed (1996) quotes Aristotle as saying that “the most effective
means of achieving both clarity and diction and a certain dignity is the use of
altered form of words”
Stylistics is also
defined as a study of the different styles that are present in either a given
utterance or a written text or document. The consistent appearance of certain
structures, items and elements in a speech, an utterance or in a given text is one
of the major concerns of Stylistics. Stylistics requires the use of traditional
levels of linguistic description such as sounds, form, structure and meaning.
It then follows that the consistent appearance of certain structures, items and
elements in speech utterances or in a given text is one of the major concerns
of stylistics.
Stylistic Analysis
Traditionally stylistic analysis was seen as a way
of exploring the meaning of literary text but now it has gone beyond this structuralistic
approach and moved towards a more pragmatic orientation to “link choices in text
to social and cultural context”(Thornborrow & Wareing, 1998). According to
this view an author makes certain choices in relation to the particular
context.
This does not imply that the trend of exploring
the meaning in stylistic analysis has changed altogether. Along with the
discovery of meaning, stylisticians have started taking interest in the ways in
which features of text: particular choice of words are viewed in relation to
the context in which it is produced and received. Though different in their approach,
all these research works are aimed towards the same goal i.e. to study and explore
the choices made by the writers and how these choices create the effect that writer
wishes to communicate to the readers. These choices can create deviations in the
text by employing the stylistic feature and characteristics of some other
genre.
Methodology and Theoretical Framework
The study is basically on the stylistic analysis
of president Bola Ahmed Tinubu's acceptance speech after the 2023
presidential election. Therefore, descriptive and discursive approach is
adopted for this study. The acceptance speech forms the corpus of this study. The
corpus is drawn from the internet. The corpus selected for
the study is analysed using
Leech and Short (2007) heuristic checklist of linguistic and stylistic
categories.
The checklist provides a ‘systematic basis for the
collection of relevant linguistic data from the text for the purpose of stylistic
evaluation and offers four levels for analyzing the linguistic choices made by the
writer, in terms of style. These levels include the lexical categories, grammatical
categories, figures of speech and context and cohesion. Leech and Short (2007) point
out that while the list itself is selective one, leaving out a lot of detail but
it allows the reader to reach the significant and relevant features of the text
through linguistic survey. Therefore, this study seeks to explore stylistic
features in president elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu's acceptance speech of 2023
presidential election by using Leech and Short (2007) heuristic checklist of
linguistic and stylistic categories.
Data Presentation and Discussions
Research Question 1: Analysis of Graphological Features in President
Bola Ahmed Tinibu's Acceptance Speech after the 2023 Presidential Election
Graphological analysis is the study of
language’s writing system or orthography (the symbols and the rules that are
followed in writing a language). It is chiefly reflected in the surface
structure of texts, that is, visual devices used. These include the use of
punctuation and foregrounding.
A. Use of Punctuation Marks
Punctuation is a series of symbols used, for
instance, to mark off words, phrases, clauses and sentences one from another.
Some, such as, the full stop , the comma, the question mark and the exclamation
indicate the intonation patterns of spoken language. Consider the following:
I. The Use of Full Stop (.)
The speech employed the use of full stop. This
is to give a text a staccato rhythm. Hence, they are used after declarative and
imperative sentences. Consider the following:
i.This is a shining
moment in the life of any man and affirmation of our democratic existence.
ii.Today, Nigeria
stands tall as the giant of Africa.
iii.It shines even
brighter as the continent’s biggest democracy.
II. The Use of Commas (,)
The speech uses comma to break the speaker’s
thoughts with some pauses in form of comma. The examples of comma-pause are not
many in the speech. Consider the following:
i.You decided to
place your trust in the democratic vision of a Nigeria founded on shared
prosperity and one nurtured by the ideals of unity, justice, peace and
tolerance.
ii.Today, Nigeria
stands tall as the giant of Africa. It shines even brighter as the continent’s
biggest democracy.
III. Use of Apostrophe (‘)
The use of apostrophes is not many in the
speech. Apostrophes are reflected in the following texts:
It shines even brighter as the continent’s biggest
democracy.
B. Frequent use of Foregrounding
Foregrounding is a visual devices_which
could manifest itself in the form of capitalization, italicization,
abbreviation and other signs and symbols used to demand attention. In the
analysis of texts, concentration will be on the following: capitalization,
acronyms and attention seeking devices.
(I) Frequent Use of Acronyms
This is another foregrounding devise used by the
cartoonist. Acronyms are words formed from the first letters of a group of
words. Consider the following examples:
We commend INEC for running a
free and fair election.
4.2 Research Question
2: Analysis
of the Syntactic Features Used in President Bola Ahmed Tinibu's Acceptance Speech after the 2023
Presidential Election
Syntax provides the
skeleton framework for any analysis of text depicting the word order,
subordination, etc. In other words, syntax has to do with the internal
structure of sentences or structure larger than words. Thus, below are excerpts
that illustrate the instance of grammatical structure:
i.
Simple
Sentences
A simple sentence
consists of just a clause. Consider the following:
i.Renewed hope has
dawned in Nigeria.
ii.We commend INEC
for running a free and fair election.
iii.Today, Nigeria
stands tall as the giant of Africa.
ii.
Compound
sentences
i. Many people are uncertain, angry and hurt; I reach out to every
one of you.
ii. This is a shining moment in the life of any man and affirmation of
our democratic existence. From my heart, I say thank you.
iii.
Complex
sentence
A complex sentence
contains a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses. This appears in the
corpus of the study as in the following examples:
i. The lapses that did occur were relatively few in number and were
immaterial to the final outcome.
iv.
Compound
Complex sentence
A complex sentence
contains a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses. This appears in the
corpus of the study as in the following examples:
TEXT 1
i.Whether you are
Batified, Atikulated, Obidient, Kwankwasiyya, or have any other political
affiliation, you voted for a better, more hopeful nation and I thank you for
your participation and dedication to our democracy.
ii.We pledge to listen
and to do the difficult things, the big deeds, that put us on the path of
irreversible progress.
Research Question 3:
Analysis of the Lexical Items Expressed in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Acceptance Speech
after the 2023 Presidential Election
Lexis is the range of words used in a particular
society. Lexical level of analysis in the following, acquires meaning by the
linguistic choices of the speech. Thus:
i.
The
Use of Noun
Nouns are names of persons, animals, places or
things, quality idea or concept. It can be defined as a word that names things,
places, etc. This can be illustrated in the following examples:
i. You decided to place your trust in the democratic vision of a
Nigeria founded on shared prosperity and one nurtured by the ideals of unity, justice, peace and tolerance. Renewed hope has
dawned in Nigeria.
ii. We commend INEC for running a free and fair election.
iii. The lapses that did occur were relatively
few in number and were immaterial to the final outcome.
iv. With each cycle of elections, we steadily perfect this process so
vital to our democratic life.
ii.
The
Use of Pronouns
Pronouns are used to replace nouns in order to
avoid repetition of names. Consider the following examples:
i.This is a shining moment in the life of any man
and affirmation of our democratic existence.
ii.Whether you are
Batified, Atikulated, Obidient, Kwankwasiyya, or have any other political
affiliation, you voted for a better, more hopeful
nation and I thank you for your participation
and dedication to our democracy.
iii.You decided
to place your trust in the democratic vision of a
Nigeria founded on shared prosperity and one nurtured by the ideals of unity,
justice, peace and tolerance.
iii.
The
Use of Verbs
A verb can be defined as a word or group of
words that express actions, existence, or occurrences as seen below:
i. We commend INEC for running a free and
fair election.
ii. The lapses that did occur were relatively
few in number and were immaterial to the final outcome.
iv.
The
Use of Adjectives
An adjective is a word class that qualifies
nouns. It is a word that expresses an attribute of something. The following are
considered: Thus:
i. I thank my loving wife and dear family
whose support was ceaseless and inspiring.
ii. I was born a son of Nigeria and through His sublime purpose
iii. I shall be a fair leader to all Nigerians.
v.
The
Use of Adverbs
An adverb is a modifier. It modifies or adds to
the meaning of a verb, an adjective or other adverb. The following examples are
examined:
i. Still, I know some candidates will be hard put to accept the
election results.
ii. Now, to you, the young people of this country, I hear you loud
and clear.
iii. Remodeling our precious national home requires the harmonious
efforts of all of us, especially the youth.
Discussion of Findings
In the analysis of graphological features used
in the speech, it is revealed that, punctuations are used. In the entire
corpus, the most commonly used punctuations are full stop, commas and
apostrophe. Another graphological feature used in the analyzed speech is
acronym. This acronym is used without its full meanings.
In the analysis of syntactic features used in
the speech, it is revealed that, simple, compound, complex and compound-complex
sentences are used. It is observed that nouns form the subject and object of a
sentence.
In the analysis of lexical features used in
speech, it is revealed that, there is also the frequent use of nouns and
pronouns. Instances of the use of adjectives and adverbs are found in the text.
It is observed that the President richly makes use of adverbs to give
additional meaning to the meaning of what he is saying.
Conclusion
Based on the findings of this study, the
following conclusions can be drawn. The vocabularies used in president Bola
Ahmed Tinubu's acceptance speech after the 2023 presidential election are
simple everyday words. Special and technical vocabularies are less. The lexical
items identified as used in speech include nouns, verbs, adjectives and
adverbs. They form parts of speech. Further research should focus on the
stylistic analysis of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's acceptance speech of
2023 presidential election, using Leech and Short (2007) heuristic
checklist of linguistic and stylistic categories.
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