Agwu, Florence Nne and Amadi, Gabriel Ndamzi (2023) Analysis of Polarity and Modality in Former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Open Letters: A Critical Discourse Approach. European Journal of English Language and Literature Studies, 11 (5). pp. 16-31. ISSN 2055-0138(Print), 2055-0146(Online)
![[thumbnail of Analysis of Polarity.pdf]](https://tudr.org/style/images/fileicons/text.png)
Text
Analysis of Polarity.pdf - Published Version
Restricted to Registered users only
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives.
Download (602kB) | Request a copy
Abstract
This study is an analysis of the deployment of polarity and modality in the open letters of former president Olusegun Obasanjo. The study examines how Obasanjo has used language to construct meaning and convey his perspective on the goings-on in the Nigerian society. The study captures various scholarly works in the area of critical discourse analysis, which is the theoretical framework of the research and further incorporates this theory into the analysis of the data. Data analysis focuses on the assessment and evaluation of the writer’s deployment of polarity and modality in his narrative, and it thus revealed that the writer has dexterously used polarity to assume a position of neutrality, without tilting more or less to either the negative or positive; it has also revealed that the writer’s deployment of modality has helped him express his core concerns, expectations and objectives for a better Nigeria, through the use of certain modal verbs. The study further recommends that future studies should harness other areas of critical linguistics, such as transitivity, mood and intertextuality to help construe the ideational motivations of the writer.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | P Language and Literature > PE English |
| Depositing User: | Professor Mark T. Owen |
| Date Deposited: | 03 Jul 2023 14:58 |
| Last Modified: | 03 Jul 2023 14:58 |
| URI: | https://tudr.org/id/eprint/1939 |
Actions (login required)
- View Item
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)