Pragmatic Acts in Selected Fulani Herdsmen’s Killing Reportage in Nigerian Newspapers.
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Date
2019
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Abstract
The media are a major player during periods of conflict because of the influence they can exert on the public’s understanding and perception of conflict situations. Thus, the study explores the various pragmatic acts performed in the selected news reportage on Fulani Herdsmen’s Killings in Nigeria, especially the construction of meaning through verbal codes. The study drew insight from Mey's (2001) aspects of Pragmatic acts as the theoretical framework underpinning the study. A total of ten (10) verbal news reports relating to the stories of the Fulani herdsmen crises were purposively selected from two Nigerian newspapers (The Punch, The Nation) and analysed from the point of pragmatic acts. The study reveals that instantiated acts (practs) are pragmatically patterned to perform some acts of informing, condemning, reporting to the audience, stating the fact in the news reports on the Fulani herdsmen killings and playing some roles in social change. The study also revealed that (The Guardian, The Nation and The Punch) deploy their news reports through the practs of castigating, challenging, condemning and lamenting the spate of insecurity and condemning the ineptitude of security agents and government towards the crisis. The study has also shown that newspapers were diligent in carrying out their surveillance function- gathering and providing timely reports on occurrences of the crisis between herders and farmers in the country. The study concludes that Nigerian newspapers play a role in setting the boundaries of what is talked about; shaping social issues happenings around the nation and exposing them to their readership.
Keywords:Pragmatic Acts, Practs, Herdsmen, Reportage, Fulani