Exploring Speech Acts and Common Ground in Student Corruption Discourse: Insights from Southeastern Universities in Nigeria

Kenneth Obinna Patrick; Amarachi Stephenie Osondu

doi:10.55927/jldl.v5i1.16107

Authors

Kenneth Obinna Patrick Igbo Abia State University
Amarachi Stephenie Osondu School of General Studies Federal Polytechnic Nekede

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55927/jldl.v5i1.16107

Keywords:

Common Ground, Corruption, Speech Acts, Southeast, University Education

Abstract

Using the mixed method research design, the study looks at how students use speech acts and shared knowledge to negotiate meanings around morally and legally questionable behaviours, drawing on Speech Act Theory and Common Ground Theory. The study's examination of focus groups, participant interviews, and naturally occurring conversations shows that corruption is frequently spread covertly through code-switching and uniquely grounded expressions that mainly rely on mutual understanding among peers. These pragmatic strategies assist to preserve group cohesion and steer clear of overt moral judgment in addition to reflecting underlying sociocultural attitudes regarding corruption. The study contributes to how language both reflects and reinforces institutional and pervasive corruption in higher educational institutions by revealing the influence of context, purpose, and common knowledge on corruption-related discourse.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Adams, M. (2009). Power, politeness, and the pragmatics of nicknames. Names, 57(2), pp. 81–91.

Adegoju, A. & Raheem, S. O. (2015). Gone are the days of ‘kolanut’: New trends in language habits and coding of corrupt practices in Nigeria. Marang Journal of Language and Literature, 26,156-172.

Adegoju, A. (2007). Corruption of language and Nigeria’s de-based value system. Nebula 4(3). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/253432599. Accessed on February 6, 2021.

Alatas, H. (1980). The sociology of corruption: the nature, function, causes and prevention of corruption. Singapore: Times Books International.

Austin, J.L. (1962). How to do things with words. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Ayeomoni, O. M. & Akinkuolere, S. O. (2012). A pragmatic analysis of victory and inaugural speeches of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. Theory and Practice in Language Studies 2(3), 461-468.

Cohen, A (1996) Speech act. In S.L MC Kay & N.H Hornberger. Sociolinguistics and Language Teaching (pp. 384-420). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Ćoso, B. & Bogunović, I. (2019). The role of linguistic cues in bilingual negation processing. International Journal of Bilingualism, 23(1), 21–36.

Dadjoi, S. D. Y. (2022). Speech acts analysis of Frank Ogodo Ogbeche’s ‘Harvest of Corruption’. European Journal of Applied Linguistics Studies, 4(2), 21-34.

Diedrichsen, E. (2022). Common ground in linguistic theory and internet pragmatics: Forms of dynamic multicultural interaction. The Cambridge Handbook of Intercultural Pragmatics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Fairclough, N. (1989). Language and power. London: Longman.

Fairclough, N. (1992). Critical language awareness. London: Longman.

Fairclough, N. (1993). Discourse and social change. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.

Fairclough, N. (1995). Critical discourse analysis: the critical study of language. London: Routledge.

Griffiths, P. (2006). An introduction to English semantics and pragmatics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Hang’ombe, K. & Siantumbu, C. (2018). Social functions of Tonga nicknames in Zambia. Onomastica Canadiana, 97, 53-69.

Holland, T. J. (Jr.). (1990). The many faces of nicknames. Names, 38(4),255-272.

Holmes, J. (2008). An introduction to sociolinguistics. Harlow, UK: Pearson Education Limited.

Isyaku, H., Hasan, H. & Kunalan, R. (2016). A study on the use of corruption metaphors in the online media of Nigeria, Iraq and Malaysia. Journal of linguistics and language Research, 3(7), 68-84.

Justova, V. (2006). Direct and indirect speech acts in English. A thesis: Masaryk University in BRNO. http://wenku.baidu.com/view/708e2568a45177232f60a2a3.

Khalif, K. A., Ong’onda, A. N. & Mwihia, M. N. (2022). A linguistic analysis of representations of corruption and corruption-related clauses in Kenyan print Media. International Journal of Social Sciences and Human Research, 5(9) 4170-4176.

Lakoff, G. & Johnson, M., (1980). Metaphors we live by. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Leslie, P. L. & Skipper, J. K. Jr. (1990). Toward a theory of nicknames: A case for socio-onomastics. Names, 38(4), pp.273-282.

National Bureau of Statistics. (2019). Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and trends. Second survey on corruption as experienced by the population. In collaboration with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and UK Aid.

Ogunmuyiwa, H. O. (2019). Analysing the discourse on corruption in presidential speeches in Nigeria, 1957- 2015: Systemic functional linguistics and critical discourse analysis frameworks. Ph.D thesis, Department of Linguistics, University of the Western Cape.

Oishi, E. (2006). Austin’s speech act theory and the speech situation. Esercizi Filosofici, 1, 1-14.

Ojo, O. K., Ayandele, O. & Egbeleye, S. A. (2020). Euphemisms of corruption among students of higher institutions in south west Nigeria. Journal of Language and Education, 6(1),72-82.

Onyango, G. (2022). The art of bribery! Analysis of police corruption at traffic checkpoints and roadblocks in Kenya. International Review of Sociology—Revue Internationale de Sociologie, 32(2), pp. 311–331.

Osisanwo, W. (2003). Introduction to discourse analysis and pragmatics. Lagos: Femolus-Fetop/IJELPublishers.

Patrick, K. O. (2025). Decoding Corruption: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Language Practices in Southeast Nigerian Universities. Indian Journal of Language and Linguistics, 6(3), 23-44. https://doi.org/10.54392/ijll2533.

Pierce, S. (2016). Moral economies of corruption: State formation and political culture in Nigeria. Durham: Duke University Press.

Pokharel, R. (2009) Speech act. Accessed on February 6, 2021 http://rajen123.blogspot.com/2009/03/speechact/ Kathmandu Shiksha Campus.

Searle, J. R. (1969). Speech Acts: An essay in the philosophy of language. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.

Sembiring, W. A. & Ambalegin, A. (2019). Illocutionary acts on Aladdin movie 2019. JURNAL BASIS, 6(2), 277–284.

Sharifian, F. & Palmer, G.B. (2007). Applied cultural linguistics. Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Stalnaker, R. (1974). Pragmatic presuppositions. In M. Munitz & P. Unger (Eds.), Semantics and philosophy. New York: New York University Press.

United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime Report (2019). Corruption in Nigeria: patterns and trends. Second survey on corruption as experienced by the population. Retrieved from https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/corruption.html. Accessed on 23rd November, 2020.

Urser, K. & Prideaux, G.D. (1989). Gender differences in language use: The rate of the addresses. 16th LACUS forum. Linguistic Association of Canada and the United States.

Verschueren, J. (1999). Understanding pragmatics. London: Arnold.