From Layi Olanrewaju, Ilorin
A lecturer and Professor at the Department of English, University of Ilorin, Victoria Adunola Alabi, has expressed dissatisfaction and impunity with which some online news reporters consistently abuse the use of English in their reportage.
Professor Alabi who was a former Director of General Studies at the university bemoaned the growing ineffective communication in English among Nigerians, including members of the educated class, saying that the development is informed by the poor understanding of the concepts and usage of semiotics and stylistics in written communications.
The University lecturer disclosed this at the 254th inaugural lecture entitled: ” Cocoons of meanings of signs and styles in semiotics and stylistics ” said that the challenge is also noticeable in media reports and official communications in government and other public places.
To address this journalistic inadequacy, Prof Alabi encouraged media professionals, particularly those who work in the print media, to always broaden their knowledge of semiotics and stylistics in order to be able to communicate effectively with readers.
She said that it is very important for the various universities, particularly their Departments of English and Mass Communication, to organise short-term programmes in stylistics for the reporters and editors of the various media houses to broaden their communicative capacities.
Prof Alabi, whose lecture was the first to be delivered by a female Professor at the Department of English, explained that similar programmes should be encouraged for other workers who write or edit letters, memos and reports in English for effective communication. She said that it is very important for native and educated second language or foreign language users of English to acquire proficiency of the concepts of semiotics and stylistics.
The Inaugural Lecturer described semiotics as the study of signs and interpretations, saying that it explains how meaning is created through words, objects, images, pictures and processes, among others, while stylistics is all about the study of the style of non-verbal and verbal discourses used in literary and non-literary texts.
Prof Alabi also said that adequate attention must be paid to imparting the knowledge and understanding of stylistics to students in all the Departments in the Faculty of Arts right from 100 level.
The don urged users of English to differentiate the informal style adopted on GSM from conventional standard usage in order not to create confusion among innocent learners.
She, however, noted that the emergent and distinctive genre of writing among members of the younger generations is reinforcing information, producing emotional effects, creating emphasis or melody and generating dramatic means of persuasion or surprise.
Prof Alabi also pointed out that the teaching of stylistics must be made compulsory in creative writing classes.