LINGUIST List 16.2532
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Thu Sep 01 2005
Diss: Syntax: Babalola: 'The Nominal Group Modifier ...'
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1. Emmanuel
Babalola,
The Nominal Group Modifier and Qualifier Structures in Some American and Nigerian English-Medium Magazines
Message 1: The Nominal Group Modifier and Qualifier Structures in Some American and Nigerian English-Medium Magazines
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Date: 01-Sep-2005
From: Emmanuel Babalola <dipojokeyahoo.com>
Subject: The Nominal Group Modifier and Qualifier Structures in Some American and Nigerian English-Medium Magazines
Institution: Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
Program: Ph.D English
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2005
Author: Emmanuel Taiwo Babalola
Dissertation Title: The Nominal Group Modifier and Qualifier Structures in Some American and Nigerian English-Medium Magazines
Linguistic Field(s):
Syntax
Text/Corpus Linguistics
Subject Language(s): English (eng)
Dissertation Director:
William Bolaji Aremo
Dissertation Abstract:
This study attempted a comparative analysis of the English nominal group in
the essays of selected Nigerian and American magazine columnists in order
to find out the extent to which the emergent standard Nigerian English
could be said to have approximated to the American native standard variety
of the language in syntactic maturity.
The data for the study were drawn from twenty essays written by four
regular columnists, one each from the highly rated American Time and
Newsweek and Nigerian Tell and Newswatch magazines. The essays were
analysed first for occurrences of the various basic structural types of the
nominal group in English (H, MH, HQ and MHQ) and then for occurrences of
the possible nominal group modifier and qualifier structural types (M, MM,
MMM, etc; Qa, Qb, Qc, etc). The findings in respect of the occurrences of
the structural types were then compared and contrasted. All through, the
procedural principles were guided by insights from Contrastive Analysis as
carried out in Applied English Linguistics, and Systemic Functional
Linguistics was employed as the main theoretical framework.
The findings of the study revealed that the nominal group is generally used
in less complex forms in standard Nigerian English than in standard
American native English. It also became very clear from the findings that
there is greater stylistic dexterity and resourcefulness in the use of the
nominal group in standard American native English than in standard Nigerian
English. Moreover, the possibility of using the various parts of speech and
even whole clauses within the nominal group to provide information is more
fully exploited in standard American native English than in standard
Nigerian English.
The study thus concluded that since the nominal group is the grammatical
area within the sentence where the potentiality for versatile and
innovative use of English can be best achieved, standard Nigerian English,
in which the nominal group is generally less stylistically exploited and
less informative, is clearly yet to attain the same level of syntactic
maturity as standard American native English. Therefore, non-native users
of English, including the users of standard Nigerian English in the media
and elsewhere, still have to look to the educated native users of the
language for the ultimate standard.
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