A Stylistic Analysis of the Acceptance Speech of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the presentation of certificate of return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
This study examines the Acceptance speech of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the presentation of certificate of return to him by the Independent National Electoral Commission. INEC. The objectives of the study are to examine the rhetorical and linguistic strategies employed in Bola Ahmed’s acceptance speech and its overall effectiveness in conveying the intended message, the study adopts the theoretical framework of (Halliday, 1985) which explains how written and verbal text produce meanings, how the assets of language are arranged in dynamic environments and how they are operationally tied to meanings rather than concentrating on grammar as usual and this encourages a more open definition of language as a resource for making meanings. It is noteworthy that the framework of SFL conceives of language as an intricate system inherently imbued with layers of significance and it designed to convey three different meanings concurrently and these interpretations known as metafunctions includes interpersonal, ideational and textual metafunction but this study pays attention to the interpersonal metafunction of language. The study found that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s acceptance speech effectively employed rhetorical devices and linguistic strategies to convey a message of unity, hope, and collective responsibility; he employed a formal, metaphorical syntactic structure and grammatical construction to develop his identity as a dignified, empathetic, inclusive leader and strategically employs language to convey and reinforce his ideological goals. The study concluded that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sheds light on the intricate and purposeful use of language and rhetoric by political leaders to communicate their visions, mobilize public support, convey their ideological goals with their acceptance speech and demonstrated the manifestation of political power in the speech showcasing how language can be a potent tool in influencing and persuading the masses.
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To Cite this article
Ijebuonwu, F. & Ugoala, B. (2023). A Stylistic Analysis of the Acceptance Speech of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the presentation of certificate of return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). International Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, 9(1), 1-11. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.20469/ijhss.9.20001-1
