A STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF SPORTS COLUMNS IN SOME SELECTED NIGERIAN NEWSPAPERS

In the course of the several other researches done in the past, it was realised that many works have been done on stylistics but none is related to sports columns and so this essay aims at visiting these vacuums and filling them.  Two of the most widely read newspapers were selected for this study. In the study, it was found out that most of the columnists use sports registers and words peculiar in their field. It also realised that they use reader friendly features like pictures, colours and short paragraphs. We can then say that sports columns use simple and less formal languages they try to avoid the use of bogus words for easier understanding and readers’ comprehension.

 

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION        1

1.1 A BRIEF HISTORY OF MASS MEDIA     2

1.2 PURPOSE OF STUDY       5

1.3 SCOPE AND LIMITATION       5

1.4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY      5

CHAPTER TWO

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW       7

2.1 STYLE         7

2.2 STYLISTICS         9

2.3 MORPHOLOGY        11

2.4 COMPOUNDING        12

2.5 GRAPHOLOGY        14

2.6 COHESION         15

2.6.1 REFERENCES        15

2.6.2 CONJUNCTIONS        17

2.6.3 ELIPSIS AND SUBSTITUTION      17

2.7 LEXICO-SEMANTIC CHOICES      18

2.7.1 ACRONYMING        18

2.7.2  COLLOCATIONS        19

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 ANALYSIS OF DATA       21

3.1.0 GRAPHOLOGY        21

3.1.1 BOLDENING         21

3.1.2 CAPITALISATION         22 

3.1.3 PICTURE/IMAGES        24

3.1.4 COLON         25

3.1.6 GOTHIC WRITING         25

3.1.7 QUOTATION MARKS        26

3.1.8 DASHES         28

3.1.9 APOSTROPHE        29

3.1.10 ELLIPSIS PERIODS        30

3.1.11 TOPIC IN TOPIC        30

3.2.0 MORPHOLOGICAL PROCESS      31

3.2.1 COMPOUNDING        31

3.2.2 ACRONYMS          32

3.3.0 COHESION         33

3.3.1 REFERENCE         33

3.3.2 CONJUNCTION        33

3.3.3 LEXICAL COHESION        35

3.4.0 LEXICO-SYNTACTIC PATTERNS      37

3.4.1 ANASTROPHE        37

3.4.2 PARENTHESIS        37

3.5 ANALYSIS OF DATA B (COMPLETE SPORTS)    38

3.5.0 GRAPHOLOGY        38

3.5.1 BOLDENING         38

3.5.2 CAPITALISATION         42

3.5.3 SYMBOLS AND BULLETS       44

3.5.4 COLOURS         45

3.5.5 UNDERLINE AND BORDERS      46

3.5.6 PICTURE         47

3.5.7 GRAPHICS         49

3.5.8 QUOTATION MARKS        49

3.5.9 BRACKETS         50

3.5.10 APOSTROPHE        50

3.5.11 COLONS         51

3.6.0 MORPHOLOGICAAL LEVEL      52

3.6.1 COMPOUNDING         52

3.6.2 ACRONYMS         53

3.7.0 COHESIVE DEVICES       54

3.7.1 REFERENCE         54

3.7.2 CONJUNCTIONS        55

3.7.3 LEXICAL COHESION       56

3.8.0 LEXICO-SYNTACTIC CHOICES      59

3.8.1 HYPERBOLE         59

3.9 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS       60

CHAPTER FOUR

SUMMARY          61

FINDINGS          62

CONCLUSION          63

BIBLOGRAPHY         64

 

This essay is done in an attempt to examine the language and style used in sports columns of some selected Nigerian newspapers.

In recent days, we have known several modes of disseminating information down to the public and the modes are radio, television, digital media and the print media (Newspapers and Magazines). Of the different modes of dissemination, the print media is the most important because it is durable, visible and appealing to the sense of sight at the time of its reading, because of its durability it can be kept for several years and it allows for its keeper or owner to go through them over and over again thoroughly. Another of its edge over the electronic media (Television and Radio) is that it can be kept and stored either in the homes, schools, institutions, public and private universities, places of worship and companies. The print media (Newspapers and Magazines) is for all purposes. 

Due to the importance of sports columns to newspaper, we cannot but look into the way their language and styles are used by the various newspapers.