ABSTRACT
The aim of this study thesis is to investigate organizational signals
(textual cohesion) and sub-thematic identification (paragraph
development) as the basic elements of writing to enhance textual unity
and understanding (coherence) and the main objective is inquiry into the
composition, readability and comprehension of newspaper articles by
Nigerian journalists. Specifically, the research examines the textual
organization, cohesive devices and paragraph development as the
underlying elements for comprehensibility of written texts. The broader
objectives include the identification of whether articles written by
Nigerian journalists follow norms of English composition writing, comply
with the rules of unity and coherence in essay writing, if the
paragraphs are sufficiently developed to enhance understanding and
whether reading is made smooth through the use of appropriate linking
devices. Both authorial and topical works by various linguists and
scholars including: Fairclough (1999), Haliday and Hasan (1976, 1985,
1994), Allerton, (1979), Stubbs, (1930), Crystal and Davy (1974), Bell,
(1984), Oluikpe, (2002) Frank (2004), Rasheed (1990)in areas of text
analysis, composition writing, newspaper language and functional use of
English, gave insight into the procedure of the research. As an aspect
of text linguistics, the data consists of twenty excerpts, four each
from the five national papers selected for inquiry: i) Daily Trust, ii)
The Guardian, iii) The Vanguard, iv) The Punch and v) The Nation. These
different papers from which the sample texts are chosen contain the
various types of essays necessary for our research. Their analysis has
given answers to the research questions set. A descriptive analysis is
undertaken to test the coherence features in the sampled newspaper
essays. From the findings of the study, it is evident that articles by
the Nigerian print media are foremost composed to inform their varied
audiences. Thus, differences are found between composing an editorial
and an ordinary news item because while the former is meant to satisfy a
well-read audience, the latter is for all other readers without regard
to their educational level. However, attempt is made in most excerpts
sampled to follow the terms of English essay writing from the
introduction to the conclusion. Hence, the selection and application of
the requisite organizational signals and the relevant developmental
patterns for sub-thematic identification which from our analysis depend
on the type of essay that is, narrative, descriptive, argumentative or
expository. Generally, analysis of the data has enabled the realization
of the impact of single sentences as whole paragraphs on the unity and
coherence of texts. Also, our analysis found out that the unity and
coherence quality of all the samples investigated relies heavily on the
kinds of linking devices used. On the whole, the findings reveal that
differences in the excerpts are minimal
INTRODUCTION
1.0 Preamble
This initial chapter is an introduction to the research on text
coherence as a component of discourse analysis in linguistics.The main
focus of the study is on the analysis of relatedness of the elements of
writing in newspaper essays in the Nigerian context. It is, therefore,
worthwhile to note from the onset that good writing is that in which
ideas are properly connected so that readers can move easily from one
thought to the other. As such, the appropriate usage of organizational
signals or, more precisely, transitional words or linkers by journalists
to portray the movement of ideas in a text is one of the intricacies in
the use of written language which this thesis attempts to investigate.
Hence, this chapter contains the general background to the study, the
statement of the research problem, the research questions and the scope
of the study.
1.1 Background to the Study
As an aspect of knowledge, writing constitutes a critical nexus in
the linguistic and communicative development of mankind because unlike
speaking, writing needs to be taught and learnt formally. In spite of
its complexities, writing documents ideas, which are usually meant to
educate, convince, persuade, entertain or inform. All these can only be
achieved by the unity of the topic through the use of cohesive devices
to attain coherence. Thus, meaning is effectively realised. The success
of any piece of writing, therefore, depends on the effective
organisation of all its parts: letters, words, sentences and paragraphs
through which ideas flow.