Panacea Journal of Linguistics & Literature

Relevance of the Teaching and Learning of English Language in Nigerian Polytechnics: A Study of Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana, Nigeria

Okechukwu Onyenweaku — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This research investigated relevance of the English language teaching and learning in Nigerian Polytechnics, spotlighting Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana. The study adopted survey research design method, and utilized validated questionnaire as instrument for data collection. Three research questions guided the study. 410 copies of the questionnaire were administered on the students randomly selected from the six schools of the institution, using balloting technique without replacement. 400 copies of the questionnaire were returned in usable form. Data collected were analyzed using tables and mean statistics. 2.50 mean benchmark was chosen for the study. Findings revealed that English language teaching and learning is relevant in Nigerian Polytechnic education. It was also found out that Polytechnic students have interest in the teaching and learning of English language. The study further revealed that many Polytechnic students perform poorly in English language as a result of their poor background in the language, frequent use of Pidgin English; inability to understand English language lectures; inability to engage in extensive reading, and lack of interest in reading literary texts. The work, therefore, recommended, among others, that effort should be intensified in teaching English language courses in Nigerian Polytechnics, using appropriate teaching methodology and facilities, and the use of Pidgin English among students within the campus officially bound, while the study of Literature in English should be made compulsory each semester from ND1 to HND11.

Pragmatic Failures in Cross-Cultural Communication: A Study of Pakistani English Speakers

Mariyam Rehan — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Effective cross-cultural communication requires more than grammatical competence; it demands pragmatic awareness of culturally appropriate language use. This study investigates pragmatic failures among Pakistani English speakers in intercultural contexts, particularly in academic, professional, and digital interactions with native and non-native English speakers. Drawing on interlanguage pragmatics and speech act theory, the research identifies key areas where Pakistani speakers unintentionally violate conversational norms, such as improper use of requests, refusals, compliments, and apologies, leading to miscommunication or perceived impoliteness. Data is collected through recorded interviews, email exchanges, and simulated role-plays involving Pakistani university students and professionals who regularly interact with speakers from diverse cultural backgrounds. The study employs a mixed-method approach combining qualitative discourse analysis and quantitative coding of pragmatic errors. Findings reveal that most pragmatic failures stem from sociocultural transfer, lack of exposure to authentic English discourse, and contextual misjudgment in terms of politeness strategies, speech act sequencing, and indirectness. These failures are particularly pronounced in high-context situations requiring subtlety, deference, or strategic ambiguity. The study emphasizes the importance of pragmatic competence in language pedagogy and suggests practical interventions such as pragmatic awareness training, discourse-based instruction, and cross-cultural communication modules in Pakistani English language programs.

Promises, Threats, and Betrayals: A Commissive Speech Act Analysis of Shakespeare’s Macbeth

Atiqa Kanwal — Sun, 16 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study explores the role of commissive speech acts—promises, threats, vows, and betrayals—in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, using the framework of Speech Act Theory as developed by John Searle (1975). Commissive acts, which commit a speaker to a future course of action, serve as powerful instruments in Macbeth for expressing ambition, loyalty, deception, and moral decay. Through a detailed analysis of selected dialogues, this research examines how characters such as Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, the witches, and other key figures use commissives to manipulate, persuade, or intimidate. The study reveals that the strategic use and violation of commissive acts not only drive the plot forward but also illuminate the psychological and ethical deterioration of the protagonist. By focusing on commissive speech acts, the research provides a pragmatic lens through which to understand character motivation, interpersonal conflict, and the performative nature of power and guilt in the play. Ultimately, the study argues that the performativity of language in Macbeth is central to the tragedy’s thematic concern with fate, free will, and moral consequence.

Green Stylistics: An Ecolinguistic Exploration of Nature Imagery in Taufiq Rafat's Poetry

Kishwer Nazli, Abdul Rauf alias Wazir Ali Shah — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study explores the intersection of language, ecology, and poetic imagination through the lens of green stylistics and ecolinguistics in the poetry of Taufiq Rafat, a pioneering figure in Pakistani English literature. Drawing upon the theoretical frameworks of ecolinguistics (Stibbe, 2015) and green stylistics (Goatly, 2000; Clark, 2016), the research examines how Rafat constructs nature imagery to reflect ecological consciousness, cultural rootedness, and human-nature relationships within a South Asian context. The study analyzes selected poems for their lexical choices, metaphorical structures, transitivity patterns, and ideational meanings that foreground environmental values. By employing tools of stylistic and discourse analysis, this research identifies how Rafat’s poetic language evokes indigenous landscapes, traditional lifestyles, and ecological sensibilities that challenge anthropocentric worldviews. The findings reveal that Rafat’s work not only embodies an aesthetic appreciation of nature but also serves as a subtle critique of ecological degradation and cultural disconnection. This study contributes to the growing body of ecolinguistic literary analysis by demonstrating how Pakistani English poetry can participate in global ecological discourse while maintaining local environmental and cultural specificity.

Decolonizing the English Language: Stylistic Innovations in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things

Sadia Akram, Muddasra Nasir — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The research analyzes stylistic innovations in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things in terms of postcolonial stylistics proposed by Esterino Adami (2025) in terms of the contribution of the novel to decolonisation of the English language. The language practices of Roy by use of syntactic deviation, phonetic spelling, code-switching and semantic foregrounding undermine the conventions of Standard English and represent the mixed Indian, postcolonial identity of Indian English literature. Through stylistic colorings of the language to make room of local expressions, cultural rhythms, and non-linear tale structures, Roy exercises the voice of rebellion of a subversive authorial identity that defies colonial linguistic domination. Referring to the major ideas introduced by Adami including hybridity, voice, resistance, and stylistic appropriation, the discussion draws attention to the uniqueness of the prose written by Roy as the field of political and cultural negotiations. The present research maintains that stylistic games initiated by Roy not only subvert colonial linguistic imperialism but also appropriates the narrative space to marginalized female voices as a very clear (post)colonial poem of resistance.