A PRAGMATIC ANALYSIS OF SELECTED PENTECOSTAL GOSPEL PRINT ADVERTISEMENTS IN EKITI STATE, NIGERIA

Résumé

This paper utilized the resources of pragmatics to analyse the language of Pentecostal gospel advertisements in print media. For this study, we are relying on Lawal’s (1995) Pragmatic theory because the model has tried to accommodate some elements of the previous theoretical models. The theory relies heavily on insights from pragmatics. It is our belief that the theoretical framework adopted has the necessary tools for entering the world of Pentecostal gospel print advertisements to interpret both the intended and unintended meaning. The paper analyses as data, six advertisements gathered from walls of residential building by selected churches and handbills. It was discovered that strategies such as event-ornamented words, positive declaratives and seductive languages were used to motivate the target audience and engrave the name of their religious groups in the minds of the readers. In conclusion, the study has illuminated our understanding of Pentecostal gospel print advertisements and has also thrown light at the context-sensitive language used in the advertisements. We have also discovered that the main and primary intention of all Pentecostal gospel advertisers is to populate their churches and the kingdom of Christ at large.