A STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF LEXICAL COLLOCATION AND RELATION IN THE SELECTED PRESS RELEASES OF COMRADE EMMA POWERFUL

Abstract

This work considered a stylistic analysis of lexical collocation and
relation in selected Press Releases of Comrade Emma Powerful, who is
the Media Publicity Secretary of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)
group. It also examined the deployment of language in pressing for the
group’s demands. Three of Comrade Emma Powerful’s Press Releases
were randomly selected as data for the research, and were textually
interrogated by identifying, categorising, and analysing the lexical
collocation patterns that characterise them. Both quantitative and
qualitative methods were utilised through the eye-lenses of Halliday’s
Systemic Functional Linguistic framework to underpin meaning
dissemination devices in the Press Releases. It was discovered, amongst
others, that Emma Powerful deliberately engaged both adjective-noun
and adverb-verb collocations to paint a positive picture of the IPOB and
a negative picture of the Nigerian government. Furthermore, sematic
repetitions, hyponymy and synonymy became effective means for
achieving this positive self-portrayal of the group and negative Nigerian
government portrayal, as well as internal connectivity and emphasis
within the texts. The study recommended that spokes persons of the
agitating groups should be more polite, constructive, objective in their
lexical choices to win public sympathy.