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All Journal ELT Worldwide: Journal of English Language Teaching Journal of Language and Literature Journal of Pragmatics Research
Amoakohene, Benjamin
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Arts Humanities Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Social Sciences

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“Anti-Texture” Agents in the Written English Essays of Students in a Ghanaian University Amoakohene, Benjamin; Akoto, Osei Yaw; Siame, Pethias; Kapau, Humphrey
ELT Worldwide: Journal of English Language Teaching Vol 11, No 1 (2024)
Publisher : Pascasarjana Universitas Negeri Makassar

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.26858/eltww.v11i1.61014

Abstract

Texture proves to be a key indicator for measuring the quality of a text but establishing this text quality is a challenge for most English as a Second Language (ESL) students. This challenge has led to an array of studies to find the root cause(s) of this/these writing challenge(s) of ESL students. Despite these numerous studies, there is still paucity of research on “anti-texture” agents in the written English essays of students from the Ghanaian context, especially those at the tertiary level. In filling this gap, this study uses Halliday and Hasan’s (1976) cohesive theory as a framework to explore the types of cohesive errors that serve as “anti-texture” agents in 150 written English essays of students from a Ghanaian university. Because of the highly descriptive nature of this current investigation, it uses the qualitative content analysis as its design. The findings show that challenges like unclear pronoun references, wrong selection of cohesive devices, over usages of one cohesive device within the same textual environments, wider textual distances between references and their referents, the omission of cohesive devices, wrong insertions of cohesive devices and references lacking referents served as barriers to ESL students quest to use cohesive devices as means of creating texture in their texts. The findings further confirmed that the inappropriate use of cohesive devices in the students’ essays disrupted the free flow of information and as such, rendered the essays incoherent. The study has pedagogical implication for ESL academic writing instructors and curriculum developers.
Deontic Obligations in Anti-Sexual Harassment Policies in Tertiary Institutions: A Corpus-Assisted Critical Discourse Approach Ayine, Bernard; Suom-Kogle, Cornelius Fuumaale; Amoakohene, Benjamin; Akoto, Osei Yaw
Journal of Language and Literature Vol 25, No 2 (2025): October
Publisher : Universitas Sanata Dharma

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.24071/joll.v25i2.12372

Abstract

Sexual harassment in higher education is a pervasive issue that carries serious implications for both institutional reputation and the well-being of victims. To address this, universities have developed anti-sexual harassment policies to guide in managing such incidents. However, the language of these documents can sometimes hinder victims’ willingness to report perpetrators. This study examined the use of deontic modalities in the anti-sexual harassment policies of three major Ghanaian universities: the University of Ghana, the University of Cape Coast, and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. The dataset comprised three official policy documents totaling 21219 tokens and 2675 word types, which were compiled into a specialized corpus. Using LancsBox software, we categorised the modal verbs into three deontic obligations (necessity, advisability, and possibility) and analyzed them from both institutional and victim/complainant perspectives. The findings revealed the presence of 580 modal verbs across the corpus. Deontic necessity was the most prominent, accounting for 55% of occurrences, followed by possibility (33.1%) and advisability (11.9%). Within the context of deontic necessity, institutional perspectives dominated (84.6%), framing universities as the primary agents of responsibility in combating sexual harassment, while victim/complainant perspectives were less emphasized (15.4%). Possibility and advisability were used more flexibly, offering discretionary or optional courses of action, though these too were largely framed from the institutional standpoint. By demonstrating the dominance of institutional responsibility and the limited framing of victims’ agency, this study highlights how policy language shapes institutional responses and reporting behavior. These findings contribute to the understanding of how linguistic choices in legal-institutional discourse influence power relations and victim engagement.
Ideological Inferences of Deictic Expressions in Mahamudu Bawumia’s 2024 Concession Speech Asare, Ebenezer; Amoakohene, Benjamin; Ogunnike Faleke, Victoria; Atta-Asamoah, Obed
Journal of Pragmatics Research Vol. 8 No. 1 (2026): Journal of Pragmatics Research
Publisher : UIN Salatiga

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.18326/jopr.v8i1.378-408

Abstract

In Ghana’s evolving democratic landscape, concession speeches play a vital role in stabilising political emotions, legitimising electoral outcomes, and maintaining national unity. However, such speeches remain underexplored, particularly with regard to how deixis functions as an ideological and cognitive resource. This study, therefore, examines the types of deictic expressions and the ideological inferences embedded in Mahamudu Bawumia’s 2024 concession speech, focusing on how linguistic choices shape political meaning during electoral transitions. Adopting a qualitative, text-based approach, the study applies Critical Discourse Analysis by integrating van Dijk’s (1998) socio-cognitive model with Levinson’s (1983) deixis typology. The findings reveal that personal, social, temporal, and discourse deixis are strategically deployed to assert political maturity, reinforce democratic norms, construct group identity, and manage the relationship between the speaker and the audience. The analysis further demonstrates how deixis shapes public perception by framing the election outcome as legitimate and facilitating emotional transition from contestation to acceptance. The study advances scholarship on political discourse by demonstrating that deixis functions as an ideological resource in concession speeches, while also offering practical insights into how political communication can be used to manage legitimacy and emotional transition during periods of democratic change.
Co-Authors Akoto, Osei Yaw Asare, Ebenezer Atta-Asamoah, Obed Ayine, Bernard Kapau, Humphrey Ogunnike Faleke, Victoria Siame, Pethias Suom-Kogle, Cornelius Fuumaale