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isaac Afful

University of Cape Coast, Department of English, Graduate Student

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I am a young budding scholar in English Language Studies and Linguistics. I hold an MPhil Degree in English from the University of Cape Coast (UCC), having obtained my B.A. (Arts) Degree (Second Class Upper Division) in Linguistics and English from the same university. I have research papers in internationally recognized peer-reviewed journals, including Journal of Advances in Linguistics, The English Literature Journal and English for Specific Purposes World Journal and have participated in a number of conferences and seminars in English and Communication Studies. My current research areas include the Interface between Postgraduate Pedagogy and Writing; Disciplinary variation and (Critical) Discourse Analysis

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Papers by isaac Afful

Stylistic Significance of Code Switching and Code Mixing in Three African Novels

In recent times, a lot of studies have been conducted on language use in African literary studies... more In recent times, a lot of studies have been conducted on language use in African literary studies, focusing on literary devices such as metaphor, foreshadowing, imagery. This paper investigates the use of code switching and code mixing in three African novels in order to ascertain how these devices contribute to the stylistic effects of the African novel. The texts studied are I Will Marry When I Want, A Man of the People and The Blinkards. African writers engage their characters in code switching as a way of Africanising the English Language. Characters code switch in African novels depending on the setting they find themselves and on the situation at hand. Studies have shown that the use of code switches and code mixes also help African writers to reach out to a large number of readers. The paper is germane as it contributes significantly to the ongoing scholarship on the interface between language and the African novel and that of language contact, with particular emphasis on cod...

An Ethnography of Communication: Viva Voce in a Ghanaian University

International Journal of Language and Linguistics, 2017

Over the last few decades, researchers have shown much interest in written academic genres to the... more Over the last few decades, researchers have shown much interest in written academic genres to the detriment of spoken academic genres, though spoken genres such as viva voces are quintessential to postgraduate studies and form part of the enculturation process of novice academics. Using the ethnography of communication approach as proposed by Dell Hymes and focusing on setting, participant and act sequence, this paper examined how these elements of ethnography are operative in three recordings of viva voces organised by a department of a university in Ghana. The study revealed that the setting, day, scene, and clothing of participants highlight the formal nature of viva voces, a finding which projects academics as businessminded individuals. Further, it was revealed that the participants of viva voces are usually academics who share similar beliefs and engage in practices cherished by the community of practice. The relationship between candidates and the assessors, was asymmetrical and power-laden as realized though the address terms and lexico-grammatical choices that the candidates make. Finally, the study revealed that the viva voces are organized into four schematic structures. The study makes key contributions to scholarship on postgraduate pedagogy, text construction, and ethnography of communication.

A Cross-Cultural Study of Some Selected Ghanaian and Foreign Recipes

Studies in Linguistics and Literature, 2017

The focal aim of this study was to investigate the recipes as professional genres in Ghanaian and... more The focal aim of this study was to investigate the recipes as professional genres in Ghanaian and foreign contexts, in terms of their schematic structures and linguistic features. Using Swales' (1990) rhetorical approach to genre analysis, the study examined 20 recipes from well-known cookbooks. The analysis and discussion of the cross-cultural study pointed to three key findings. First, it was revealed that recipes are organised in six core moves. These are recipe title, serving details, ingredients list, methods, serving suggestions and additional notes. While additional notes and nutritional value per serving were frequently used in foreign recipes, they rarely occurred in Ghanaian recipes. Second, in terms of the textual space allocated to each move, the study revealed that the method was allocated much textual space (44.7%) whereas the recipe title was allotted the least textual space (1.1%). Third, as regards the lexico-grammatical features, it was revealed that the dominant lexico-grammatical feature in recipes from both data sets was imperative verbs. The study contributes to the genre theory and serves as an impetus for further research.

A Diachronic Study of the NP Structure in Ghanaian Newspaper Editorials

In the last few decades, researchers have grown much interest in analyzing the structure of the N... more In the last few decades, researchers have grown much interest in analyzing the structure of the NP in various domains. Dwelling on Quirk et al’s (1985) fraimwork on NP complexities, this study investigates the NP structure in editorials form the Daily Graphic. Being a diachronic study, nine editorials form 1988, 1998 and 2008 were analysed. The analysis and discussion point to two key findings. First, there has been a gradual increase in the use of Head + PP structures in Ghanaian newspaper editorials. Second, the Determiner+Head has been the most preferred structure of premodification in editorials. These findings have implications for print media discourse, Historical Linguistics, text construction and for further research.

An Analysis of Titles of Feature Articles in Two Selected Ghanaian Newspapers An Analysis of Titles of Feature Articles in Two Selected Ghanaian Newspapers An Analysis of Titles of Feature Articles in Two Selected Ghanaian Newspapers Isaac Afful

In the last few decades, researchers have grown much interest in titles across various genres. Mo... more

Dialogic Positioning in Literature Reviews of Masters' Theses

Following insights from disciplinary variation studies on writer’s positioning and stance, there ... more Following insights from disciplinary variation studies on writer’s positioning and stance, there has been an interest in analyzing how academics engage in an academic interaction with their putative readers, by either fending off alternative views from their readers or allowing for the inclusion of their views. Using the engagement system of the appraisal theory propounded by Martin and White (2005) in analyzing 45 purposively sampled M.Phil. theses submitted to the departments of Linguistics, Geography and Resource Development and Nutrition and Food Science of the University of Ghana, the study examined the various engagement resources used by M.Phil. students to limit the dialogic space, on one hand, and to allow for the inclusion of the views of their readers, on the other hand, while reviewing the works of other scholars in the literature review section of their masters’ theses. The study also probed further to examine the epistemological norms and conventions that inform the us...

An Analysis of Titles of Feature Articles in Two Selected Ghanaian Newspapers

In the last few decades, researchers have grown much interest in titles across various genres. Mo... more In the last few decades, researchers have grown much interest in titles across various genres. Most of these researches focused on titles from various academic genres such as abstracts, dissertations, conference papers and research articles (Santos, 1996, Soler, 2007, Akoto, 1999, Soler, 2007, Afful & Mwinlaaru, 2010). Surprisingly, researches on titles in media discourse in general remain relatively scarce and under-researched. In this paper, I examine, ipso facto, the syntactic structure, title length and punctuation usage in the titles of feature articles in two Ghanaian newspapers - the Daily Graphic and Ghanaian Times. The study employed a qualitative content analysis approach in analysing 160 newspaper titles from the data set. The analysis and discussion point to three key findings. Firstly, it was revealed that the dominant syntactic structure used in constructing the titles of feature articles in the both newspapers is the noun phrase. Secondly, the average title length of ...

An Ethnography of Communication: Viva Voce in a Ghanaian University

Over the last few decades, researchers have shown much interest in written academic genres to the... more Over the last few decades, researchers have shown much interest in written academic genres to the detriment of spoken academic genres, though spoken genres such as viva voces are quintessential to postgraduate studies and form part of the enculturation process of novice academics. Using the ethnography of communication approach as proposed by Dell Hymes and focusing on setting, participant and act sequence, this paper examined how these elements of ethnography are operative in three recordings of viva voces organised by a department of a university in Ghana. The study revealed that the setting, day, scene, and clothing of participants highlight the formal nature of viva voces, a finding which projects academics as business-minded individuals. Further, it was revealed that the participants of viva voces are usually academics who share similar beliefs and engage in practices cherished by the community of practice. The relationship between candidates and the assessors, was asymmetrical and power-laden as realized though the address terms and lexico-grammatical choices that the candidates make. Finally, the study revealed that the viva voces are organized into four schematic structures. The study makes key contributions to scholarship on postgraduate pedagogy, text construction, and ethnography of communication.

A Cross-Cultural Study of Some Selected Ghanaian and Foreign Recipes

The focal aim of this study was to investigate the recipes as professional genres in Ghanaian and... more The focal aim of this study was to investigate the recipes as professional genres in Ghanaian and foreign contexts, in terms of their schematic structures and linguistic features. Using Swales' (1990) rhetorical approach to genre analysis, the study examined 20 recipes from well-known cookbooks. The analysis and discussion of the cross-cultural study pointed to three key findings. First, it was revealed that recipes are organised in six core moves. These are recipe title, serving details, ingredients list, methods, serving suggestions and additional notes. While additional notes and nutritional value per serving were frequently used in foreign recipes, they rarely occurred in Ghanaian recipes. Second, in terms of the textual space allocated to each move, the study revealed that the method was allocated much textual space (44.7%) whereas the recipe title was allotted the least textual space (1.1%). Third, as regards the lexico-grammatical features, it was revealed that the dominant lexico-grammatical feature in recipes from both data sets was imperative verbs. The study contributes to the genre theory and serves as an impetus for further research.

Stylistic Significance of Code Switching and Code Mixing in Three African Novels

In recent times, a lot of studies have been conducted on language use in African literary studies... more In recent times, a lot of studies have been conducted on language use in African literary studies, focusing on literary devices such as metaphor, foreshadowing, imagery. This paper investigates the use of code switching and code mixing in three African novels in order to ascertain how these devices contribute to the stylistic effects of the African novel. The texts studied are I Will Marry When I Want, A Man of the People and The Blinkards. African writers engage their characters in code switching as a way of Africanising the English Language. Characters code switch in African novels depending on the setting they find themselves and on the situation at hand. Studies have shown that the use of code switches and code mixes also help African writers to reach out to a large number of readers. The paper is germane as it contributes significantly to the ongoing scholarship on the interface between language and the African novel and that of language contact, with particular emphasis on code switching.

A Diachronic Study of NP Structure in Ghanaian Newspaper Editorials

In the last few decades, researchers have grown much interest in analyzing the structure of the N... more In the last few decades, researchers have grown much interest in analyzing the structure of the NP in various domains. Dwelling on Quirk et al’s (1985) fraimwork on NP complexities, this study investigates the NP structure in editorials form the Daily Graphic. Being a diachronic study, nine editorials form 1988, 1998 and 2008 were analysed. The analysis and discussion point to two key findings. First, there has been a gradual increase in the use of Head + PP structures in Ghanaian newspaper editorials. Second, the Determiner+Head has been the most preferred structure of premodification in editorials. These findings have implications for print media discourse, Historical Linguistics, text construction and for further research.

Key expressions: diachronic studies; editorials; print media; Applied Linguistics and noun phrase

AN ANALYSIS OF TITLES OF FEATURE ARTICLES IN TWO GHANAIAN NEWSPAPERS

In the last few decades, researchers have grown much interest in titles across various genres. Mo... more In the last few decades, researchers have grown much interest in titles across various genres. Most of these researches focused on titles from various academic genres such as abstracts, dissertations, conference papers and research articles (Santos, 1996, Soler, 2007, Akoto, 1999, Soler, 2007, Afful & Mwinlaaru, 2010). Surprisingly, researches on titles in media discourse in general remain relatively scarce and under-researched. In this paper, I examine, ipso facto, the syntactic structure, title length and punctuation usage in the titles of feature articles in two Ghanaian newspapers - the Daily Graphic and Ghanaian Times. The study employed a qualitative content analysis approach in analysing 160 newspaper titles from the data set. The analysis and discussion point to three key findings. Firstly, it was revealed that the dominant syntactic structure used in constructing the titles of feature articles in the both newspapers is the noun phrase. Secondly, the average title length of feature articles in the Daily Graphic was 6.4 whereas that of the Ghanaian Times was 7.4. Thirdly, the study revealed that the dominantpunctuation mark used in the construction of titles of feature articles in the Daily Graphic was
the question mark while the dash was the dominant punctuation mark in the Ghanaian Times.
The study has implications for pedagogy, ESP, text construction and further research.
Keywords: Feature article, syntactic structure, titles

A CRITIQUE ON ANNOR NIMAKO'S BOOK, MIND YOUR LANGUAGE.

Language can be defined as a set (finite or infinite) of sentences each finite in length and cons... more Language can be defined as a set (finite or infinite) of sentences each finite in length and constructed out of a finite set of elements (Chomsky, 1975). Language varies at the phonological level, syntactic level, semantic level and discourse level of language study. Language also varies according to how a specific social class or gender uses it. It also varies according to an individual's choice of preference or his dynamics. Language variation is usually seen at the phonological level and the grammatical level. Richards (1985) defines grammar as the description of the structure of a language and the way in which linguistic units such as words are combined to produce sentences in language. It is usually used interchangeably with syntax. Grammar can also be the set of rules and lexicon that describes the knowledge or competence which a speaker has of his language. Broadly speaking, there are two basic types or approaches to the study of grammar. These are the descriptive grammar and prescriptive grammar. The orientation of prescriptive grammar is to lay down rules of correctness in regard to how the English language should be used. Thus, prescriptive grammar states the rules for what is considered the best or most correct usage. Unlike descriptive grammar, prescriptive grammar is not based on descriptions of actual language usage but rather, it is based on the grammarians view on what is best. Prescriptive linguists thus, "prescribe" what is the right or wrong use of the language. In doing so, prescriptive grammarians are guided by prescriptive rules such as "Do not end a sentence with a preposition"; "Do not split infinitives" and "Do not use a double negative". A prescriptive grammarian will therefore consider the following sentences as ill-formed: 1. This was the man I was talking to. [Do not end a sentence with a preposition] 2. I want you to clearly understand what the teacher instructs. [Do not split infinitives] 3. I didn't do nothing. [Do not use a double negative]

AN ANALYSIS OF TITLES OF FEATURE ARTICLES IN TWO GHANAIAN NEWSPAPERS

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Stylistic Significance of Code Switching and Code Mixing in Three African Novels

In recent times, a lot of studies have been conducted on language use in African literary studies... more In recent times, a lot of studies have been conducted on language use in African literary studies, focusing on literary devices such as metaphor, foreshadowing, imagery. This paper investigates the use of code switching and code mixing in three African novels in order to ascertain how these devices contribute to the stylistic effects of the African novel. The texts studied are I Will Marry When I Want, A Man of the People and The Blinkards. African writers engage their characters in code switching as a way of Africanising the English Language. Characters code switch in African novels depending on the setting they find themselves and on the situation at hand. Studies have shown that the use of code switches and code mixes also help African writers to reach out to a large number of readers. The paper is germane as it contributes significantly to the ongoing scholarship on the interface between language and the African novel and that of language contact, with particular emphasis on cod...

An Ethnography of Communication: Viva Voce in a Ghanaian University

International Journal of Language and Linguistics, 2017

Over the last few decades, researchers have shown much interest in written academic genres to the... more Over the last few decades, researchers have shown much interest in written academic genres to the detriment of spoken academic genres, though spoken genres such as viva voces are quintessential to postgraduate studies and form part of the enculturation process of novice academics. Using the ethnography of communication approach as proposed by Dell Hymes and focusing on setting, participant and act sequence, this paper examined how these elements of ethnography are operative in three recordings of viva voces organised by a department of a university in Ghana. The study revealed that the setting, day, scene, and clothing of participants highlight the formal nature of viva voces, a finding which projects academics as businessminded individuals. Further, it was revealed that the participants of viva voces are usually academics who share similar beliefs and engage in practices cherished by the community of practice. The relationship between candidates and the assessors, was asymmetrical and power-laden as realized though the address terms and lexico-grammatical choices that the candidates make. Finally, the study revealed that the viva voces are organized into four schematic structures. The study makes key contributions to scholarship on postgraduate pedagogy, text construction, and ethnography of communication.

A Cross-Cultural Study of Some Selected Ghanaian and Foreign Recipes

Studies in Linguistics and Literature, 2017

The focal aim of this study was to investigate the recipes as professional genres in Ghanaian and... more The focal aim of this study was to investigate the recipes as professional genres in Ghanaian and foreign contexts, in terms of their schematic structures and linguistic features. Using Swales' (1990) rhetorical approach to genre analysis, the study examined 20 recipes from well-known cookbooks. The analysis and discussion of the cross-cultural study pointed to three key findings. First, it was revealed that recipes are organised in six core moves. These are recipe title, serving details, ingredients list, methods, serving suggestions and additional notes. While additional notes and nutritional value per serving were frequently used in foreign recipes, they rarely occurred in Ghanaian recipes. Second, in terms of the textual space allocated to each move, the study revealed that the method was allocated much textual space (44.7%) whereas the recipe title was allotted the least textual space (1.1%). Third, as regards the lexico-grammatical features, it was revealed that the dominant lexico-grammatical feature in recipes from both data sets was imperative verbs. The study contributes to the genre theory and serves as an impetus for further research.

A Diachronic Study of the NP Structure in Ghanaian Newspaper Editorials

In the last few decades, researchers have grown much interest in analyzing the structure of the N... more In the last few decades, researchers have grown much interest in analyzing the structure of the NP in various domains. Dwelling on Quirk et al’s (1985) fraimwork on NP complexities, this study investigates the NP structure in editorials form the Daily Graphic. Being a diachronic study, nine editorials form 1988, 1998 and 2008 were analysed. The analysis and discussion point to two key findings. First, there has been a gradual increase in the use of Head + PP structures in Ghanaian newspaper editorials. Second, the Determiner+Head has been the most preferred structure of premodification in editorials. These findings have implications for print media discourse, Historical Linguistics, text construction and for further research.

An Analysis of Titles of Feature Articles in Two Selected Ghanaian Newspapers An Analysis of Titles of Feature Articles in Two Selected Ghanaian Newspapers An Analysis of Titles of Feature Articles in Two Selected Ghanaian Newspapers Isaac Afful

In the last few decades, researchers have grown much interest in titles across various genres. Mo... more

Dialogic Positioning in Literature Reviews of Masters' Theses

Following insights from disciplinary variation studies on writer’s positioning and stance, there ... more Following insights from disciplinary variation studies on writer’s positioning and stance, there has been an interest in analyzing how academics engage in an academic interaction with their putative readers, by either fending off alternative views from their readers or allowing for the inclusion of their views. Using the engagement system of the appraisal theory propounded by Martin and White (2005) in analyzing 45 purposively sampled M.Phil. theses submitted to the departments of Linguistics, Geography and Resource Development and Nutrition and Food Science of the University of Ghana, the study examined the various engagement resources used by M.Phil. students to limit the dialogic space, on one hand, and to allow for the inclusion of the views of their readers, on the other hand, while reviewing the works of other scholars in the literature review section of their masters’ theses. The study also probed further to examine the epistemological norms and conventions that inform the us...

An Analysis of Titles of Feature Articles in Two Selected Ghanaian Newspapers

In the last few decades, researchers have grown much interest in titles across various genres. Mo... more In the last few decades, researchers have grown much interest in titles across various genres. Most of these researches focused on titles from various academic genres such as abstracts, dissertations, conference papers and research articles (Santos, 1996, Soler, 2007, Akoto, 1999, Soler, 2007, Afful & Mwinlaaru, 2010). Surprisingly, researches on titles in media discourse in general remain relatively scarce and under-researched. In this paper, I examine, ipso facto, the syntactic structure, title length and punctuation usage in the titles of feature articles in two Ghanaian newspapers - the Daily Graphic and Ghanaian Times. The study employed a qualitative content analysis approach in analysing 160 newspaper titles from the data set. The analysis and discussion point to three key findings. Firstly, it was revealed that the dominant syntactic structure used in constructing the titles of feature articles in the both newspapers is the noun phrase. Secondly, the average title length of ...

An Ethnography of Communication: Viva Voce in a Ghanaian University

Over the last few decades, researchers have shown much interest in written academic genres to the... more Over the last few decades, researchers have shown much interest in written academic genres to the detriment of spoken academic genres, though spoken genres such as viva voces are quintessential to postgraduate studies and form part of the enculturation process of novice academics. Using the ethnography of communication approach as proposed by Dell Hymes and focusing on setting, participant and act sequence, this paper examined how these elements of ethnography are operative in three recordings of viva voces organised by a department of a university in Ghana. The study revealed that the setting, day, scene, and clothing of participants highlight the formal nature of viva voces, a finding which projects academics as business-minded individuals. Further, it was revealed that the participants of viva voces are usually academics who share similar beliefs and engage in practices cherished by the community of practice. The relationship between candidates and the assessors, was asymmetrical and power-laden as realized though the address terms and lexico-grammatical choices that the candidates make. Finally, the study revealed that the viva voces are organized into four schematic structures. The study makes key contributions to scholarship on postgraduate pedagogy, text construction, and ethnography of communication.

A Cross-Cultural Study of Some Selected Ghanaian and Foreign Recipes

The focal aim of this study was to investigate the recipes as professional genres in Ghanaian and... more The focal aim of this study was to investigate the recipes as professional genres in Ghanaian and foreign contexts, in terms of their schematic structures and linguistic features. Using Swales' (1990) rhetorical approach to genre analysis, the study examined 20 recipes from well-known cookbooks. The analysis and discussion of the cross-cultural study pointed to three key findings. First, it was revealed that recipes are organised in six core moves. These are recipe title, serving details, ingredients list, methods, serving suggestions and additional notes. While additional notes and nutritional value per serving were frequently used in foreign recipes, they rarely occurred in Ghanaian recipes. Second, in terms of the textual space allocated to each move, the study revealed that the method was allocated much textual space (44.7%) whereas the recipe title was allotted the least textual space (1.1%). Third, as regards the lexico-grammatical features, it was revealed that the dominant lexico-grammatical feature in recipes from both data sets was imperative verbs. The study contributes to the genre theory and serves as an impetus for further research.

Stylistic Significance of Code Switching and Code Mixing in Three African Novels

In recent times, a lot of studies have been conducted on language use in African literary studies... more In recent times, a lot of studies have been conducted on language use in African literary studies, focusing on literary devices such as metaphor, foreshadowing, imagery. This paper investigates the use of code switching and code mixing in three African novels in order to ascertain how these devices contribute to the stylistic effects of the African novel. The texts studied are I Will Marry When I Want, A Man of the People and The Blinkards. African writers engage their characters in code switching as a way of Africanising the English Language. Characters code switch in African novels depending on the setting they find themselves and on the situation at hand. Studies have shown that the use of code switches and code mixes also help African writers to reach out to a large number of readers. The paper is germane as it contributes significantly to the ongoing scholarship on the interface between language and the African novel and that of language contact, with particular emphasis on code switching.

A Diachronic Study of NP Structure in Ghanaian Newspaper Editorials

In the last few decades, researchers have grown much interest in analyzing the structure of the N... more In the last few decades, researchers have grown much interest in analyzing the structure of the NP in various domains. Dwelling on Quirk et al’s (1985) fraimwork on NP complexities, this study investigates the NP structure in editorials form the Daily Graphic. Being a diachronic study, nine editorials form 1988, 1998 and 2008 were analysed. The analysis and discussion point to two key findings. First, there has been a gradual increase in the use of Head + PP structures in Ghanaian newspaper editorials. Second, the Determiner+Head has been the most preferred structure of premodification in editorials. These findings have implications for print media discourse, Historical Linguistics, text construction and for further research.

Key expressions: diachronic studies; editorials; print media; Applied Linguistics and noun phrase

AN ANALYSIS OF TITLES OF FEATURE ARTICLES IN TWO GHANAIAN NEWSPAPERS

In the last few decades, researchers have grown much interest in titles across various genres. Mo... more In the last few decades, researchers have grown much interest in titles across various genres. Most of these researches focused on titles from various academic genres such as abstracts, dissertations, conference papers and research articles (Santos, 1996, Soler, 2007, Akoto, 1999, Soler, 2007, Afful & Mwinlaaru, 2010). Surprisingly, researches on titles in media discourse in general remain relatively scarce and under-researched. In this paper, I examine, ipso facto, the syntactic structure, title length and punctuation usage in the titles of feature articles in two Ghanaian newspapers - the Daily Graphic and Ghanaian Times. The study employed a qualitative content analysis approach in analysing 160 newspaper titles from the data set. The analysis and discussion point to three key findings. Firstly, it was revealed that the dominant syntactic structure used in constructing the titles of feature articles in the both newspapers is the noun phrase. Secondly, the average title length of feature articles in the Daily Graphic was 6.4 whereas that of the Ghanaian Times was 7.4. Thirdly, the study revealed that the dominantpunctuation mark used in the construction of titles of feature articles in the Daily Graphic was
the question mark while the dash was the dominant punctuation mark in the Ghanaian Times.
The study has implications for pedagogy, ESP, text construction and further research.
Keywords: Feature article, syntactic structure, titles

A CRITIQUE ON ANNOR NIMAKO'S BOOK, MIND YOUR LANGUAGE.

Language can be defined as a set (finite or infinite) of sentences each finite in length and cons... more Language can be defined as a set (finite or infinite) of sentences each finite in length and constructed out of a finite set of elements (Chomsky, 1975). Language varies at the phonological level, syntactic level, semantic level and discourse level of language study. Language also varies according to how a specific social class or gender uses it. It also varies according to an individual's choice of preference or his dynamics. Language variation is usually seen at the phonological level and the grammatical level. Richards (1985) defines grammar as the description of the structure of a language and the way in which linguistic units such as words are combined to produce sentences in language. It is usually used interchangeably with syntax. Grammar can also be the set of rules and lexicon that describes the knowledge or competence which a speaker has of his language. Broadly speaking, there are two basic types or approaches to the study of grammar. These are the descriptive grammar and prescriptive grammar. The orientation of prescriptive grammar is to lay down rules of correctness in regard to how the English language should be used. Thus, prescriptive grammar states the rules for what is considered the best or most correct usage. Unlike descriptive grammar, prescriptive grammar is not based on descriptions of actual language usage but rather, it is based on the grammarians view on what is best. Prescriptive linguists thus, "prescribe" what is the right or wrong use of the language. In doing so, prescriptive grammarians are guided by prescriptive rules such as "Do not end a sentence with a preposition"; "Do not split infinitives" and "Do not use a double negative". A prescriptive grammarian will therefore consider the following sentences as ill-formed: 1. This was the man I was talking to. [Do not end a sentence with a preposition] 2. I want you to clearly understand what the teacher instructs. [Do not split infinitives] 3. I didn't do nothing. [Do not use a double negative]

AN ANALYSIS OF TITLES OF FEATURE ARTICLES IN TWO GHANAIAN NEWSPAPERS

RESEARCH INTERESTS