Practs in First Official Speeches of Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Nana Akufo-Addo on Coronavirus Pandemic

Abstract

This paper examined first official speeches of presidents of Nigeria and Ghana on coronavirus pandemic. The study adopted content analytical method which involves qualitative and quantitative method of data analysis and presentation. Applying concepts from Pragmatics act, the study revealed different practs through which both presidents made their intentions known towards combating the virus. It was discovered that President Muhammadu Buhari deployed 95 practs in order to achieve five pragmatic functions namely: to reveal achievements and further action (53.69%), to instruct and direct (28.41%), to commend (4.21%), to pacify/encourage (10.53%), and to persuade (3.16%). President Nana Akufo-Addo deployed 39 practs to achieve six pragmatic functions: to reveal achievements and further action (56.41%), to instruct and direct (25.64%), to pacify (7.69%), to commendation (5.13%), persuasion (2.56%), and to warn (2.56%). It was discovered that shared situational knowledge, reference and inference enable the citizens of both countries to understand what both presidents wish to communicate especially where both presidents used words and phrases to refer to coronavirus. The paper concluded that through the analysis of different practs in speeches, thematic focus of a speech can be discerned.