POLITICAL COMMUNICATION AND THE USE OF DEIXIS: A STUDY OF PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI’S 61ST INDEPENDENCE DAY SPEECH IN NIGERIA

Abstract

This study aims at examining, qualitatively and quantitatively, the use of deictic features in President Buhari’s 1st of October 2021 speech on the occasion of Nigeria’s 61st Independence Day Anniversary. To demonstrate how the President utilizes deictic resources in his speech for national peace, economic development, and unity. The study uses a pragmatic tool: deixis to analyse the President’s speech. The data were analysed qualitatively. The speech is retrieved from the official website of the Online Vanguard Newspapers. Thereafter, deitic features were identified and classified according to their types. The study reveals that President Buhari employed a total of 248 deictic features: personal deixes (68 %), 51 spatial deixis (20 %), 11 temporal deixis (4 %), 6 social deixis (2 %), and 11 discourse deixis (4%) therefore, personal deixis is the most used category of deixis in president Buhari’s speech to Nigerians. The study concludes that President Buhari’s use of personal