Lexical Manifestations in the Texts of the English-Language Nigerian Online Newspaper “Vanguard”

Introduction. The issues of contacting languages and cultures do not lose their significance in a modern multilingual and multicultural society. English, representing a means of global communication, is a universal means of communication, uniting representatives for whom English is a non-native language. One of the most accessible ways to obtain information about current events in the world is mass media, as they broadcast information of various kinds and provide readers and viewers with quick access to facts, documents, videos, and audio messages. Methodology and sources. Based on a comparative analysis with British English and the American English, similar and distinctive features of the Nigerian English in the English-speaking Nigerian media discourse were identified. The specific features of the English-language Nigerian media discourse are examined using the example of the daily English-language Nigerian online newspaper “Vanguard”. Results and discussion. In the article, the most productive types of lexical manifestations functioning in the online newspaper “Vanguard” were identified, forming the properties of the English-speaking Nigerian media discourse, in relation to the British media discourse. It has been established that the most frequent lexical manifestations in the texts of the online newspaper “Vanguard” are abbreviations and acronyms that reflect the most significant social aspects of the Nigerians’ life and represent economic, political, legal, cultural and historical aspects. It is proved that phraseological units are subject to nativization in the English-language media discourse and are part of a group of high-frequency lexical manifestations, reflecting the realities of local languages and cultures. It is noted that the unproductive types of lexical manifestations in the texts of the online newspaper “Vanguard” include borrowings. It has been established that borrowings from the French language are a characteristic feature of the English-speaking Nigerian media discourse, which is associated with the need to maintain economic relations with neighboring francophone countries. Conclusion. The results of the research work indicate that the English-speaking Nigerian media discourse has unique properties formed as a result of the interaction of British English, American English and numerous Nigerian languages and cultures. Functioning in the English-speaking Nigerian media space, English is subject to nativization, including at the lexical level. The influence of autochthonous languages and cultures dominates the norm, which results in abbreviations and phraseological units that have undergone significant transformations function in the texts and video materials of the English-speaking Nigerian media.

Authors: Yana A. Glebova, Yulia S. Blazhevich, Lyudmila M. Buzinova

Direction: Linguistics

Keywords: nativization, lexical manifestation, Nigerian English, British English, American English, Nigerian English media discourse

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