A Semio-linguistic Analysis of the Emblems of Nigerian military and Para-military Organisations
CLAREP Journal of English and Linguistics (C-JEL)
Author: Daniel Ejodamen, Diri Teilanyo & Bode Steve Ekundayo
Institution: University of Benin
Email: danielejodamen@gmail.com; teilanyo@uniben.edu; ekuns20@yahoo.com
Abstract
In addition to spoken and written language, there are other non-verbal uses of signs and body movements for communication that Semiotic deals with. This paper examines the emblems of some major and minor Nigerian military and para-military organisations to establish their iconicity and semiotic correlations, identify and analyse their syntactic and lexico-semantic categories and relate them to their socio-cultural meanings. The paper adopts the qualitative method of analysis which involves a semiotic interpretation of the selected emblems and a linguistic analysis of the linguistic symbols in them. An identification survey of all the emblems (14), names and mottos (28) of (para-) military organisations in Nigeria was done. Seven (7) emblems and fourteen (14) names and mottos were later purposively sampled for this paper. Military personnel were also interviewed and the outcomes of the interview were augmented with library research: the use of the Internet and secondary sources. The study established that the emblems of Nigerian Para-military organisations are deliberately invested with semiotic and linguistic significances which Nigerians take for granted. The emblems convey the professional identities and essence of the various organisations and some socio-cultural and political legacies of the Nigerian semiosphere.
Keywords
Semiotics, Nigeria, military, para-military, signs, icon, index, symbol
Pages: 77-103
ISSN: 2698-654-X
ISBN: 978-3-96203-146-6 (Print)
ISBN: 978-3-96203-245-6 (PDF)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56907/gquviuv3