THE MISUSE OF THE ENGLISH ARTICLES IN SELECTED NIGERIAN NEWSPAPERS

THE MISUSE OF THE ENGLISH ARTICLES IN SELECTED NIGERIAN NEWSPAPERS

ABSTRACT

The English article system is a complex system that is nevertheless indispensable for users of English. The articles perform several important functions and aid greatly in the art of communication. Despite this indisputable importance of the English articles, Nigerian newspapers misuse them to a great degree. It is a fact that newspapers are extremely useful learning tools to students and the general public. However, Nigerian newspapers fail to live up to the high standard expected of them. In spite of this aberration, studies on the misuse of the English articles by Nigerian newspapers have been particularly rare. The aim of this is to assess the misuse of the English articles by Nigerian newspapers. The study attempts to answer research questions such as: In what manner do the print media deviate from established grammatical uses of articles?To what extent are the articles misused?To what extent does the misuse of the English articles inhibit effective communication in Nigerian newspapers?To what degree does the misuse of the English articles disconnect the relationship between nouns and articles? What are the reasons for the wrong use of the English articles by newspapers in Nigeria?In order to answer these questions, the researcher carried out an in-depth library research. The population for the study is all Nigerian newspapers, and the researcher selected a total of six editions from threenational newspapers: two of each. The data analysis showed that errors in the misuse of the English articles are prevalent in Nigerian newspapers, and these errors hamper effective communication. These findings suggest the necessity of employing better writers and editors on the part of the newspaper houses. The study concludes with suggestions for further research.