The nominal group is an important aspect of English and other languages and requires specific attention because of its complex structure and sequence. This study examines how sequencing affects users' understanding and interpretation of the English nominal group and attempts to prescribe guidelines to the different challenges which the complex ordering of the nominal group poses to users of English as a second language. The findings of the study indicate that the complex ordering of the nominal group has a significant impact on their semantic effects in any discourse, and many of the difficulties users of English as a second language are faced with have to do with lack of adequate understanding of the structure and usage of the nominal group. Some of these problems can be addressed through a comprehensive study and examination of linguists' explanation of the nominal group and practical application of their guidelines. A functional approach to the study of the group will help second language learners of English to have a better understanding of its structure.

This study investigates the factors that are responsible for the levelling of Ìkàr??-Àkókó dialect. Specifically, the paper examines the impacts of Nigerian indigenous languages, especially Yorùbá, on the dialect. The study aims at identifying the patterns of changes in the dialect and their impacts on the ethnic identities of the people. The work is based on the variationist approach pioneered by William Labov in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The tools used for data collection include questionnaire, oral interview and observation. The findings of the study reveal that the dialect manifests different stages of changes, vital domains like home, school and work place, which are supposed to be the strongholds of this dialect are being encroached upon by languages other than the mother tongue in the study area. It was found that the changes in the dialect are not due to the influence of English language only, but to indigenous Nigerian languages, mostly Yorùbá. It was concluded that the gradual levelling of Ìkàr??-Àkókó dialect is caused in part by restricted domains of use, increase in population; lack of commitment to indigenous language use by the native speakers; and suppressive language policy in the nation. The study recommends sensitization campaigns as a way of maintaining and sustaining the status of indigenous languages.

The school environment is typically a complex social one in which the learner participates. Observing the child in this environment is ideal and should be a priority for diagnosing learner's language competence. This paper examines techniques through which teachers can diagnose learners' language problems. These involve the use of pragmatic tools such as intention, inference and world knowledge. The study also employs the use of the six levels of competence as mapped out by Lawal in his pragma-communicative model to suggest suitable language activities for learners. The activities are just samples to guide language teachers in planning their language lessons. The result of the study reveals that many Nigerian students and generally, second language learners of English, are deficient in demonstrating good and appropriate language behaviours. On the basis of the findings, we recommend a more pragmatic way of teaching English or any other language, as a second language. Also, the number of learners in the classrooms should be reduced to enable the practice of skill-oriented teaching techniques.

Technological advancements and recent innovations and trends have affected virtually all aspects of human interactions to a great extent. An aspect of these innovations concerns the use of emoticons, emojis and stickers in instant messaging and other digital communication applications. The aim of this study is to examine the extent to which the usage of emoticons, emojis and stickers has influenced communication on social media platforms; how well students use emoticons, emojis and stickers on social media; whether there are problems associated with the usage and attachment of meaning to these devices on social media and how such problems can be addressed. Data for the study was sourced through the administration of a questionnaire on fifty very active users of the social media who were randomly selected from among undergraduate students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Nigeria. The responses to the questionnaire were analysed and interpreted using simple percentage, and the results are presented in tables. The findings of the study show that emoticons and emojis are prominent tools that encourage social media communications and interactions, and aid comprehension of messages among active social media users. The study recommends that measures be put in place by the controllers and administrators of social media to prevent negative or illicit usage of emoticons, emojis and stickers given that these devices can sometimes be vulgar, unofficial, misapplied and/or misinterpreted.

From time immemorial, songs, rhymes, and stories have always been part of human society that portray many aspects of the cultural heritage of many people. Thus, they portend to be important devices in educational development, especially in terms of language acquisition. The linguistic features in these three genres of oral literature make it possible for language to be learnt in a very enjoyable, pedagogical and natural manner. This study was carried out to bring out the peculiar linguistic features in children’s oral literature with the aim of describing how songs, rhymes, and stories aid language acquisition and learning. The data for the study are eight (8) songs, seven (7) rhymes, and two (2) stories randomly selected from some English reading materials. Linguistic Stylistic Model and Halliday’s Systemic Functional Grammar formed the bases for the analysis. The findings of the study show that composers of children songs, rhymes and stories strategically deploy language to enhance children’s skills in spellings, pronunciations, identifications of words, and arrangement of words into meaningful sentences. The study concludes that songs, rhymes, and stories are useful tools to introduce children to a language and to make the acquisition and learning of such a language easy with fun, activity and motivation.