Language and Ideology: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Nigerian National Anthem

Abstract

This paper is a critical discourse analysis of Nigerian national anthem with the view to finding out the ideologies in the text and how they are enacted through the use of words. The data for analyses were obtained from the current Nigerian national anthem as composed and adopted in 1978. The study investigates the lines of the anthem to uncover the ideological imports of the Nigerian National Anthem using critical discourse analysis. The concern of the analysis is to ascertain how language can be used as a tool for social restructuring in the society. The study adopts qualitative approach to show the interconnectedness between language and ideology. The analysis reveals that language of the text does the social work of mind-reconstruction, cultivating patriotism, faith and unity; and that the phrasing of the text is appropriate and aptly embodies the ideologies of Nigeria as a country. The use of CDA shows how equality, fairness, unity and patriotism can be mediated through language. It concludes that language is not simply a neutral medium for generating subject knowledge, but a form of social practice that acts to constitute as much as reflect social realities. The study recommends critical discourse analysis as a means of textual analysis that unravels the unsaid said of a speaker.