SPEECH ACT ANALYSIS OF THE SPEECHES OF ABUBAKAR SHEKAU, AL BAGDADI AND OSAMA BIN LADIN

Abstract

The fact that terrorism is a ravenous wolf in Nigeria and the entire world is a known fact. No doubt, in any human activity including terrorism, the role of language is incontestable. Language is an important/vital tool used in communicating ideas. Language not only determines how we see the world, but also what kinds of actions are possible. Therefore, knowledge of language is knowledge of how to use language to do things in the right circumstance. This paper looks at how terrorist leaders use language to intimidate, invite people for Jihad against their perceived enemies with the expectation to achieve their far-reaching political goals of over powering the state and instituting sharia. This is done through the window of Speech Act Theory by Searle. The speech act of terrorists were cross examined and scrutinized. This will help in discovering other better and more superior linguistic techniques of countering the terrorists’ narratives in addition to military action.