English Usage Pattern in Nigerian Religious Settings: Perspectives from Selected Worship Centers in Imo state

Abstract

The study is a comparative analysis of the English language used in Orthodox and Pentecostal churches in the Nigeria community. In Nigeria, Christian religion plays integral roles in the lives of the people. It helps to inculcate good moral values in the lives of the members of the community through the use of language. The aim of this research is to identify the language usage pattern of different religious sects in Nigeria with particular reference to that of the Orthodox or Mainline Churches and the Pentecostal denominations. The motivation of this research is from the need to analyze the different language styles used in the Orthodox and Pentecostal Churches. Some of the highlights of this study entailed the concept of religious discourse, discourse analysis, and stylistic analysis of religious language. The theoretical framework for the study is Seale’s Speech ACt Theory which deals with what human beings do with words with special reference to locutionary, illocutionary and perlocutionary acts. The population of the study comprised a deliberate selection of two Catholic Churches, two Anglican Churches and two Pentecostal Churches within Owerri metropolis. The study is significant because it showed the way the two denominations which belong to the same religious register use the English language.