Journal of African Studies and Sustainable Development

The study investigates Traffic Police Discourse through Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA henceforth). The data for the study was collected in three different traffic points and analyzed in terms of the constituent features of CDA by accounting for all the discourse values: experiential value, relational value, and expressive. The formal features of language were also brought to bear in the analysis by accounting for the lexical, syntactic and semantic features. CDA is a vital tool for unveiling the disguised or unspoken contextual meanings of expressions; as a result, the study beams light on the personality of the Traffic Police (TP henceforth) which is characterized by pomposity, force and threat and the road user’s resistance of being dominated. The study also exposes the possible reactions of the TP if traffic rules are violated, thereby keeping road users at alert in obedience to traffic rules, and as a result, promoting safer roads and a better society.

Open Full Text (PDF)