CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.1       BACKGROUD TO THE STUDY

Whatever the sphere of discourse the role of language in describing and explaining texts, spoken or written, cannot be under-estimated. Varieties in language use based on factors such as occupation, geographical setting, idiosyncrasy and many more, further explain the relevance of language to human activity.

          One field where language is very important is the field of mass communication.  The media, which is usually understood to mean the press, employs language to achieve its different aims both in the print and the electronic media. The language of the media has been the focus of different researchers (employing different theoretical method) which gave rise to different terminologies like “current-day media language” or “the modern media discourse” (Aitchison and Lewis 2003, p.1)

          Systemic linguistics, as a theory of language, provides an avenue to determine how language is used and how language functions in different contexts.  This, as explained by Christie and Unsworthy (2000, p.1) helps “to illustrate how linguistics can contribute to ‘applied’ language research… and also respond to questions about language in applied contexts, a way to describe language  in terms of choices of meaning (p.2).

     Systemic theory is also known as the scale and category of grammar (Olujide 2007, p.53).  This view then serves as the basis of analysis for some analysts.  Alabi (1997, p.61) for instance, takes the theoretical path of scale and category with her focus being: “For a rigorous structural analysis in stylistic study…. as networks of interlayer systems”. Though approach of this type covers the major aspect of systemic grammar, it is deficient in not taking into consideration the meta-functions of language as identified by the profounder of systemic grammar. M.A.K Halliday.

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