Hate speech in Nigeria is a complex and multifaceted issue that has been prevent since the country’s independence it’s often used as a form of verbal aggression, fueled by factors like ethnicity, religion and party politics. This study aimed at exploring the significance of hate speeches used in Nigeria campaigns; to highlight the linguistic elements deployed to communicate hate speeches. the data for the study was collected from print media (Newspapers). The research was conducted using descriptive method to describe the hate speeches used by politicians against their opponents. The choice of this methodology was borne out of the fact that it is interested in describing and analyzing certain variables of interest. The theoretical framework for this study hinges on the speech act theory of Austin (1962) and Searl’s (1969) model and P-crafting by leech. Form the analysis, it was found that the representative category of illocution is on the high side. This implies that politicians and other actors of hate speech use this act to state, claim, and assert propositions which are born out of their hate against other political opponents. The study concludes that hate speech is a contemporary existential threat bedeviling Nigeria’s election and its prevalent tendencies is becoming worrisome. The study, therefore, recommends that political leaders should always engage one another, the citizens organizations and civil servants with enlightenment programmes for proper understanding of the government activities and plan towards a change of attitude.
Political Campaigns, Hate Speeches, Speech Act, P-Crafting and Politics
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